Rainbow Pokemon Cards are some of the most sought-after pulls in the history of the Pokemon Trading Card Game, offering gorgeous artwork and high rarity levels – but which ones are best?
The Pokemon TCG has provided loads of rare variants to keep collectors interested over the years, from shiny gold cards to stunning full-art cards and beyond. But our favorite rarities are definitely Rainbow Pokemon Cards.
These hard-to-find cards – also referred to as Rainbow Rares – were a big part of the Pokemon Sun & Moon and Sword & Shield generations of the TCG, taking regular full-art cards and giving them a lovely rainbow sheen.
They might have been dropped now that the Scarlet & Violet TCG sets have arrived, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take a look back at some of the best and rarest Rainbow Pokemon Cards from the past.
Best Rainbow Pokemon Cards
While every rainbow variant is something to treasure, we’ve looked through every variant out there and compiled a list of 10 of the best Rainbow Pokemon Cards of all time:
| Name | Card | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|
| 10. Lugia GX (from Lost Thunder) | TCG Player | |
| 9. Arceus VSTAR (from Brilliant Stars) | TCG Player | |
| 8. Mew VMAX (from Fusion Strike) | TCG Player | |
| 7. Reshiram & Charizard GX (from Unbroken Bonds) | TCG Player | |
| 6. Rayquaza VMAX (from Evolving Skies) | TCG Player | |
| 5. Charizard VSTAR (from Brilliant Stars) | TCG Player | |
| 4. Mewtwo & Mew GX (from Unified Minds) | TCG Player | |
| 3. Charizard GX (from Burning Shadows) | TCG Player | |
| 2. Charizard VMAX (from Champion’s Path) | TCG Player | |
| 1. Pikachu VMAX (from Vivid Voltage) | TCG Player |
This list was mostly formed by looking at each card’s rarity, desirability, and market value, but we’ve also taken into account the design of each card, the popularity of the featured Pokemon, and how good they look with the rainbow shine across them.
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For example, the Charizard GX card can fetch a higher price than the Pikachu VMAX card, but we can’t deny how iconic and desirable the Pikachu VMAX design is (or the fact that it goes viral every year during Pride Month). It’s a lovely card!
It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise to see Charizard appear multiple times in our list of the top Rainbow Pokemon Cards. The popular Fire/Flying-type Pokemon is always a fan-favorite in TCG sets, especially when it’s a rare variant.
So there you have it – the best Rainbow Pokemon Cards of all time! While you’re here, check out some of our other Pokemon TCG content below:
Most expensive & rarest Pokemon cards ever | Best Pokemon cards of all time | Best Pokemon card packs to buy | How many Pokemon cards are there? | Most valuable cards in Scarlet & Violet expansion | Most valuable cards in Crown Zenith expansion | Most valuable cards in Silver Tempest expansion | Is the Pokemon GO TCG set worth it?
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