On February 7th, 2020, the Pokémon Trading Card Game officially entered into a brand new era, ending the chapters for the Sun & Moon expansion sets and launching into the brave new, exciting world of Sword & Shield.

This latest set is already making waves across the standard and expanded formats, with the powerful VMax Pokémon finding their way into some of the most competitive decks we have seen in years.

Therefore, it also comes as no surprise to hear that this set is jam packed with valuable cards for both players and collectors alike, with none more so than the highly coveted Secret Rares contained within the first ever Sword & Shield set.

Today, we will explore the cream of the crop, highlighting the top five most valuable Secret Rares that you will hopefully pull in your next booster pack of Pokémon Sword & Shield.

#5: Zamazenta V 212/202

It comes as no surprise that one of the cards making this top five list is Zamazenta V, one of the two legendary type Pokémon released with the first ever Sword & Shield set and one of the flagship Pokémon of the incredibly popular video game going by the same title.

This is the first time that this Pokémon has ever appeared within any set and it is therefore likely to retain a strong value moving forward into the future, as fans of Zamazenta will prize this card highly moving into the future.

This is even more true for the rarest version of the card, Zamazenta V 212/202, the Gold, Secret Rare version of the card.

Currently Zamazenta V 212 is going for roughly $35.00 CAD on the largest Pokémon singles trading website there is, eBay, with some recent sales even hitting as high as $40.00 CAD.

Not only is this a very rare and valuable card, but it is also incredibly powerful and playable in the current Standard Pokémon TCG metagame.

#4: Professor’s Research 209/202

If you would think that all of the most valuable Secret Rares contained within the Pokémon Sword & Shield set were all Gold Secret Rares, simply because they are the rarest printings and thus the hardest to find within a booster pack, you would be wrong.

Some of the Rainbow, Secret Rares are clocking in at some impressive numbers, with the full art Rainbow Rare version of Professor’s Research 209/202 being among the highest contenders.

Full art trainers are some of the most sought after cards amongst collectors, with some people making these the choice cards that they must acquire above all else, with the release of each and every new Pokémon expansion set.

Professor’s Research 209/202, Rainbow, Secret Rare is currently selling for around $44.00 CAD at the time of writing, holding a strong price tag due to the fact that it is both incredibly collectible and highly playable.

The ability to discard your hand and draw 7 cards is a monstrous card advantage and is one of the main reasons why Professor’s Research is so much more valuable than other cards contained with the Sword & Shield set.

#3: Marnie 208/202

The only other Secret Rare, full art supporter, trainer card to exceed Professor’s Research is Marnie 208/202, another Rainbow Secret Rare.

Marine 208/202 has found her way into a number of spicy brews and follows down the same path of Professor’s Research, in that it is a supporter card that grants card advantage, while at same time allowing for some sweet plays that overall lowers your opponent’s card count, while at the same time, restocking yours, setting you ahead in the resource race.

Marine 208/202 trades for around $48.00 CAD at the time of writing, with her price fluctuating up and down by $5-10 dollars depending on the current supply available.

Regardless, she is an impressive card that anyone would be happy to pull from their next Sword & Shield booster pack.

#2: Quick Ball 216/202

The next card on the list, coming in as the runner up to the most valuable Secret Rare contained with the Sword & Shield set is Quick Ball 216, one of the most impactful Pokéballs to be printed in quite a number of years.

Even though the normal, base set printing of Quick Ball can be easily obtained at a lower price, this has not stopped collectors from seeking out and buying the Gold, Secret Rare version of this card, which currently sells for approximately $60.00 CAD on eBay.

This is a gorgeous card that hits many collector categories, including those who collect Full Art Trainer cards, Gold Secret Rares, Pokéballs, or just simply those who collect all Secret Rares.

This is an effective Trainer card that is currently seeing a ton of play and will continue to do so for years to come in both the Standard and Expanded formats.

#1: Zacian V 211/202

Taking home the trophy and the big bucks is Zacian V 211/202, the Gold, Secret Rare card from the Sword & Shield set.

The Gold, Secret Rare version of Zacian V sells for an impressive $86.00 CAD at current prices and is likely going to increase as less and less packs of Sword & Shield get opened moving into the future, simply due to the fact that this version of the card is just that rare.

Additionally, the standard, regular printing of Zacian V 138/202 maintains a hefty price tag of $39.00 CAD per copy of the card and those are much more common and much more easy to pull from a booster pack.

The reasoning why Zacian V is the most expensive card within the set is simply due to its raw power level, with the Vmax type Pokémon seeing a large amount of play, of which we will cover in a future article.

Between its high HP, powerful ability, and insane “Brave Blade” attack, this is one powerful legendary Pokémon, that deserves the rightful place as the most valuable card in the Sword & Shield set.

Wrapping Up

Although we covered just the top five most valuable Secret Rares from the latest Pokémon TCG set, Sword & Shield, this set includes many other incredibly fun to play and amazing cards, that are sure to excite both collectors and players alike.

We highly recommend checking out this iconic set if you haven’t had the chance to do so as of yet. 

The Pokémon Sword & Shield base set will be one that is remembered fondly for years to come and we would love to hear what cards you personally value the most? Let us know in the comment section below and as always, thanks for reading!