10 best Pokemon cards to watch from Twilight Masquerade

Looking forward to Twilight Masquerade? Here are the 10 best cards to keep an eye on from this upcoming Pokemon TCG expansion set.

Twilight Masquerade is looking like it could be one of the most exciting Pokemon TCG sets this year. It’s a follow-up to the recent Japanese set Mask of Change and will heavily feature fan-favorite ‘mon Ogerpon, along with some other iconic critters.

While the expansion set isn’t out yet at the time of writing, the full card list for Twilight Masquerade is available already online and pre-release is in full swing. Here’s our ranking of the 10 best cards that are worth keeping an eye on with this upcoming set.

10. Dragapult ex (200/167)

To start, this Dragapult ex card looks like it holds a lot of competitive viability. It’s a perfect example of an ex card and would be a great Attack-heavy Pokemon to have alongside more support-oriented ‘mons.

It has a high HP pool and two powerful Attacks, with one that deals 200 damage while inflicting Damage Counters at the same time. The other Attack deals 70 damage, which is nothing to sneeze at. In fact, it’s been performing considerably well in the Japanese competitive scene and has the potential to counter some top decks in the current meta.

Alongside this, it’s also a visually striking card. It’s not the fanciest artwork in the set by any means but this could be a valuable card to hold onto, so keep an eye out for it when ripping into Twilight Masquerade and sleeve it if you find it.

9. Greninja ex (214/162)

There are some psychedelic cards coming out in Twilight Masquerade and Greninja ex looks like it’ll be an instant hit with art collectors. The colors are explosive and the pose is fantastic, capturing how cool a Tera Greninja would look in battle.

This card will likely be highly sought-after by players, too. Shinobi Blade is an Attack that deals a decent chunk of damage and has an alternate function, and Mirage Barrage can take on multiple opponents at once which is always handy.

8. Unfair Stamp (165/167)

ACE SPEC cards came back into the Pokemon TCG with Temporal Forces and there have been some highly valuable cards on the market ever since then. All the Twilight Masquerade ACE SPEC cards look valuable to an extent, but this one stands out as a winner.

Unfair Stamp only works if one of your ‘mons was Knocked Out during your opponent’s last turn, so it’s quite a niche card.

If you meet this criteria, you can play the card – both players shuffle their hand back into their deck. You get to draw 5 cards but your opponent draws 2, putting you at a clear advantage. It was exceptionally popular during the pre-release and could be one of the most expensive ACE SPEC cards to boot.

7. Hisuian Growlithe (181/167)

This card is arguably one of the cutest in Twilight Masquerade and it pairs with another potentially popular card, too – we’ll get to that in a second. It’ll be surprising if this one doesn’t dominate the resale market, especially as it features such a popular critter.

Hisuian Growlithe (181/167) has a bright and painterly aesthetic, and it pairs with Perrin (220/167) perfectly, which we’ll look at in just a second. This isn’t a hugely valuable card for competitive players, but it holds some weight from an art collectors standpoint.

6. Perrin (220/167)

This card pairs with the previously mentioned Hisuian Growlithe (181/167), as Perrin is snapping a picture of the adorable ‘mon. It’s one of the most interesting card duos in recent memory and the storytelling alone will make it a valuable collector’s piece.

There’s definitely value for collectors here but it could also be a great card for competitive players. It provides an easy way to search for Pokemon and add them to your hand, which can be immensely useful in a match.

The Chien Pao ex deck that relies on getting Baxcalibur set up as quickly as possible would be a great example of a current deck that would benefit from this Perrin card. If you play Chien Pao ex, keep an eye out for this gem.

5. Eevee (188/167)

Eevee is undoubtedly one of the most popular Pokemon out there, thanks to its cuteness and wide variety of evolutions. This particular card will likely be one of the biggest chase cards for art collectors. Cards which show slice-of-life scenes are always popular, and this Eevee piece tells an adorable story.

Players who use an Eeveelution deck will find a lot of value here. The Ascension ability is an easy way to jump straight into evolving and having access to Quick Attack doesn’t hurt in the early game, either. Other than that, though, the value definitely comes from its artwork.

4. Tatsugiri (186/167)

Tatsugiri isn’t as popular as, say, Charizard or Umbreon, but it’s hard to deny that it looks exquisite in such a vibrant art style. This card was dubbed the “Keith Haring” card when it was revealed and it’s easy to see where fans got this from – the color palette and doodles are reminiscent of this legendary artist.

As with the previous card, this is more for collectors than players. Attract Customers is a decent Ability and Surf is fine, but it’s not a ground-breaking card from the perspective of a player. It does still hold the potential to be used in some creative decks, though.

This will be a highly valuable piece for collectors, regardless. It’s truly unique when compared to the other cards in the Twilight Masquerade expansion set, offering an original take on a Pokemon that’s often overlooked by fans. It’s one to watch if you value having unique pieces in your binder.

3. Lana’s Aid (207/167)

Lana is another popular character and it’s hard to see this card doing poorly on the resale market. It’s dynamic and lively, with a color palette that plays off of the character design perfectly. It features Surskit and Corphish, offering a slice-of-life art style.

As a general rule, any sort of full-art card with a popular character on the front will be worth something. This is especially true for characters that played a pivotal role in the games or anime, or for characters with unique aesthetics.

This card doesn’t seem to have an immense amount of value for competitive players (it’s useful but not exceptional, allowing for 3 non-Rule Box Pokemon to be retrieved from the Discard Pile) so the value will spike based on the design instead.

2. Buddy-Buddy Poffin (223/167)

There will be several Hyper Rares to look forward to in Twilight Masquerade. They’ll all be somewhat valuable but the Buddy-Buddy Poffin (233/167) is one that could stand out from the pack.

Buddy-Buddy Poffin has already seen a lot of play in recent months. It’s a card with heaps of competitive viability, showing up in events like EUIC 2024 in the decks of some talented players. Put simply, it allows you to search your deck for two ‘mons with 70HP or less. It’s simple but effective.

Alongside this, the artwork is striking. Item-centric cards often don’t get enough love when it comes to Hyper Rares or other interesting rarities, so it’s nice to see such a memorable take on the Buddy-Buddy Poffin.

1. Carmine (217/167)

Carmine is an immensely popular character and this card will likely be the biggest Supporter chase card out of the Twilight Masquerade set. Some Twilight Masquerade cards have a more realistic take on Pokemon art with a depth-of-field effect, and this card nails that aesthetic perfectly.

The small details in this card also acknowledge the heavy festival theme running through Twilight Masquerade, too. Carmine is shown posing with popular festival foods, and the color scheme is warm and vibrant. The depth of field makes the piece look almost photo-realistic, too.

Character-centric cards like this one are almost always worth a pretty penny, so make sure to hang onto this and sleeve it if you end up finding it in your Elite Trainer Box. It’s already popping up with some exceptionally high prices on resale platforms like Card Market and TCGPlayer.

Twilight Masquerade is set to be one of the biggest Pokemon TCG sets of the year. While you wait, why not get to grips with the other sets on the way? Night Wanderer will be coming up next, and there’s a rumor about a set called Paradise Dragona kicking around as well.