Pokémon Destined Rivals UAE: Mewtwo ex SIR & AED Prices
Pokémon Destined Rivals UAE guide: AED sealed prices, Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex SIR chase, and the final Scarlet & Violet main set.
Pokémon Destined Rivals UAE: Mewtwo ex SIR & AED Prices
Scarlet & Violet—Destined Rivals (set code SV10) closed out the entire S&V era in style. Released 30 May 2025, it brought Team Rocket back to the Pokémon TCG for the first time in 21 years, paired them against returning protagonists Cynthia, Ethan, Misty, Steven, Marnie and Arven, and produced one of the deepest chase-card lists of the modern era. The set built on the Trainer's Pokémon mechanic first reintroduced in Journey Together (SV09) two months earlier — and sits in that rare sweet spot of strong nostalgia anchor, genuinely beautiful Trainer's Pokémon art, and competitive viability across multiple decks.
TL;DR
- Released 30 May 2025 worldwide — the final main expansion of the Scarlet & Violet era
- 244 cards total (182 main + 62 secret rares)
- Theme: Team Rocket vs. heroic Trainers — over 45 Rocket-affiliated cards
- Retail: ETB AED 259, Booster Box AED 679
- Top chase: Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex SIR trading around AED 1,870 raw NM
- The first Team Rocket-themed set since EX Team Rocket Returns in 2004
What's in Destined Rivals: Set Overview
Destined Rivals is the tenth and final main expansion of the Scarlet & Violet block — and the largest. It pulls from three Japanese sources: The Glory of Team Rocket, Heat Wave Arena, and the Marnie/Steven Rival Battle Decks, plus October 2024 Gym promos. The result is a 244-card set with an unusually broad cast — Team Rocket's full roster (Mewtwo, Moltres, Crobat, Tyranitar) alongside seven trainer storylines.
| Set detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Release date | 30 May 2025 |
| Set code | SV10 |
| Card count (main) | 182 |
| Total master set | 244 cards |
| Pokémon ex | 19 |
| Trainer's Pokémon ex | 12 |
| Illustration Rares | 16 |
| Special Illustration Rares | 11 |
| Hyper Rares | 8 |
The "Trainer's Pokémon" mechanic — Pokémon belonging to a specific Trainer rather than generic — is the set's defining feature, and it carries over visually into the SIR artwork: most chase cards depict the Trainer alongside their Pokémon, which has driven significant collector interest.
Destined Rivals Sealed Product Prices in the UAE
| Product | Contents | Price (AED) |
|---|---|---|
| Sleeved Booster Pack | 10 cards | AED 27 |
| 3-Pack Booster Blister | 3 packs + promo | AED 69 |
| Elite Trainer Box | 9 packs + Wobbuffet promo + 65 sleeves + accessories | AED 259 |
| Booster Box | 36 packs | AED 679 |
| Rival Battle Deck—Marnie | Pre-built 60-card deck + Marnie's Morpeko IR promo | AED 99 |
| Rival Battle Deck—Steven | Pre-built 60-card deck + Steven's Beldum IR promo | AED 99 |
A note on Destined Rivals secondary market: Booster Boxes have traded above MSRP on the global secondary market since launch (typically around USD 250–300), reflecting strong demand and constrained supply. UAE retail at AED 679 is competitive when stock is available.
Destined Rivals Top Chase Cards
A genuinely deep chase-card lineup — three SIRs above AED 800 each, and a long tail of valuable Trainer's Pokémon ex.
1. Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex — Special Illustration Rare (#231)
The crown jewel. Around AED 1,870 raw NM. Combines two of the strongest market drivers in modern Pokémon: Mewtwo's enduring popularity and Team Rocket nostalgia from collectors who haven't bought modern Pokémon in 20 years. Launched near AED 1,800, has appreciated slightly — one of the few modern chases trending up rather than down.
2. Cynthia's Garchomp ex — Special Illustration Rare (#232)
Around AED 865 raw NM. The Sinnoh Champion alongside her signature Pokémon. Cynthia's character recognition combined with Garchomp's competitive heritage drives both collector and player demand.
3. Ethan's Ho-Oh ex — Special Illustration Rare (#230)
Around AED 680 raw NM. The Johto protagonist with the legendary Phoenix Pokémon — Gen 2 nostalgia anchor. Strong painterly art with classic Johto colour palette.
4. Team Rocket's Moltres ex — Special Illustration Rare
Around AED 380 raw NM. The villainous take on Moltres with Archer in the background — completes the Team Rocket-versions-of-legendary-birds collection alongside the existing Articuno and Zapdos prints.
5. Ethan's Adventure — Special Illustration Rare
Around AED 295 raw NM. The set's standout Trainer-only SIR — Ethan running through the Johto routes with Slugma, Pichu, and Cyndaquil. Trainer-with-Pokémon SIRs in this set have outperformed expectations.
Honourable mentions
- Team Rocket's Crobat ex (SIR) — around AED 245 raw NM
- Misty's Psyduck (Illustration Rare) — around AED 180 raw NM; one of the strongest IR sleepers
- Cynthia's Garchomp ex (Hyper Rare gold) — around AED 220 raw NM
Destined Rivals ETB vs Booster Box vs Battle Deck: Which Should You Buy?
| If you want… | Buy… | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The most packs per dirham | Booster Box (AED 679) | 36 packs at AED 18.86 each — strongest per-pack rate |
| Packs + promo + accessories | Elite Trainer Box (AED 259) | Wobbuffet promo (the cut SIR turned into ETB-exclusive), sleeves, dice |
| A casual pack-cracking session | 3-Pack Booster Blister (AED 69) | Three packs + a promo |
| A specific chase card | Singles | A specific SIR pulls at ~1 in 1,033 packs — sealed maths is brutal |
| A ready-to-play deck | Rival Battle Deck—Marnie or —Steven (AED 99) | Pre-built 60-card deck, immediate play, exclusive Illustration Rare promo not available elsewhere |
Pull rates from community analysis (8,000+ pack openings): any SIR ~1 in 94 packs, specific SIR ~1 in 1,033, any Hyper Rare ~1 in 149, Illustration Rare 1 in 12, Ultra Rare 1 in 16, Double Rare 1 in 5.
Destined Rivals Meta Impact: Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex & Cynthia's Garchomp ex
Two cards from Destined Rivals saw heavy Standard format play through late 2025:
- Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex — competitive in psychic-type decks with strong attacking output. The Trainer's Pokémon mechanic gave it deck-building flexibility that pure Mewtwo ex variants didn't have.
- Cynthia's Garchomp ex — fighting/dragon-type with strong burst damage. Slotted into existing Garchomp archetypes with minor tweaks.
Beyond those two, the Trainer's Pokémon mechanic added a strategic layer — running multiple "owned" Pokémon from the same Trainer enables synergy bonuses, which has driven a series of Cynthia, Ethan, and Marnie tribal-style decks at the regional level.
Destined Rivals FAQ
When was Pokémon Destined Rivals released? Worldwide on 30 May 2025.
How many cards are in Destined Rivals? 182 in the main set, with 62 secret rares for a 244-card master set.
What's the chase card? Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex Special Illustration Rare (#231) — currently trading around AED 1,870 raw NM. The set's most valuable card and one of the few modern Pokémon SIRs trending upward.
How much is a Destined Rivals Elite Trainer Box in the UAE? AED 259.
Is this the last Scarlet & Violet set? Yes — Destined Rivals is the tenth and final main expansion of the S&V era. The Mega Evolution era began with ME01 in September 2025.
What's a "Trainer's Pokémon" card? A new mechanic where the Pokémon belongs to a specific Trainer (e.g., "Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex" rather than just "Mewtwo ex"). This enables synergy effects when running multiple Pokémon from the same Trainer.
Where can I track Destined Rivals prices? That's exactly what we're building TCG.PRO for — daily-updated AED valuations, GCC-native pricing, and a peer-to-peer marketplace for the UAE and wider Gulf.