Chase Card Investing: How to Track the Most Valuable Pokémon Cards

What Are "Chase Cards" and Why Are They So Valuable?

In the Pokémon TCG, a "chase card" is a term used by the community to describe the rarest, most desirable, and most valuable cards in a given set. These are the cards that collectors "chase" when opening packs, and they are the primary drivers of a set's overall value.

Examples of famous chase cards include:

• Base Set: 1st Edition Charizard
• Evolving Skies: Umbreon VMAX Alternate Art ("Moonbreon")
• Brilliant Stars: Charizard V Alternate Art
• Lost Origin: Giratina V Alternate Art

Investing in chase cards can be highly profitable, but it requires careful tracking and market knowledge.

How to Identify Potential Chase Cards

While it's easy to identify a chase card after its price has skyrocketed, the real skill is in spotting them early. Look for:

• Alternate Art Cards: These are often the main chase cards in modern sets.
• Fan-Favorite Pokémon: Any rare card featuring Charizard, Pikachu, Rayquaza, Lugia, or the Eeveelutions has chase potential.
• Unique Artwork: Cards with stunning, unique, or story-telling artwork tend to become highly collectible.
• Low Pull Rates: The harder a card is to find, the more valuable it's likely to become.

The Best Way to Track Chase Card Prices

The market for chase cards is incredibly volatile. Prices can change weekly, or even daily. Manually checking prices on eBay or TCGPlayer is inefficient and can lead to you missing key market movements.

The solution is to use a dedicated chase card price tracker. Our Dashboard is the perfect tool for this.

Here's how you can use it to track chase cards:

1. Create a Watchlist: Use the search function on the Dashboard to find the specific chase cards you're interested in (e.g., "Umbreon VMAX", "Giratina V").
2. Monitor Price History: Once you've found a card, you can view its detailed price history chart. This allows you to see if the card is trending up or down, helping you decide when to buy or sell.
3. Compare Across Marketplaces: The dashboard shows you prices from multiple sources, so you can be sure you're getting the best deal when buying, or pricing your cards competitively when selling.
4. Discover New Chase Cards: Use the "Sort by Price" feature on the dashboard to see the most valuable cards across the entire market or within a specific set. This is a great way to discover which cards are currently trending.

Is Chase Card Investing for You?

Investing in individual chase cards is a higher-risk, higher-reward strategy than investing in sealed products. However, for the informed collector, it can be incredibly rewarding.

By using a powerful price tracker, you can stay ahead of the market, make informed decisions, and build a collection of the most iconic cards in the Pokémon TCG.