Glancing at 151’s full-art holofoil of Ivysaur, it’s not hard to understand why it’s a pricey contender to start off this list. Drawn by Yoriyuki Ikegami, who has been working on the TGC since the Crown Zenith days, this Ivysaur is a beautifully drawn card featuring the Seed Pokémon in a forest, staring into the water and seeing its former self as a Bulbasaur staring into the water.

It’s a vibrant, colourful card with a bit of emotion under the surface. Plus, this is a solid card for gameplay as well. Its 100HP makes it a bit tanky for a Stage 1 card. While it’s three-Energy Vine Whip dealing 80 damage feels standard, Leech Seed being able to heal and pepper damage at the same time is a nice bonus.

9. Charmeleon - 169/165

We’re back to a Stage 1 illustration rare, but this time of a Charmeleon drawn by Miki Kudo, a long-time Pokémon TCG artist who’s been around since the 2016 Generations set.

When looking at all three full-art versions of the Charmander evolution chain, you can see that Kudo has gone for a mountainous theme, respective to what’s thought of as a Fire Pokémon’s natural habitat.

In terms of gameplay, needing to discard an Energy each time for the already costly Fire Blast may seem cumbersome, but its 90 damage could quickly turn the tide depending on early game situations. That said, it shouldn’t be much trouble anyway if you plan on evolving it quickly.

8. Bulbasaur - 166/165

The first of the illustration rares beyond the standard 165 cards in 151, this Bulbasaur is another Ikegami card that captures what Pokémon fans love about the original Grass starter.

While collectors can enjoy its adorable face, sitting under a tree and loving life, also having Leech Seed as an attack with 70HP makes it a pretty reliable Basic Pokémon that can at least take a hit or two at the start of a match.

7. Alakazam ex - 201/165

The first among the pricey ex cards of 151 is Alakazam ex, who can quickly stack some serious damage, both by using its Mind Jack to take advantage of your opponent’s benched Pokemon, and Dimensional Hand to deal damage from your own Bench.

Drawn by Shinya Komatsu, it wouldn’t be surprising if this Alakazam ex’s design is one of your favourites among 151 like it is mine. Set in the back of a home with potion bottles and books everywhere, testing its psychic abilities with those iconic spoons, it’s a thoughtfully done yet cosy sort of card that shows Komatsu understands Alakazam’s genius and drive to gain the edge in battle.

6. Squirtle - 170/165

The illustration rare of Squirtle is where 151 starts to get pricier, but it’s not hard to understand why when you look at its artwork and who illustrated it.

Placing the Tiny Turtle Pokémon in the ocean water at the beach, this Squirtle was drawn by Mitsuhiro Arita, a veteran artist who has been working on Pokémon cards since the TCG’s very inception and has drawn almost 700 of them.

The risk of its Withdraw attack and the two-Energy cost of a 20-damage Skullbash doesn’t make it the best gameplay-wise. And yet, with the amount of jaw-dropping detail put into Squirtle and the ocean waters themselves, this can more be considered a work of art than a playing card.

5. Charmander - 168/165

Now that we’ve reached Kanto’s Fire-type starter, it’s the illustration rare Charmander that turns out to be the most valuable among the original three, compared to Squirtle and Bulbasaur.

Also illustrated by Miki Kudo, you can see its design is much like Charmeleon’s in a mountainous canyon, but this time at the bottom. The crowning touch for this theme is further down this list, but its duo Fire attacks, one dealing damage and another removing a troublesome Stadium card, this Charmander is a must for any Kanto-based Fire deck when its full evolution chain has been added.

4. Zapdos ex - 202/165

Conjured up by the artistic talents of Shiburingaru, who has been of part ot the Pokémon TCG since 2022’s Brilliant Stars, 151’s Zapdos ex is stunning, with a majestic illustration featuring the electric bird soaring through the sky with its fellow Legendaries, Moltres & Articuno.

Its ability and moveset are nothing to overlook either. Along with Voltaic Float giving it flexibility for an easy retreat, Zapdos’ Multishot Lightning attack gives it the capability to shred through your opponent’s benched Pokémon as well as those active.

3. Venusaur ex - 198/165

A vivid and colourful card design, even more so than its pre-evolutions, this Venusaur ex looks both peaceful and intimidatingly stoic at the same time. Another card by Yoriuki Ikegami, it’s fitting for the fully evolved Grass-type starter.

Also like Bulbasaur and Ivysaur, it’s fairly tanky as well with 340HP, paired with it being able to steadily heal your team and inflict Poison plus Confusion to your enemies too.

2. Blastoise ex - 200/165

The second most expensive card in 151 is this resplendent vibe of a Blastoise ex card. Another by veteran Mitsuhiro Arita, there are multiple reasons this special underwater-themed card has drawn quite a high price.

As well as its very pretty illustration facing the final Squirtle evolution underwater, it’s just as Venusaur ex, with the ability to deal more damage. While its HP isn’t as high, its Solid Shell reduces damage, while its Twin Cannon attack can deal up to 280 damage at a time at the cost of two Energy cards, even though you have to discard Energy cards each time you use it.

1. Charizard ex - 199/165

At over $173 in market price in writing, the 199 full-art Charizard ex is both the most expensive in the Pokémon TCG’s 151 set, but also the most exquisite in terms of design. The crowning jewel of Miki Kudo’s illustrations, this Charizard completes the trilogy: starting with Charmander at the bottom of the mountainous canyon, Charmeleon slightly higher up, and Charizard itself soaring above with a fiery volcano in the background.

That, combined with the natural nostalgia for the practically priceless Charizard from the base set, is arguably why this is the most expensive card in 151 by over $100. Although its Brave Wing and Explosive Vortex attacks make it a strong damage-dealer, you might want to keep this one in a special case rather than a tournament deck if you manage to pull one.

Just like in other current sets such as Prismatic Evolutions, Destined Rivals, and even the upcoming Mega Evolution set, 151 has plenty of rare holofoil cards that have driven up a high market price on sites like TCG Player. In this case, though, it’s all of the full-art holofoil editions of Kanto favourites, also known as “illustration rares”.

Ben Williams – IGN freelance contributor with over 10 years of experience covering gaming, tech, film, TV, and anime. Follow him on Twitter/X @BenLevelTen.