Images courtesy of The Pokémon Company
Journey Together brings Owner’s Pokémon back to the Pokémon TCG after a long hiatus, and it’s a feature which has caused quite a bit of excitement for long term Pokémon fans. Owner’s Pokémon are special Pokémon that have been raised by famous Pokémon Trainers, and as such, their name appears alongside the Pokémon’s. It also means that the abilities of the card are different, and usually stronger, than those of a non-trained Pokémon.
With that in mind, we’re likely to see several Owner’s Pokémon pop up on this list; but which cards are the most wanted overall from the Pokémon Journey Together set? Let’s take a look.
10. Iono’s Bellibolt ex – Hyper Rare, 188/159
Iono herself has become quite the sought after Trainer card whenever she appears in the Pokémon TCG, so it’s no surprise to see one of her own Pokémon on this list. This particular card is Iono’s Bellibolt ex, in its gold, Hyper Rare form. Its appeal seems obvious, given that it’s a cute, whimsically illustrated variant, and of course there’s the fact that the card in general has some great stats.
Iono’s Bellibolt ex has the Electric Streamer ability, which allows its player to attach a basic Lightning Energy to any of their Iono’s Pokémon, as often as they like, during their turn. Its only attack, Thunderous Bolt, deals 230 HP of damage for the cost of four Lightning Energy and one Colorless Energy; the drawback is that Iono’s Bellibolt can’t attack on the following turn.
Though you’ll also need a specific Tadbulb to evolve into Iono’s Bellibolt ex (namely, Iono’s Tadbulb), this Pokémon’s ability and attack certainly make it worthwhile.
9. Wailord – Illustration Rare, 162/159
Though Wailord is a non-Owner’s Pokémon, its beautifully colorful illustration full of fun details makes its status as one of the most wanted cards from Journey Together very clear. It has reasonable stats too, with 240 HP and an attack which deals 10 damage for the cost of four Colorless Energy, plus an extra 50 damage for each Water Energy attached to Wailord.
Which means that, if using Water Energy for the cost of the attack, it can deal 210 HP of damage. Of course, adding more Water Energy cards will continue to increase the damage it’ll deal too, making this a pretty useful card for a Water Pokémon deck! It also evolves from any Wailmer, rather than a specific one, which makes it much easier to get into play.
8. N’s Zoroark ex – Hyper Rare, 189/159
Another Owner’s Pokémon, N’s Zoroark ex appears here in its Hyper Rare, gold card form. N is the name of a Pokémon Trainer who first appeared as one of the player’s rivals in the video games, Pokémon Black & White; though he goes by N, his full name is actually Natural Harmonia Gropius – which is a lot less straightforward to fit on a Pokémon card!
His Zoroark ex, which evolves from an N’s Zorua, can use the Trade ability; players must first discard a card from their hand to use it, but it allows them to draw two cards during their turn. It also has the Night Joker attack; for the cost of two Darkness Energy, it allows the N’s Zoroark ex to use one of the player’s Benched Pokémon’s attacks.
It’s an interesting card, for sure, and of course with this variant being a Hyper Rare, it almost becomes one of the Journey Together set’s most wanted cards by default!
7. Volcanion ex – Special Illustration Rare, 182/159
As a Basic Pokémon, there’s no need to evolve Volcanion ex, so it can go straight into play with no other cards required. This Volcanion ex, as a Special Illustration Rare, features spectacular artwork; the Pokémon’s atmospheric setting has a fiery, moody ambience.
Volcanion ex can also Burn the opponent’s Active Pokémon, if it’s in the Active Spot itself. Its attack, while effective with 160 HP of damage, moves an Energy card from Volcanion ex to a Benched Pokémon. Though this does mean that you’ll need to keep adding more Energy in order to utilize Volcanion ex’s attack, it does also have the effect of powering up a Benched Pokémon at the same time, which can be very beneficial indeed.
6. Articuno – Illustration Rare, 161/159
One of the first three Legendary Pokémon to appear in the original Pokémon Game Boy games, Pokémon Red & Blue, meaning that it’s one of the original 151 Pokémon, Articuno is very nostalgic for many long term fans.
Of course, there’s more to this card than just nostalgia; just take a look at the beautiful, icy artwork on this Illustration Rare.
Articuno only has 110 HP, and its single offensive attack, Ice Blast, deals 110 HP of damage. However, just one Colorless Energy is needed to use Frigid Fluttering, which enables Articuno to be powered up enough to use Ice Blast on its next turn.
5. Hop’s Zacian ex – Special Illustration Rare, 186/159
Another highly regarded Pokémon Trainer, Hop first appeared in the video games Pokémon Sword & Shield as a player rival. He’s made numerous appearances in the Pokémon TCG too; most notably as a Supporter card with a very straightforward ability, which allows its player to draw three cards.
Here, however, he appears with his Zacian ex, a Metal type Pokémon. Hop’s Zacian ex has 230 HP and two excellent attacks. First up is Insta-Strike, which deals 30 damage to the opponent’s Active Pokémon and one of their Benched Pokémon, for the cost of just one Colorless Energy; of course, this means that Hop’s Zacian ex is pretty effective immediately.
Then there’s Brave Slash; though it’s more costly from an Energy point of view (requiring three Metal Energy and one Colorless), it deals a massive 240 HP damage. It can’t be used on the following turn, but importantly, Insta-Strike still can be, just in case 240 HP wasn’t enough to finish off the opposing Active Pokémon.
4. Iono’s Bellibolt ex – Special Illustration Rare, 183/159
We’ve seen Iono’s Bellibolt ex before, in its Hyper Rare variant, right at the opening of this list. However, this version is the non-gold, full color Special Illustration Rare, and it has its own artwork too. It is just as adorable as the Hyper Rare’s art; I guess Bellibolt is just that cute, and it’s great to see the bond between Pokémon and Trainer so nicely illustrated once more!
3. N’s Zoroark ex – Special Illustration Rare, 185/159
Another card we’ve seen before as a Hyper Rare, here we have N’s Zoroark ex as a Special Illustration Rare. It’s a darker, more shadowy card than most others on this list, though that is fitting given that Zoroark is a Darkness type Pokémon.
One thing worth noting, before we get to the end of this list of the most wanted cards from Journey Together, is that each card is numbered above 159. That’s because they’re all what’s known as “Secret Rare” cards, which are always numbered above and beyond the number of cards in any given set. Journey Together has 159 cards, but there are also “secret” cards numbered from 160-189, and every card on this list fits that category.
2. Salamence ex – Special Illustration Rare, 187/159
The last non-Owner’s Pokémon on this list, Salamence ex evolves from the unassuming, almost comedic-looking Shelgon. As it’s a Dragon type Pokémon, which aren’t particularly common, this means that at least one of its attacks uses more than one specific Energy type.
Wide Blast uses one Fire and two Colorless energy, dealing 50 damage to each Benched Pokémon your opponent has. But it’s Dragon Impact that’s the big one, and it uses one Fire, one Water, and two Colorless Energy to deal 300 damage, and two Energy cards must also be discarded from Salamence ex when it’s used.
With 320 HP and no Weakness or Resistance (again, that’s thanks to being a Dragon type), it’s clear to see why Salamence ex is a popular card from the point of view of actually using it in a game, but there’s no denying that its amazing artwork, and its rarity, also plays a part in why it’s one of the most wanted cards overall in Journey Together!
1. Lillie’s Clefairy ex – Special Illustration Rare, 184/159
We’ve spoken about adorable art a few times in this list (especially in relation to you, Bellibolt!), but Pokémon card art doesn’t get much more adorable than this, on the Lillie’s Clefairy ex card’s Special Illustration Rare variant.
Interestingly, though I did mention that Salamence, being a Dragon type Pokémon, has no weakness or resistance, Lillie’s Clefairy ex can actually apply weakness to Psychic type Pokémon to any Dragon type Pokémon on your opponent’s side!
It also has the Full Moon Rondo attack, which deals 20 damage, plus 20 damage for each Benched Pokémon in play on both sides – all for the cost of just one Psychic and one Colorless Energy.
Make no mistake; this isn’t just a cute card. It’s a pretty powerful one to come up against too, especially if you’ve got Dragon type Pokémon in your deck.
So there we have it, the most wanted cards from Journey Together. For more on this set, take a look at our complete gallery of Journey Together cards, our choices for the top Journey Together cards to use in-game, and our recommendations for the top Journey Together decks.
