Destined Rivals has 34 Illustration Rares and Special Illustration Rares.
Illustration Rares in Destined Rivals
Illustration Rares (IR) and Special Illustration Rares (SIR) are the full-art, scene-style cards collectors chase hardest. Destined Rivals packs 34 of them into its 244 cards: 23 standard IRs and 11 larger-art SIRs. That puts the full-art count at roughly 14% of the set — a meaningful share of why Destined Rivals is fun to open.
The Destined Rivals full-art cards to hunt
- Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex (#231) — Special Illustration Rare (~$566.14)
- Cynthia's Garchomp ex (#232) — Special Illustration Rare (~$289.98)
- Ethan's Ho-Oh ex (#230) — Special Illustration Rare (~$196.98)
- Team Rocket's Nidoking ex (#233) — Special Illustration Rare (~$127.52)
- Team Rocket's Moltres ex (#229) — Special Illustration Rare (~$124.09)
- Team Rocket's Crobat ex (#234) — Special Illustration Rare (~$81.55)
Star Pokémon with full-art cards in Destined Rivals
The marquee Pokémon getting the IR/SIR treatment here, with their prints:
- Team Rocket's Mewtwo — Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex (#81), Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex (#213), Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex (#231), Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex (#240)
- Cynthia's Garchomp — Cynthia's Garchomp ex (#104), Cynthia's Garchomp ex (#215), Cynthia's Garchomp ex (#232), Cynthia's Garchomp ex (#241)
- Ethan's Ho-Oh — Ethan's Ho-Oh ex (#39), Ethan's Ho-Oh ex (#209), Ethan's Ho-Oh ex (#230), Ethan's Ho-Oh ex (#239)
- Team Rocket's Nidoking — Team Rocket's Nidoking ex (#119), Team Rocket's Nidoking ex (#216), Team Rocket's Nidoking ex (#233)
- Team Rocket's Moltres — Team Rocket's Moltres ex (#31), Team Rocket's Moltres ex (#208), Team Rocket's Moltres ex (#229)
These cards drive much of Destined Rivals' secondary-market value and help push a full master set to 409 cards. The standout is Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex (#231), around $566.14.
IR vs SIR in Destined Rivals
If you're prioritising, the 11 Special Illustration Rares are the scarcer, pricier tier — full-bleed art and lower pull rates — while the 23 standard Illustration Rares are more attainable but still some of the best-looking cards in Destined Rivals. Together those 34 full-art cards are the heart of the set's chase and the reason a master set climbs to 409 cards.
Figures are from the pokemontcg.io dataset (TCGplayer pricing), as of June 2026.