Paldean Fates Chase Cards: Prices and Grading Guide

Paldean Fates Chase Cards: Prices and Grading Guide

SV: Paldean Fates released January 26, 2024, as a 245-card shiny collection set in the Scarlet and Violet era, built around shiny versions of Paldean Pokemon in the same vault format that made Hidden Fates and Shining Fates two of the most graded Pokemon sets of their eras. The Mew ex alternate full art at $946.82 raw is the crown of the set. Below it sits a real tier of Gold cards, shiny rares, and one genuinely surprising sleeper. Prices are from our catalog as of September 20, 2026; grading calls follow each card.

The Chase Tier Snapshot

The 91 base shiny cards (001/091 through 091/091) trade under $3 raw. Do not submit those. The chase cards above that threshold, numbered 131 and up, are where Paldean Fates earns its reputation as a set worth returning to two and a half years after release.

Card	Number	Market (Sep 20)	Primary Grade Risk
Mew ex	232/091	$946.82	Surface on open art field
Charizard ex	234/091 (Gold)	$280.77	Foil texture, edge whitening
Gardevoir ex	233/091 (Gold)	$173.75	Foil texture, centering
Pikachu	131/091	$78.28	Surface on pale pastel art
Mew ex	216/091	$38.19	Centering, surface
Tandemaus	209/091	$29.14	Corners, border framing
Raichu	132/091	$18.04	Surface on yellow palette

Mew ex 232/091: The Card the Set Is Known For

Mew ex 232/091 at $946.82 raw is one of the highest-priced singles in the entire Scarlet and Violet era. Three ZeroPop community members have submitted this card and all three came back graded 10. That is an unusually clean result for a card at this price tier and it suggests print quality on this printing has been solid, not that grading is easy.

The alternate full art covers the entire card face. Surface is the axis to watch: any handling scratch or print artifact reads clearly against the open background. Check corners under good light first, then surface. A PSA 10 at current community population is worth well above the $946 raw price. Submit any clean raw copy above $400 without hesitation.

The Gold Cards: Charizard ex and Gardevoir ex

Charizard ex 234/091 at $280.77 and Gardevoir ex 233/091 at $173.75 are the Gold tier, a full yellow-gold foil treatment that photographs well but grades hard. Gold foil on Pokemon cards shows fingerprint contamination more readily than standard holofoil because the textured surface traps oils in a way that reads under UV inspection. Both are worth submitting on a genuinely clean copy.

Gardevoir ex is the tighter call. At $173 raw, a $50 to $100 grading fee absorbs a real fraction of the upside before you even account for the grade risk. Run your copy through ZeroPop and look at the surface and centering scores before committing. For how PSA and CGC market premiums compare on Gold-tier Pokemon, the PSA vs BGS vs CGC breakdown is the right framework.

Pikachu 131/091: The Shiny Rare to Watch

At $78.28 raw, Pikachu 131/091 trades well above every other card in its tier. The price is pure name recognition: technically similar treatments on other Pokemon in the same range trade at a fraction of this. Surface is the grading concern because the shiny Pikachu art runs a light, near-pastel yellow palette. Handling smudges and print lines show against pale backgrounds faster than they would on a darker card.

A confirmed PSA 10 Pikachu from Paldean Fates has a real collector ceiling above the raw price. Worth the fee if your ZeroPop scan confirms all four axes are clean.

Mew ex 216/091 and Tandemaus 209/091

Mew ex 216/091 at $38.19 is the second Mew ex in the set, a different illustration from the $946 card. The $908 gap between two cards sharing a name is the cleanest possible demonstration of what the alternate full art treatment is worth in this set. Both are worth grading on a clean copy; the ROI arithmetic is just very different.

Tandemaus 209/091 at $29.14 is the set's honest surprise. A small rodent Pokemon at nearly $30 raw holds that price because Paldean Fates gave it a full illustrated art treatment, and the Tandemaus line has a collector base that chases its appearances consistently across sets. The corners deserve close attention: the character art sits inside a visible border frame, and corner fraying shows against the surrounding edge in a way it would not on a full-bleed card.

Raichu 132/091: Sell Raw

Raichu 132/091 at $18.04 is the Pikachu line's evolution entry, and it consistently underperforms Pikachu on the secondary market because buyers prefer the base form when both are available. At $18 raw, a grading fee at any standard tier eats most of the potential upside on even a PSA 10. This card needs a 10 to move at a premium, and a $18 raw card does not give you the margin to absorb the risk of a 9 or 9.5. Sell raw unless ZeroPop returns a clean grade across all four axes and you are specifically targeting a registry set.

What to Submit and What to Skip

Mew ex 232/091 is the clearest grade candidate in the set at any raw price above $300. The Gold cards are worth it on clean copies, Charizard ex more comfortably than Gardevoir ex at current prices. Pikachu 131/091 clears the math on a confirmed clean scan. Mew ex 216/091 and Tandemaus work if the copy grades out.

The base shiny commons, 001 through 091, do not grade. A $2 card cannot recover a grading fee regardless of the grade. The is my card worth grading calculator gives the exact break-even threshold for any fee tier.

Paldean Fates is two and a half years into the secondary market. PSA 10 population counts are real numbers, not launch-week speculation. That matters for the submission decision: you can compare your ZeroPop grade against a live population before committing, which is an advantage a day-one submission on a new release never has.

Frequently Asked Questions

When did Paldean Fates release?

Paldean Fates released January 26, 2024, as a 245-card shiny collection set in the Scarlet and Violet era. It is a side set, not a numbered mainline SV expansion, positioned similarly to how Hidden Fates sat alongside the Sword and Shield main line.

What is the most valuable card in Paldean Fates?

Mew ex 232/091 is the most valuable single card at $946.82 in our catalog as of September 20, 2026. It is the alternate full art printing of Mew ex. The Gold Charizard ex 234/091 is second at $280.77.

Are the base shiny commons in Paldean Fates worth grading?

No. Cards 001 through 091 mostly trade under $3 raw and cannot recover a grading fee at any standard submission tier. Focus on cards numbered 131 and above where the illustration treatment supports a raw price that makes the math work.

Why is Tandemaus worth $29 in Paldean Fates?

Paldean Fates gave Tandemaus a full illustrated art treatment rather than a simple shiny pose, and the Tandemaus line has a dedicated following that pushes its appearances above what the Pokemon's overall popularity would predict. The card also benefits from the same collector dynamic that lifts "cute" Pokemon across every set.

Is Paldean Fates still worth buying packs from in 2026?

Singles are a better play than packs at this stage. The set is two and a half years old, pull rates on the top cards are well established, and buying Mew ex 232/091 directly on the secondary market is straightforward. Packs make sense if you want the opening experience; they are not the efficient route to the specific chase cards covered here.

How does Paldean Fates compare to Prismatic Evolutions for grading?

Both are Scarlet and Violet era side sets with shiny-focused or special-treatment cards. Prismatic Evolutions has more cards with grading upside spread across its chase list; Paldean Fates is top-heavy, with Mew ex 232/091 carrying a disproportionate share of the set's total value. See the Prismatic Evolutions grading guide for a direct comparison of both sets' grading candidates.