Articles
Best Roaring Moon ex Pokemon Cards to Buy in 2026
Roaring Moon ex has five distinct faces across English and Japanese print runs, and the one you should buy in 2026 depends on whether you're building a Standard deck, chasing a display piece, or looking for something that holds value on the secondary market.
TL;DR
Among roaring moon ex pokemon cards, the Paldea Evolved Special Illustration Rare is the top chase pick for 2026 — Buy if display quality matters more than budget. The standard Paldea Evolved base ex (124/193) is the Buy for anyone who just wants a playable, affordable copy. The gold hyper rare is a Consider, reserved for collectors finishing a master set rather than first-time buyers. Skip low-grade played copies unless you're building a budget binder page, not a showcase.
Why this matters
Roaring Moon ex isn't a filler ex — it's the cover monster for Ancient Roar, the Japanese set that introduced the card in 2023 alongside its Future Flash counterpart Iron Valiant ex. That box-topper status matters for collectors because cover cards tend to hold demand longer than mid-set commons-turned-ex.
It's also still relevant on the table. Dragon-type ex Pokémon are thin on the ground in the current Standard format, and Roaring Moon ex's dual Dragon/Dark typing gives it niche matchup value against Psychic-heavy decks running into 2026. That combination — scarce typing plus a recognizable cover-card history — is why this card shows up on want lists well after its original release window closed.
Collectors chasing dragon-type Pokémon cards tend to land on Roaring Moon ex early, since the type pool is small enough that most serious binders end up with at least one copy.
How we ranked these
Each printing below is scored on four things: print rarity relative to its set, current playability in Standard as of 2026, how reliably you can source a genuine copy, and whether the version has staying power as a display piece versus a play-only card. Japanese and English printings are evaluated separately because pull rates and box configurations differ between the two markets — a Japanese Ancient Roar pull is not the same scarcity math as an English Paldea Evolved pull, even though the artwork overlaps.
Grading language follows the standard buy/hold/consider/skip framework: Buy means the price-to-desirability ratio works today, Consider means it's fine but not urgent, Skip means better options exist at the same price point.
The ranked list
1. Paldea Evolved base ex (124/193) — the workhorse
This is the plain holo-rare printing that shipped in every English Paldea Evolved booster box back in 2023, and it's still the most sourced version of the card going into 2026. One number that matters: it's card 124 out of a 193-card base set, which puts it solidly in the ex-rarity tier rather than the ultra-rare tiers above it.
It plays fine in a Dragon-type Standard build and costs a fraction of the alt-art versions. Buy — this is the entry point, not a downgrade.
2. Paldea Evolved Special Illustration Rare (219/193) — the chase card
The alt-art printing extends past the base set's 193-card count, landing at 219/193, which is standard practice for illustration rares. The artwork reframes Roaring Moon mid-flight against a full-bleed background, and it's the version collectors actually frame.
Demand for this printing has stayed consistent since 2023 because Dragon-type SIRs are rarer across Scarlet & Violet than Fire or Water types. If your goal with roaring moon ex pokemon cards is a shelf piece, this is the one. Buy.
3. Paldea Evolved Gold Rare (245/193) — the trophy piece
The hyper rare gold-bordered version sits at the top of the set's rarity ladder, and it's the printing most likely to show up in master-set completion lists rather than casual want lists. It's not a card you need — it's a card you finish a collection with.
Pull rates on gold rares run well below the SIR tier in the same set, so sourcing one at a fair price takes patience. Consider — worth owning eventually, not worth chasing at a premium in 2026.
4. Japanese Ancient Roar cover card — the import pick
Ancient Roar (2023) is the Japanese-exclusive set where Roaring Moon ex served as the box-art Pokémon, paired opposite Iron Valiant ex in the companion Future Flash release. Cover-card status on a Japanese set tends to age better than mid-set pulls because it's the card new collectors search for first when they discover the set exists.
Japanese cardstock and centering standards differ slightly from English prints, which is part of why import collectors specifically seek this version out. Buy if you want the version tied to the set's actual identity rather than a reprint.
5. Fresh booster pull (reverse holo or standard) — the budget entry
If you're opening packs rather than buying singles, a straight pull from a Paldea Evolved or Ancient Roar booster gets you a playable copy for the lowest possible cost per card. This isn't the version you display, but it's the version you actually put in a deck sleeve.
The tradeoff is obvious: pack odds mean you might pull the base ex, or you might pull nothing at all. Buy only if you're opening product anyway for other cards — not a version worth single-sourcing on its own.
6. PSA 10 graded slab — the investment pick
A graded gem-mint slab strips out the guesswork on centering and edge wear that raw singles carry, which matters if you're holding rather than playing. Grading turnaround and cost vary by service, so factor that into whatever premium the slab commands over a raw copy.
This only makes sense on the SIR or gold printings — grading a base ex rarely returns enough premium to justify the submission cost. Consider, and specifically on the versions ranked above, not the base printing.
7. Played or bulk-lot copy — the one to skip
Heavily played copies show up in bulk lots and mixed collections at steep discounts, and they're tempting if you just want one Roaring Moon ex for a binder page. But condition-sensitive cards like this one lose resale flexibility fast once corners round off or surface scratches show up under light.
Unless you're deck-building for kitchen-table play where condition doesn't matter, this is the version to pass on. Skip.
Comparison table
| Version | Rarity Tier | Origin | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paldea Evolved base ex | Holo Rare (ex) | English, 124/193, 2023 | Buy |
| Paldea Evolved SIR | Special Illustration Rare | English, 219/193 | Buy |
| Paldea Evolved Gold Rare | Hyper Rare | English, 245/193 | Consider |
| Ancient Roar cover card | Set-exclusive art | Japanese, 2023 | Buy |
| Fresh booster pull | Base/Reverse Holo | Either market | Buy (opportunistic) |
| PSA 10 slab (SIR/Gold) | Graded | Either market | Consider |
| Played/bulk copy | Damaged/low-grade | Either market | Skip |
For players running Roaring Moon ex in a live Standard shell, the entries in Pokémon ex cards for meta decks round out the supporting cast better than any single-card breakdown can.
Where to buy
- Check set number and print origin before you pay a premium. A 219/193 SIR and a 245/193 gold rare look similar in thumbnail listings but sell at very different price points — confirm the exact card number, not just the name.
- Buy Japanese singles from a source that authenticates before shipping. Ancient Roar copies imported without verification carry more risk than English-market pulls, since counterfeit detection is harder for buyers unfamiliar with Japanese cardstock texture.
- Match condition to purpose. If the card is going into a deck sleeve for actual games, played condition is fine. If it's going on a shelf or into a PSA submission, pay for near-mint or better up front — regrading later costs more than buying clean the first time.
Delightful TCG sources Japanese singles and sealed product with authentication built into the process, which matters most on set-exclusive cover cards like the Ancient Roar printing where visual counterfeits are easiest to miss.
FAQ
What's the best Roaring Moon ex card to buy in 2026? The Paldea Evolved Special Illustration Rare (219/193) is the best all-around pick for collectors in 2026 — it balances display quality against a reasonable secondary-market price compared to the gold hyper rare.
Is the Japanese Ancient Roar version different from the English Paldea Evolved version? Yes. Ancient Roar is a Japanese-exclusive set where Roaring Moon ex served as the box-art cover card, while Paldea Evolved is the English-market release carrying the base, SIR, and gold-rare printings.
Is Roaring Moon ex still playable in Standard in 2026? It remains a functional Dragon/Dark-type ex with matchup value against Psychic-heavy decks, though checking current Standard rotation status before building around it is worth doing since Scarlet & Violet-era sets approach rotation windows over time.
How much should a played copy cost compared to near-mint? Played copies trade at a meaningful discount to near-mint across most ex-tier cards, but exact pricing shifts with market conditions — check current listings rather than relying on a fixed number.
Is the gold rare printing worth buying over the SIR? Only if you're completing a master set. The Special Illustration Rare offers better display value per dollar for most collectors, while the gold rare exists mainly for completionists.
Should I buy a raw single or a PSA-graded slab? Buy raw if you plan to sleeve and play the card; buy graded if you're holding for the long term and want centering and surface condition locked in before you pay.
Where does Roaring Moon ex fit for someone building a Dragon-type collection? It's one of the few Dragon-type ex cards printed in the current Scarlet & Violet era, which makes it close to a mandatory pickup for anyone building a dedicated Dragon-type binder.
Are reprints or fakes common for this card? Counterfeits are more of a risk on the Japanese Ancient Roar printing than the English Paldea Evolved release, simply because fewer buyers are familiar with the correct cardstock feel on Japanese-exclusive sets.
One last thing
The detail most buyers miss: Roaring Moon ex and its Future Flash counterpart Iron Valiant ex were designed as a matched pair across Ancient Roar and Future Flash, and collectors who only track the English Paldea Evolved side often don't realize the Japanese box-topper version even exists until they've already overpaid for a lesser printing elsewhere.