Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex #231: Destined Rivals Chase Card Value and Pull Rates

The return of villainous factions to the modern Pokémon Trading Card Game has ignited extreme collector hype, and no card captures that excitement more than Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex #231 from the expansion set Destined Rivals. Spiking across search trackers under terms like mewtwo 231 and mewtwo alt 30 ans, this Special Illustration Rare (SIR) has established itself as the undisputed top chase card of the release.

Commanding immediate secondary market prices above €400 right out of the gate, here is a detailed breakdown of the card's artwork, estimated pull probabilities, and long-term financial viability.

Why Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex #231 Is So Valuable

In the history of the Pokémon TCG, Team Rocket-themed sets represent peak nostalgia for older collectors. The original Team Rocket expansion in 2000 introduced Rocket's Mewtwo, which became a tournament terror and a legendary promo card.

Card #231 in Destined Rivals modernizes that legacy with modern full-card texturing and narrative storytelling:

• Narrative Art Direction: The card illustrates Mewtwo breaking containment within an industrial Team Rocket laboratory facility, surrounded by broken glass tanks, hydraulic cables, and purple psychic waves.

• Special Illustration Rare Status: Slotted as card number 231, it sits deep within the Secret Rare tier, meaning it cannot be pulled from standard common or uncommon card slots.

• 30th Anniversary Tie-In: Released as part of the broader promotional wave celebrating 30 years of the franchise, the card bridges classic Kanto lore with contemporary competitive rules.

Estimated Pull Rates and Market Scarcity

Because Destined Rivals does not guarantee specific rarity slots in every booster box, Special Illustration Rares remain mathematically brutal to pull independently:

• SIR Pull Probability: Historical pull rate averages for modern high-tier expansions indicate a Special Illustration Rare appears approximately once in every 60 to 75 booster packs (roughly 1 in every 2 full booster boxes).

• Specific Chase Probability: Because the SIR rarity tier contains between six and eight different Pokémon cards across the complete set, pulling specifically the Mewtwo ex #231 drops to an estimated 1 in 480 to 1 in 600 packs.

This low probability is why opening booster packs to find Mewtwo is statistically inefficient. The vast majority of collectors turn to direct single-card purchases on secondary marketplaces like Cardmarket and TCGplayer, where Near Mint raw copies trade steadily around €390 to €420 ($420 to $460).

Competitive Play: Does Card #231 See Tournament Action?

While collectors treat Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex #231 as an art piece, the card features tournament-grade combat viability:

• Energy Acceleration Synergy: Designed to pair with dark and psychic support engines, allowing it to load heavy energy requirements in early match turns.

• Board Wipe Damage Output: Its primary attack punishes opponent benches that load multiple low-HP support Pokémon (such as Comfey, Ralts, or Charmander), dealing spread damage that can swing the prize card exchange in a single turn.

Because standard double-rare (regular art) versions of Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex exist in the main set list, competitive tournament players typically sleeve up the cheaper base versions, leaving card #231 reserved for double-sleeved collector binders and grading submissions.

Grading Forecast: Submitting Card #231 to PSA

Given the current secondary market baseline, raw copies of Mewtwo #231 are ideal candidates for professional grading.

• PSA 9 Projection: A Near Mint-Mint grade typically preserves value at roughly 1.1x to 1.25x the raw card price.

• PSA 10 Projection: If the card secures a Gem Mint 10 grade, historical price multipliers for modern tier-one chase cards (like the Moonbreon or Charizard SIR) regularly push the value to €850 - €1,100, making early pre-screening for centering and factory edge whitening critical before submission.