Consider this a public service announcement.

Pokémon TCG tournament attendance has been on the rise since in-person events returned in 2022, to the point that events with player caps in the thousands are selling out minutes after the tickets go live. Last weekend's North American International Championships (NAIC) set a new record for the largest international Pokémon event ever held, breaking the record set just a few months ago by the 2024 European International Championships.

In short, a lot of people are playing the Pokémon TCG. As a consequence, playable Trainer cards that go into multiple decks are in high demand. The Pokémon Company International is commendably diligent about reprinting these cards in Battle Decks, Trainer Kits, Prize Packs, and additional sets, but any cards with only one printing are always at risk of rising to prices far higher than their printed rarity would suggest.

If you're sitting on a few dozen copies of these playable Trainer cards that you aren't using, consider trading or gifting them to a new player at your local game store. You'll make someone's day, and you'll be doing your part to keep Pokémon the most accessible and welcoming TCG on the planet! Or, y'know, you could sell them on TCGplayer for cash. That works too.

These are five "bulk" Pokémon cards that are worth actual money.

#1 Earthen Vessel

Let's get the biggest one out of the way first. Earthen Vessel sees play in several major Pokémon decks in Standard, but especially in the Gardevoir ex deck that took six of the Top 8 spots at NAIC. It's only been printed once so far, so players don't have many options for where to source their copies.

#2 Buddy-Buddy Poffin

Buddy-Buddy Poffin was always destined for greatness. The card fills the void left in Standard by the rotation of Battle VIP Pass, letting evolution decks get the fast start they need to evolve into their Stage 2 haymakers like Gardevoir ex and Dragapult ex before the game ends. It's so ubiquitous in Standard that the Hyper Rare version is one of the most expensive cards in Twilight Masquerade, but even the Uncommon version of Buddy-Buddy Poffin is often the most valuable card in any pack it's found in.

#3 Arven

The woobie of Scarlet and Violet sees play in everything from Charizard to Snorlax Stall to Miraidon, but it's gotten even more valuable with the rise of Gardevoir, where it's a mandatory four-of. Despite being printed at Uncommon in both Scarlet & Violet Base Set and Obsidian Flames, (not to mention its Prize Pack Series card, Regional Championship promo, and three full-art cards), Arven continues to be worth far more than most Double Rares.

#4 Jet Energy

Jet Energy has come down from the heights it reached just after Standard rotation when everybody wanted an answer to Snorlax Stall, but it's still a key Energy card in the newly reinvigorated Lugia deck. It's also only been printed in one normal Pokémon set so far, so outside of Prize Packs and World Championship decks, it's hard to find.

#5 Counter Catcher

Gust effects win games! Counter Catcher has a permanent home in any deck that can expect to fall behind in the Prize trade, including every evolution deck like Dragapult, Charizard, and Gardevoir. While it's technically been printed a few times over the years, it only appears in one set in the Scarlet & Violet Series, so options are limited for players who want Near Mint copies and weren't already playing before the pandemic.