Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex SIR: The 2026 Chase Card Spanning Two Pokémon TCG Sets
By Dexhaul Team · September 6, 2026
Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex is one of the rare instances of a Pokémon TCG card concept appearing across two distinct 2026 sets, each with its own Special Illustration Rare version.
The ME: Ascended Heroes printing (281/217) currently lists on independent sellers for $292–$445 raw near-mint, with a PSA 10-graded copy at $749.99. A separate 2026 Team Rocket-themed Scarlet & Violet era version (125/098) carries its own SIR treatment and sits around $364 from current listings. This guide covers what distinguishes the two, why the naming convention matters, and what collectors should weigh before buying either.
The Ascended Heroes version: card 281/217
ME: Ascended Heroes launched August 28, 2026. It is part of the Mega Evolution series, focused on Johto-region Pokémon with card-exclusive Mega forms: Mega Feraligatr ex, Mega Meganium ex, and Mega Emboar ex are the headline cards. None of those three Pokémon received Mega Evolutions in the main-series games, making Ascended Heroes an entirely new chapter of Mega Evolution lore.
The set has 217 base cards. Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex sits at number 281/217, placing it in the secret rare tier alongside the other SIRs and hyper rares numbered above 217. The card carries the "Team Rocket's" prefix that was last used in the original WOTC-era Team Rocket expansion, making it one of the few modern SIR prints to revive that naming convention directly.
Multiple independent sellers are currently listing the card. On Deck has raw near-mint copies at $292. Mintink lists at $433.56, and Aloha Card Shop at $445.
The spread reflects early secondary-market stabilization after the set's August 28 launch, with prices still finding their floor nine days in.
Why Team Rocket's Mewtwo belongs in a Johto set
At first glance, a Team Rocket-themed Mewtwo card in a Johto Mega Evolution set looks like a mismatch. Mewtwo is a Kanto Legendary, and Team Rocket is historically tied to Kanto. Ascended Heroes focuses on Johto.
The connection runs deeper than region, though. Mewtwo, as documented across the original games and anime, was created by Team Rocket from a Mew fossil found in what is now the Sinnoh region, cloned and modified in a Cinnabar Island laboratory. Team Rocket's relationship with Mewtwo is foundational to the franchise's early lore, predating the Johto games entirely.
In the context of Mega Evolution, this relationship becomes thematically relevant again. The Mega Evolution narrative across the ME series positions early Mega Evolution experiments as the work of shadowy organizations with ties to specific legendary Pokémon. Placing Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex as a secret rare in a Johto-region Mega set threads that origin story into the modern ME lore without requiring any in-game precedent.
The naming convention: a 26-year callback
The "Team Rocket's" card name prefix is not new to Pokémon TCG. It originated in the original Team Rocket expansion, which released in Japan in April 1997 and internationally in April 2000. That set introduced "Dark" versions of Pokémon alongside cards bearing the "The Rocket's" naming format, including The Rocket's Mewtwo (card 14/82): a non-holographic rare featuring Mewtwo in Team Rocket colors.
The 2026 revival replaces "The Rocket's" with "Team Rocket's" and elevates the concept to Special Illustration Rare status. This is a meaningful upgrade. The original card was a rare in a 1997 set printed in enormous quantities.
The 2026 SIR occupies a rarity tier that did not exist in the WOTC era, with full-bleed artwork and a production run orders of magnitude smaller than its predecessor.
For collectors who grew up with the original Team Rocket set, the name recognition is immediate. The 2026 card is not a reprint and shares no artwork with the 1997 version. It is a deliberate thematic callback at a premium rarity tier.
Rémi Card Trader lists a sealed Team Rocket's Mewtwo Ex Box at $63, a sealed product themed around the card rather than a standalone single. For collectors who want a lower entry point into the Team Rocket's Mewtwo ecosystem without committing to a $292-plus raw card, a themed sealed product at $63 is a different risk profile entirely.
The second version: 125/098
A second Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex SIR appears in a 2026 Scarlet & Violet era set (125/098). The card number indicates a 98-card main set with secret rares numbered above 98; this version falls at secret rare position 27.
The set context is a Team Rocket-themed Scarlet & Violet release, distinct from the Mega Evolution series. The two versions share the same card name but differ in art direction and set framing: the Ascended Heroes version places Mewtwo within the Johto Mega Evolution narrative, while the SV era version situates it in the Team Rocket-as-antagonist context of the Scarlet & Violet regional story. These are not duplicate prints of the same card.
The 125/098 version is listed at $364 raw on MissingNo., placing it above the lowest Ascended Heroes copies but well below a graded PSA 10. Collectors after the Scarlet & Violet era version are buying a distinct card with its own secondary-market trajectory.
Raw vs graded: the $292-to-$750 spread
The Ascended Heroes SIR spans from $292 raw near-mint (On Deck) to $749.99 for a PSA 10-graded copy from Double Infinity Gaming. That gap reflects two things: the grading premium for a certified gem-mint specimen, and the early secondary-market uncertainty still present nine days after the set's August 28 release.
Special Illustration Rares are full-art holofoil cards with textured finishes. They are susceptible to surface scratches during handling, which is the primary reason PSA 10 grades command a meaningful premium over raw. A card that comes out of a pack looking near-mint can still slide below PSA 10 if the holofoil surface has micro-abrasions not visible to the naked eye.
For buyers choosing between raw and graded: a raw card at $292 offers immediate ownership without grading fees or waiting periods, useful if the goal is a display piece or a known-condition addition to a collection. A graded PSA 10 at $749.99 offers a certified condition guarantee and a slab format that protects the card indefinitely. The right choice depends on how you intend to hold and display the card, not on a resale thesis.
Both versions of Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex are currently listed from independent sellers worldwide. Search DexHaul for Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex to compare raw and graded listings, prices across regions, and seller inventory in one place. Dexhaul is independent and not affiliated with The Pokémon Company or any retailer listed here.