2020 Pokemon Vivid Voltage Amazing Rare Rayquaza #138

When the Pokemon Company introduced the Amazing Rare rarity in 2020, collectors weren't sure what to make of it. A new tier, a new card design, and a dragon that has historically made collectors go wild. The result? The Vivid Voltage Amazing Rare Rayquaza #138/185 became one of the standout chase cards from the Sword and Shield era, and it continues to hold serious appeal for modern collectors.

What Is Vivid Voltage?

Vivid Voltage was the fourth expansion in the Pokemon Sword and Shield series, releasing in November 2020. The set contained 185 cards in the base set plus 14 secret rares, totaling 199 cards in the complete master set. The expansion introduced the Amazing Rare rarity to Western markets for the first time, bringing a subset of cards with distinctive rainbow-colored energy symbols and vivid, illustrated artwork that stood apart from every other rarity tier in the modern Pokemon Trading Card Game.

The Amazing Rares were seeded at roughly one per booster box on average, making them meaningfully scarce from a pack-opening perspective. Unlike Full Art trainers or VMAX rainbow rares that could be pulled with some regularity, Amazing Rares required real luck or real money.

Rayquaza: The Dragon That Drives Markets

Rayquaza holds a unique place in Pokemon card collecting. The Legendary sky dragon, originally introduced in Generation III (Ruby and Sapphire, 2002), has been a consistent top performer across virtually every set it appears in. The EX Dragon Frontiers Gold Star Rayquaza remains one of the most sought-after vintage modern cards. The various Hidden Fates and Shining Legends Rayquaza cards drove significant market premiums at their peaks.

The Amazing Rare version continues this tradition. With its distinctive art showing Rayquaza coiling against a deep teal background with lightning effects, the card presents the dragon in a style that feels genuinely distinct from its predecessors.

Specification-wise, the card carries a 130 HP Basic Pokemon, which is modest for the current game meta. The Amazing Destruction attack costs [L][F][C][C] and does 150 damage, also discarding a Stadium in play. The Amazing Burn attack at [G][R][C][C] does 130 damage plus 30 damage to every Benched Pokemon (both players). In Limited formats, the card carried real strategic weight.

The Amazing Rare Artwork

What separates Amazing Rares from other rarities is the art philosophy. These cards were commissioned with a painterly, almost storybook quality. Rayquaza #138 specifically features the dragon rendered with textured scale detail and atmospheric depth. The background's lightning-shot sky complements the dragon's serpentine form beautifully.

The rainbow energy symbols at the center of each Amazing Rare (representing every basic energy type) make them visually distinctive even in card sleeves. Collectors who appreciate card aesthetics often rate Amazing Rares as among the most appealing Sword and Shield art treatments.

Grading and Population

PSA 10 copies of Vivid Voltage Amazing Rare Rayquaza have been the primary driver of market value. Modern Pokemon cards from this era grade well, and the card's design (with its dark background) tends to hide minor print issues that would flag lower on other cards.

The raw card market saw a significant uptick in early 2025 and 2026, with NM copies trading around $15-20 on eBay and TCGPlayer. PSA 10s have been more volatile, ranging from $80 at market lows to over $150 at peaks driven by Rayquaza hype cycles.

How to Identify Authentic Copies

As with all modern Pokemon cards, authentication focuses on print quality indicators. Genuine Vivid Voltage cards exhibit:

• The standard Pokemon card texture and thickness (standard cardstock)

• SWSH-era set symbol (lightning bolt stylized symbol) in the lower right of the art box

• "Illus. Ryota Murayama" credit at bottom

• Rarity symbol (rainbow star for Amazing Rare)

• Card number 138/185 in lower left

Counterfeits of Amazing Rares exist but are typically identifiable by color saturation issues (the rainbow energy symbols often appear muted on fakes) and font irregularities in the attack text.

The Rayquaza Collector's Ecosystem

Collectors who pursue Rayquaza cards often build themed collections around the dragon. The Amazing Rare version fits naturally into a Rayquaza master set or alongside the Sky High Rayquaza V, VMAX, and Alternate Art from Evolving Skies. Within a pure Vivid Voltage master set context, this card sits as one of the most desirable pulls.

The fact that Rayquaza is now a returning feature of the Scarlet and Violet era (with multiple new Rayquaza cards in recent sets) has kept the dragon's broader profile strong, which supports demand for older Rayquaza cards across generations.

Storage and Care

Amazing Rare cards benefit from the standard modern storage protocols: penny sleeve plus a rigid top loader or card saver for raw cards, or a proper graded slab for investment-grade copies. The card's dark border means fingerprints and dust show readily on unsleeved copies. Keep them in consistent humidity and temperature to prevent warping, which is the most common damage issue for raw Sword and Shield era cards.

Buying and Selling

The best venues for this card are TCGPlayer (for raw copies with verified seller ratings), eBay (for both raw and graded), and PSA's marketplace for graded copies. Discogs-style secondary platforms haven't caught on for modern Pokemon in the same way as the established card marketplaces.

For sellers, timing matters. Rayquaza spikes tend to coincide with new Rayquaza set announcements, Pokemon Go events featuring the dragon, and seasonal peaks in the hobby (Q4 and Q1 historically show stronger demand).

Browse all Trading Cards →

Related Items