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Pikachu ex 764/742 is a Special Art Rare (SAR) from the Japanese Start Deck 100 Battle Collection, released on December 19, 2025. Featuring full-art artwork by illustrator booota, this card is the premier chase pull from a product built around individually-sold theme decks rather than traditional booster packs.
Set Background & Distribution: Start Deck 100 Battle Collection is a unique Japanese release consisting of more than 100 individually-sold theme decks, each a blind purchase similar to a booster pack but containing a small complete deck. The Pikachu ex SAR is the chase card distributed across this entire product line, with a card number of 764/742—a number exceeding the set total, which is the signature of Japanese secret rare slots.
Pull Difficulty & Box-Filtering Issue: The Pikachu ex SAR exists in exactly one of the product\'s 100 pre-built blind decks (Deck No. 025). This makes the base pull rate approximately 1 in 100 decks on clean, unfiltered product—roughly ten times harder than a regular modern SAR. However, a significant market issue has emerged: the SAR decks run about 2 grams heavier than normal decks, and the foil cards inside can be detected with handheld metal detectors. Resellers have exploited this by weighing and scanning entire cases to extract the hit decks, meaning much of the sealed product reaching average buyers has already been filtered.
Art & Design: booota\'s illustration depicts Pikachu in a watercolor forest scene, earning the card the community nickname \"Forestchu\". The artwork features a soft, painterly aesthetic that distinguishes it from typical Pikachu depictions. The full-art composition with holographic foil treatment makes this a visually striking collector\'s piece.
Card Features: This Basic Lightning-type Pokémon ex has 200 HP. It features one attack:
Print History Note: This exact Pikachu ex (same stat line, same attack) was first printed in the Japanese Pokémon Card Game Battle Academy Deck Kit (card 018/066) and released in English as an SVP Black Star Promo (SVP 106). Start Deck 100 Battle Collection then reprinted the same card twice: once as an ordinary card at 227/742, and once as the full-art SAR at 764/742. These two numbers sit in the same product but are very different cards to own—one is a standard-frame reprint, the other is the chase full art.
Market Performance: The card has experienced a dramatic market cycle since release. After an initial launch dump of approximately 40%, the price climbed to a peak of S$5,200 in May 2026, fuelled by the box-filtering scandal convincing the market of near-impossible pull rates combined with 30th-anniversary hype. A mid-May reprint wave then knocked the price back to approximately S$2,800—a 46% correction from peak. Current market data shows raw Near Mint copies trading at approximately ¥159,000–¥176,000 (~$1,000–$1,100 USD), while PSA 10 GEM MINT copies command premiums around ¥322,850 (~$2,031 USD).
Collector and Investor Outlook: The card presents both compelling arguments and notable risks. The bull case centres on its 1-in-100 deck lottery status, limited real supply even with reprints, and strong holder sentiment ahead of Pokémon\'s 30th anniversary. The bear case points to historical precedent—McDonald\'s Pikachu followed a similar \"rare Pikachu\" narrative before Japan\'s real supply surfaced and prices never recovered. The valuation math suggests that at current box prices (~S$45), pulling one yourself would cost roughly S$4,500 on clean boxes, potentially making current single prices appear undervalued if box prices hold.
Card Details:
Card Name: Pikachu ex
Card Number: 764/742 (Special Art Rare)
Set: Start Deck 100 Battle Collection
Release Year: 2025
Rarity: Special Art Rare (SAR)
HP: 200
Type: Lightning
Stage: Basic
Attack: [L][L][C] Thunderbolt – 120 damage
Weakness: Fighting ×2
Retreat Cost: 1
Illustrator: booota
Finish: Holo / Full Art
Language: Japanese
Year: 2025
Dimensions: 63 × 88 mm
Regulation Mark: H
