Froakie
Quick take
- First of three connecting Susumu Maeya cards: Froakie, Frogadier, Mega Greninja ex
- Numbered 088/086, an Illustration Rare in the set's secret-numbered range
- Most affordable piece of the Mega Greninja ex art scene
- Basic Water Pokemon, 70 HP, with Collect and Water Gun
Collector's readWhat it means for your master set
Set landscapeWhere this card sits in Chaos Rising
VariantsCard variants
Holofoil 88/86 · $5.43 — the only variant this card was printed in (no reverse holo or special pattern), so a master set needs just this one copy.
The storyThe first panel of the set's best connecting-art scene
Froakie is the pre-evolution of one of the most popular Pokemon in the franchise, and in Chaos Rising it anchors the bottom of a three-card scene. Susumu Maeya illustrated the Froakie, Frogadier, and Mega Greninja ex pieces so they line up horizontally. Froakie gazes up from beneath the waves, Frogadier breaks the surface in the middle, and Mega Greninja ex rides its shuriken high above. The background washes from deep ocean blue through pink and orange into a sunset sky, with a faint silhouette of regular Greninja in the glow below.
“First of three connecting Susumu Maeya cards: Froakie, Frogadier, Mega Greninja ex”
That connected design is what drives demand. On its own, Froakie is a 70 HP Basic with a draw attack. As one third of a binder spread, it pulls more weight than its game text suggests. Anyone chasing the full Maeya scene needs this card, the Frogadier IR, and the much scarcer Mega Greninja ex Special Illustration Rare.
Chaos Rising launched May 22, 2026 as the fourth Mega Evolution era set, built around Mega Greninja ex. The Froakie is the cheapest way into that storyline.
By the numbersMarket analysis
Froakie sits in the lower band of Chaos Rising chase cards, well under the Special Illustration Rares and the Mega Greninja ex Hyper Rare. It trades like a standard recent Illustration Rare of a popular line. The value comes from demand for the connecting scene more than from rarity.
The set released in late May 2026, so prices are still settling. Supply is high while booster product is everywhere, and raw copies are easy to find. The Froakie tends to move with interest in the Greninja line and with how many people decide to chase the full three-card scene rather than just the Mega.
Treat this as a collector card, not a speculative play. The upside is tied to Greninja's lasting popularity and the appeal of completing the Maeya scene. It is unlikely to ever be the headline value in the set, but a clean copy holds steady demand as the affordable anchor of a sought-after trio. The sealed product and the Mega Greninja ex carry the speculative weight here.
Modern Illustration Rares of common Basics show a meaningful PSA 10 premium over raw only when centering and surface are clean, because these prints are plentiful and gem rates run reasonably high. A 9 carries little premium. Grade this one only if the copy is genuinely flawless, or if you want the trio slabbed together as a matched set.
Chaos Rising follows the Scarlet and Violet rarity structure collectors are used to. Any Illustration Rare lands roughly once every dozen packs, but that covers every IR in the set, not this specific Froakie. Because several Illustration Rares share that slot, the odds of pulling this exact card run far longer, often deep into a booster box or beyond. Special Illustration Rares like the Mega Greninja ex are far scarcer, landing around once per ninety packs, and the Mega Hyper Rare is rarer still.
Froakie is the easiest to find and cheapest of the three connecting cards. The Frogadier sits a notch above it, and the Mega Greninja ex Special Illustration Rare is in a different league for both scarcity and price.
ArtworkWhy the art matters
Susumu Maeya is credited on all three connecting cards in this Greninja-line scene for Chaos Rising. Bulbapedia and Pokemon.com both list Maeya on the Froakie Illustration Rare, and the same artist handled the matching Frogadier and Mega Greninja ex pieces so they line up as one image. The regular 020/086 print of Froakie is by a different artist, Kariya.
Froakie occupies the bottom of the scene, looking up from beneath the surface of the water. Above and to the side, the art continues into Frogadier emerging into the air and Mega Greninja ex hovering on its shuriken. The color runs from deep ocean blue at Froakie's level up through pink and orange into a sunset sky. A silhouette of regular Greninja is just visible in the glow below.
Illustration Rare treatment with the full-bleed art and textured holo finish standard to the rarity. Numbered 088/086, placing it in the secret range past the 86-card main set. Water type, 70 HP, Basic.
This card is built to connect. Laid out next to the Frogadier and Mega Greninja ex, the three read as one continuous scene from underwater to sunset sky. That is why people want the Froakie even though its game text is plain.
BackgroundAbout Froakie
Froakie is the Water-type starter from Kalos, the first stage in the line that evolves into Frogadier and then Greninja. Greninja's profile grew fast after its run on the anime and its inclusion in Super Smash Bros., and it has topped fan polls repeatedly. That popularity is the engine behind every Greninja-line card, Froakie included.
- ›Evolves into Greninja, a long-running fan favorite
- ›Starter Pokemon, which collectors gravitate toward
- ›First panel of a celebrated connecting-art trio in this set
- ›Tied to the Mega Greninja ex headlining Chaos Rising
- ›Pre-evolution of Mega Greninja ex, the chase card of Chaos Rising
- ›Kalos region Water starter from Pokemon X and Y
- ›Featured in the official Pokemon.com Chaos Rising reveal
Minimal. This Froakie is a 70 HP Basic with Collect to draw a card and Water Gun for 10 damage. It is line filler for a deck running the Greninja evolution, not a standalone competitive piece. The value is collector-driven.
Own it wellCollector guide
Modern full-art Illustration Rares pick up edge whitening and surface scratches easily because of the holo texture. Check the four corners and the dark blue lower portion of the art, where any scuff or print line shows up fast against the deep color.
Only worth grading if the copy is clean enough to realistically gem. A PSA 10 carries a premium, but a 9 does not return much over raw on a plentiful modern IR. One nice option is to grade the Froakie, Frogadier, and Mega Greninja ex together so the trio displays as a matched slabbed set. Read the grading guide →
Sleeve and toploader straight out of the pack, or use a one-touch if you plan to display. Keep it out of direct light to protect the sunset color gradient. If you are building the connecting scene, store the three together so you don't have to hunt for matched condition later. See the storage guide →
Buy raw while the set is fresh and supply is high, since prices are softest right after release. If you want the full Maeya scene, source all three cards at once and match their condition rather than buying one now and chasing the others later. For a long-term keeper, hold out for clean centering on the 088 number stamp and crisp corners. See the singles buying guide →
This is a modern card, so counterfeiting risk is lower than vintage, but fakes of popular Greninja-line cards do circulate. Check the holo texture under angled light, confirm the 088/086 number and the Illustration Rare treatment, and compare the art against the official Pokemon.com reveal. For anything bought sight-unseen at a premium, prefer graded copies.
Protect your card
Low Chase Score — basic protection is plenty. · Amazon affiliate links · Storage guideWord on the streetCommunity sentiment
Reception to the connecting-art trio has been positive. The Maeya scene got singled out in the official reveal coverage and picked up by collectors as one of the nicer artistic ideas in the Mega Evolution era. Froakie specifically gets framed as the affordable doorway into the scene.
Most of the chatter centers on the Mega Greninja ex and on laying out all three cards together as one image. Froakie shows up in those threads as the cheap, must-have first panel rather than as a card people hunt on its own.
Good to knowFrequently asked questions
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