Gladions Final Battle
Quick take
- Full Art Ultra Rare print (108/084) by akagi, one of three prints of this Supporter in Pitch Black
- Effect is playable only as your last card in hand, granting +80 damage to non-Rule-Box attackers that turn
- Sits around seventh in the set by value, far below the Mega Darkrai ex tier
- Gladion is a fan-favorite rival from Sun and Moon, which keeps steady character-collector demand on his cards
Collector's readWhat it means for your master set
Set landscapeWhere this card sits in Pitch Black
VariantsCard variants
Holofoil 108/84 · $1.88 — the only variant this card was printed in (no reverse holo or special pattern), so a master set needs just this one copy.
The storyGladion's desperation play, in full art
Gladion's Final Battle is the dramatic Supporter of Pitch Black. The card text matches the name: you can only play it when it is the last card in your hand, and for that turn your Pokemon without Rule Boxes hit for 80 more damage. An all-or-nothing effect built for single-prize decks. The flavor works because Gladion has always been the franchise's brooding underdog rival.
“Full Art Ultra Rare print (108/084) by akagi, one of three prints of this Supporter in Pitch Black”
This is the Full Art Ultra Rare print, numbered 108/084 and illustrated by akagi, who also drew the regular uncommon version. The card exists in three prints in this set: the regular at 77, this full art at 108, and a Special Illustration Rare at 118 by DOM. The SIR gets the headline treatment, since its art forms a combined illustration with the Silvally Illustration Rare from the same set, but the full art is the print most collectors will actually own. It sits around seventh in the set by market value, well below the Darkrai tier that dominates Pitch Black's price chart.
For master set builders this is a required slot either way. For character collectors it is the affordable way to get Gladion in the secret rare run without paying SIR money. Gladion cards have kept a loyal audience since his Sun and Moon era prints, and named-character Supporters with story weight tend to hold their fans.
By the numbersMarket analysis
Mid-tier for the set. This full art sits around seventh in Pitch Black by market value, a fraction of the Mega Darkrai ex chase prints at the top and clearly below the six-card Special Illustration Rare cluster. Within the Ultra Rare band it trades in the same neighborhood as the set's other full art trainers.
Two weeks after the July 17, 2026 release, the expected drift has mostly played out across the set's Trainer prints — the SIR version of this same Supporter settled at about $29, the cheapest SIR in Pitch Black — and this Ultra Rare sits well below that. Prices at this tier are close to their floor; supply, not demand, sets the number while the set stays in print.
Modest. This is a supply-heavy modern Ultra Rare from a small set that is easy to open. If the effect finds a home in a competitive single-prize deck, the regular print absorbs most of the play demand and the full art gets a smaller bump. Buy it because you like Gladion or need the slot, not as a growth position. The SIR is where the ceiling lives.
Too early for meaningful graded data on this exact print. Modern full art trainers at this price level usually need a clean 10 to justify grading fees, and the multiplier is thinner than on the set's SIRs. Wait for the English graded market to settle before submitting, and only send sharp, well-centered copies.
Pitch Black runs 84 base cards plus 36 secret rares for 120 total, the English version of Japan's Abyss Eye set. TCGPlayer's count of just over 4,000 packs puts Ultra Rares at 1 in 12 packs — but that covers all 18 Ultra Rares in the set, so hitting this specific Gladion print works out to roughly 1 in 215 packs. If you want this exact card, buying the single is almost always cheaper than chasing it in packs.
Within the set, it is meaningfully easier to pull than the SIR print at 118 and dramatically easier than the Mega Darkrai ex chase cards. Against other Mega Evolution era sets, Pitch Black's small size works in your favor: fewer Ultra Rares in the pool means shorter odds per specific card than in a large set with a deep secret rare run.
ArtworkWhy the art matters
akagi drew both the regular and full art prints of this card, which is a common pattern for modern trainer cards: one illustrator handles the standard and full art treatments while a second artist takes the Special Illustration Rare. Detailed career information on akagi is thin in English sources, so we keep this section short rather than pad it.
A full art treatment of Gladion, the Aether Foundation heir who spent his early story as hired muscle for Team Skull. The card's title frames the artwork around his climactic battle, in keeping with the desperation mechanic on the card. Published sources do not describe the scene in detail, so we have kept this general; the card image on this page speaks for itself.
Full Art Ultra Rare with the textured foil treatment standard for full art Supporters in the Mega Evolution era. Numbered 108/084, placing it in the secret rare run above the 84-card base set.
It is Gladion's showcase card in Pitch Black, and the name plus the last-card-in-hand mechanic make it one of the better examples of flavor matching function in the set. The Special Illustration Rare print by DOM forms a combined illustration with the Silvally Illustration Rare, which turns the whole Gladion card family in this set into one story beat. This full art is the accessible entry point into that family.
BackgroundAbout Gladions Final Battle
Gladion debuted in Pokemon Sun and Moon in 2016 as Lillie's brother and a rival to the player. He starts the story estranged from his family, working as an enforcer for Team Skull and traveling with Type: Null, the synthetic Pokemon he later evolves into Silvally. His arc from runaway to reconciled heir of the Aether Foundation made him one of the most liked rivals in the series. His TCG appearances have carried that weight since the Sun and Moon era, where his original Supporter card also earned a full art print.
- ›One of the strongest rival storylines in the main games, with a genuine character arc
- ›His bond with Type: Null and Silvally, which extends into this set's combined SIR artwork
- ›Anime appearances in the Sun and Moon series, including his run in the Alola League
- ›Named trainer cards with dramatic effects tend to build lasting collector followings
- ›Pokemon Sun and Moon and Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon as a rival tied to the Aether Foundation
- ›The Sun and Moon anime, where he competes in the Alola League
- ›Prior Gladion Supporter cards in the Sun and Moon TCG era, including a full art print
The effect is a payoff for single-prize decks: playable only as your last card in hand, it adds 80 damage to attacks from Pokemon without Rule Boxes that turn. Pitch Black also introduced the Hide 'n' Sneak single-prize archetype around Sinistcha and Dhelmise, which made top cut at the 2026 Japan Championships, so the deck-building intent is clear. Whether this Supporter earns a slot in serious lists is unproven this early, and any play demand lands mostly on the cheap regular print rather than this full art.
Own it wellCollector guide
Full art trainers with textured foil show edge whitening and surface scratches readily, especially on the dark areas typical of this set's palette. Check the textured surface under angled light for print lines, and inspect the back corners, since modern pack-fresh cards from this era regularly come with factory edge wear.
Marginal at current levels. The raw price is modest for a modern Ultra Rare, so grading only makes sense on copies with strong centering and clean surfaces where a top grade is realistic. If you want a graded Gladion from this set, the SIR print is the better candidate for the fees. Wait a month or two for the English graded population and premiums to become visible before deciding. Read the grading guide →
Penny sleeve plus binder pocket is fine for a card in this band. If you pulled a sharp copy you might grade later, sleeve it into a semi-rigid holder and keep it flat and away from light. In a Pitch Black master set binder it slots into the secret rare section between the Illustration Rares and the SIRs. See the storage guide →
Buy the single rather than chasing packs. Prices are still settling in the launch window, and full art trainers usually get cheaper over the first several weeks as supply builds, so there is no rush. One practical check: Pitch Black and Chaos Rising released about eight weeks apart under the same Mega Evolution branding, so confirm the ME05 set code and the 108/084 numbering before you pay. Near mint raw copies are plentiful, so do not settle for played condition unless the discount is real. See the singles buying guide →
Protect your card
High Chase Score — protect and consider grading. · Amazon affiliate links · Storage guideWord on the streetCommunity sentiment
Positive but second-tier by design. Pitch Black conversation is dominated by Mega Darkrai ex, and among trainers the Special Illustration Rare prints draw most of the attention, with the combined Gladion and Silvally artwork a frequent highlight. The full art print reads as a solid, affordable pick for Gladion fans rather than a headline card. The last-card-in-hand effect gets consistent praise as a well-matched name and mechanic.
Discussion since launch has centered on the set's Hide 'n' Sneak single-prize archetype and whether the Gladion Supporter enables anything competitive alongside it — two weeks in, tournament evidence is still pending. Character collectors who have followed Gladion since the Sun and Moon era have flagged the set's Gladion and Silvally pairing as a highlight.
Good to knowFrequently asked questions
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