Milotic ex
Quick take
- Special Illustration Rare from Surging Sparks, numbered 237 above the main set
- Art-forward chase that gets overshadowed by the set's Pikachu cards
- A fan-favorite Pokemon, so demand comes from character fans as well as set builders
- Do not confuse it with the separate full-art Milotic ex at 217
Collector's readWhat it means for your master set
Set landscapeWhere this card sits in Surging Sparks
VariantsCard variants
Holofoil 237/191 · $113.57 — 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 water beauty that flies under the Pikachu radar
Surging Sparks is the Pikachu set. For most people the chase conversation starts and ends with the Pikachu ex Hyper Rare, which leaves the rest of the Special Illustration Rare lineup overshadowed. Milotic ex sits right in that gap. It is not the headline card, so it tends to get talked about by collectors who care about art first and hype second.
“Special Illustration Rare from Surging Sparks, numbered 237 above the main set”
That reputation works in its favor. Milotic has always been a fan-favorite design, a graceful serpentine evolution that artists love to draw in water, and Kuroimori leans into that completely here. For a master set builder the card is non-negotiable anyway. Every SIR is a required slot. This is one of the slots people are genuinely happy to fill rather than grinding through.
The number 237 sits in the Special Illustration Rare band above the main 191-card count. There is also a separate full-art Milotic ex at 217, so be careful which one you are tracking. The 237 is the SIR with the full-bleed pond scene.
By the numbersMarket analysis
This sits in the mid tier of the Surging Sparks SIR pile, well below the Pikachu chase cards but comfortably ahead of bulk rares. Raw copies trade as a solid three-figure card in clean condition, with graded gem-mint examples carrying a clear premium on top.
Like most modern SIRs it spiked around release while packs were fresh, then settled as supply caught up. It has held its floor better than a lot of secondary SIRs because the art keeps demand steady rather than purely speculative.
Treat it as a hold-for-love card more than a flip. It is unlikely to chase the Pikachu cards in value, but the combination of a popular Pokemon and a standout illustration gives it a sturdier floor than most non-headline SIRs. Buy the condition you can afford and enjoy it.
Gem-mint graded copies command a meaningful step up over raw, which is typical for full-art SIRs where edge whitening and surface scratches knock raw cards down fast. The premium is real but not extreme compared with the set's top chases.
In Scarlet and Violet sets, any Special Illustration Rare lands at roughly 1 in 90 packs, and that figure covers hitting any SIR at all. Pulling this specific Milotic ex runs far longer, because the set has many SIRs sharing that slot, so the realistic odds for one named card stretch into the hundreds of packs. For comparison, any Double Rare comes about 1 in 5 packs, any Illustration Rare around 1 in 12, any Ultra Rare around 1 in 15, and Hyper Rares land anywhere from 1 in 300 to 1 in 700. The math is why most master set builders buy SIRs as singles rather than ripping for them.
It is rarer than the standard ex and full-art prints in the set but more attainable than the Pikachu Hyper Rare chase. Within the SIR group its value is mid-pack, set by art demand rather than scarcity alone, since all SIRs share similar pull odds.
ArtworkWhy the art matters
Kuroimori is a contemporary Pokemon TCG illustrator with a small but well-liked body of work in the Scarlet and Violet era. The best-known credit is Gardevoir ex in Paldean Fates, and the artist also drew Sylveon in Shrouded Fable. Kuroimori handled both halves of the evolution line in this set too, illustrating the Feebas in Surging Sparks. The two cards are designed to connect, with the Feebas art flowing into the Milotic scene.
Milotic glides through a calm pond dotted with water lilies, its long body curving across the full-art frame. The scales pick up the light and play off the holo pattern, and the mood is serene rather than action-heavy. It reads like an illustration of the Pokemon at peace in its habitat rather than a battle scene.
Full-art Special Illustration Rare layout with art extending edge to edge and the textured SIR holo finish. The smooth water and pale lily tones make any surface scratching or print line easy to spot, which matters for grading.
Collectors regularly call this the best Milotic artwork put on a card. A fan-favorite design paired with a habitat-style scene is the formula that makes an SIR worth chasing for the art alone, separate from any set-building obligation. The connection with the Feebas card from the same set is a bonus for anyone who wants the pair.
BackgroundAbout Milotic ex
Milotic is the evolved form of Feebas, introduced in Generation III. It became famous early for being a pain to obtain in the games, where Feebas was hard to find and only evolved when its Beauty stat was high enough. That backstory baked a tender-love-and-care reputation into the line, and Milotic itself has long been treated as one of the most elegant designs in the franchise.
- ›One of the most admired water-type designs in the series
- ›A reputation as hard-won in the games thanks to the Feebas evolution method
- ›Frequently picked for art-focused and themed binders
- ›Strong recurring presence across multiple TCG eras
- ›Pairs with the Kuroimori-illustrated Feebas in the same Surging Sparks set, with art designed to connect
- ›Has appeared as ex and full-art cards across several Scarlet and Violet sets
The Milotic ex card carries the Sparkling Scales Ability, which blocks damage and effects from the opponent's Tera Pokemon, giving it a niche defensive role. The SIR version is the same card as the playable print, so any tournament use runs the cheaper copies. Demand for this number is collector-driven, not competition-driven.
Own it wellCollector guide
The pale water and lily background hides nothing. Surface scratches, print lines, and edge whitening on the dark border all show clearly. Inspect under angled light before buying raw, and check the front-facing corners where SIR edges chip first.
Worth grading if you have a clean copy, since the gem-mint premium is solid. Only send cards that look flawless under a loupe. A centering miss or a faint scratch on this kind of smooth art will cap the grade and erase the premium. Read the grading guide →
Sleeve in a penny sleeve plus a snug top loader or one-touch right away. Keep it out of direct light to protect the holo and away from humidity. For binder builders, use a side-loading or premium binder page so the edges are not stressed every time you flip. See the storage guide →
Decide upfront whether you want the 237 SIR or the 217 full art, because listings mix them up constantly. For raw purchases ask for sharp, well-lit photos of all four corners and the surface. For anything graded into three figures or beyond, buy a copy in a reputable slab rather than gambling on a raw card's grade. See the singles buying guide →
Modern SIRs are far less faked than vintage holos, but verify anyway on a higher-value purchase. Confirm the 237/191 number, the SIR texture, and the correct set symbol. Be most alert to relabels and resealed slabs on graded copies, and cross-check the cert number with the grader's database.
Protect your card
High Chase Score — protect and consider grading. · Amazon affiliate links · Storage guideWord on the streetCommunity sentiment
Reception leans strongly positive on the art. The recurring line in collector circles is that this is the best Milotic illustration on any card, and it gets singled out as a highlight of the Surging Sparks SIR lineup even though it never competes with the Pikachu cards for headline attention.
Buzz is steady rather than explosive. It comes up most often in best-art roundups for the set and in posts from collectors building Milotic or water-type binders, not in the hype-and-flip conversations that surround the set's top chases.
Good to knowFrequently asked questions
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