Alolan Exeggutor ex
Quick take
- Special Illustration Rare from Surging Sparks (sv8), numbered 242/191
- Illustrated by Yuriko Akase, who also drew the matching Exeggcute illustration rare
- Dragon-type Alolan Exeggutor ex with 300 HP and the Tropical Frenzy attack
- A mid-tier SIR by price, well below the Pikachu ex headliner
Collector's readWhat it means for your master set
Set landscapeWhere this card sits in Surging Sparks
VariantsCard variants
Holofoil 242/191 · $25.26 — 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 tall, friendly face of Surging Sparks SIRs
Surging Sparks built its reputation on the Pikachu ex hyper rare and a deep bench of Special Illustration Rares. The Alolan Exeggutor ex SIR sits in that bench. It is not the headline card, but it is one of the most liked, and that gap between price and affection is what makes it interesting for collectors.
“Special Illustration Rare from Surging Sparks (sv8), numbered 242/191”
The card works as a clean Dragon-type ex with 300 HP and the Tropical Frenzy attack, and it doubles as a full-art showcase for Yuriko Akase. The SIR connects to an Exeggcute illustration rare in the same set, also by Akase, so the two cards read as one short story when you set them side by side.
For master-set builders, this is a friendly slot. Every Surging Sparks master set needs the SIRs, and this one rarely forces the hard budget decision that the Pikachu does.
By the numbersMarket analysis
Among Surging Sparks SIRs, this one lands in the lower-to-middle band. The Pikachu ex sits far above everything else in the set, and the Latias SIR commands a premium of its own. Alolan Exeggutor trades for noticeably less than both. That is the main reason it shows up early on master-set checklists.
Like most modern SIRs, it opened higher during the set's launch window and then settled as packs flooded the market. The raw price has been broadly stable since, with the usual graded premium opening up over time.
Treat it as a collector card first. It is unlikely to spike the way a top chase card might, but its low entry point and steady demand from set builders give it a stable floor. The PSA 10 copy is the version with the clearest upside if Surging Sparks ages well as a set.
PSA 10 copies carry a clear multiple over raw, which is typical for a modern SIR with a glossy textured surface that dings easily. PSA 9 sits much closer to raw, so the gem-mint copy is where the premium concentrates.
In Scarlet & Violet sets, a Special Illustration Rare of any kind shows up roughly once every 90 packs. That already makes the SIR slot a hard hit next to a Double Rare at about 1 in 5, an Illustration Rare at about 1 in 12, or an Ultra Rare at about 1 in 15. Pulling this specific Alolan Exeggutor ex runs much longer than that headline number, because each set spreads its SIRs across many characters. In practice you are looking at hundreds of packs on average for one named SIR. That is why most master-set builders buy the single rather than hunt it in packs.
Surging Sparks carries a full lineup of SIRs and a Pikachu ex hyper rare on top, with hyper rares landing somewhere in the 1-in-300-to-700-pack range. Against that group, Alolan Exeggutor is a common-need, easy-to-source SIR rather than a true chase, which keeps it accessible for set completion.
ArtworkWhy the art matters
Yuriko Akase is a Pokemon TCG illustrator known for full-art and special illustration work in the Scarlet & Violet era. Akase tends toward warm, character-forward scenes. The Surging Sparks Exeggutor and its companion Exeggcute card show that storytelling approach playing out across two cards.
A Terastallized Alolan Exeggutor stands tall on a basketball court, framed by palm trees, against a synth-wave sky. The composition leans into the Pokemon's exaggerated height, with the long neck and grinning heads stacked up the full length of the card. It reads as playful rather than dramatic, which fits the character.
This is the Special Illustration Rare treatment: full-bleed art with the holo pattern and prism texture covering the whole card face, not just a holo window. The textured foil catches light across the sky and foliage. As with all SIRs, that surface is where scratches and print lines show up under good lighting.
It tells a two-card story. The SIR Alolan Exeggutor ex continues the scene from the Exeggcute illustration rare in the same set, both by Akase, so the Exeggcute appears to have grown into the towering Tera Exeggutor on the same court. Collectors who chase art pairings will recognize the appeal here, even if this one is looser than a Latias-and-Latios style match.
BackgroundAbout Alolan Exeggutor ex
Alolan Exeggutor debuted in Pokemon Sun and Moon as the regional form of the Kanto classic, swapping Psychic typing for Grass and Dragon and gaining its famous extreme height. The long neck became an instant meme and stuck as the character's whole identity. In the TCG it has appeared across several sets, and the Surging Sparks ex is its Scarlet & Violet showcase.
- ›The exaggerated height gag that made Alolan Exeggutor a fan favorite from launch
- ›Nostalgia for the Alola region and the Sun and Moon era
- ›A likable, low-stakes design that translates well to playful card art
- ›The Dragon typing, which is relatively uncommon and visually distinct
- ›Introduced as a regional variant in Pokemon Sun and Moon (2016)
- ›Featured in the anime as a recurring Alola-region Pokemon
- ›Recurring TCG subject across multiple Sun and Moon and Scarlet & Violet sets
Own it wellCollector guide
The full-bleed textured foil on SIRs scratches and whitens easily, especially on the dark sky areas and along the edges. Check the surface under raking light for hairlines. Look hard at the corners, which are the first thing to soften in a binder or a fast pack rip.
Worth grading if your raw copy is genuinely clean, since the PSA 10 premium over raw is meaningful and the PSA 9 gap is small. If you can already see edge whitening or surface lines, it is usually better to keep it as a raw set card than to pay for a 9. Read the grading guide →
Sleeve it in a penny sleeve inside a toploader or a one-touch right away. Keep it out of direct sun and away from heat, since the textured foil does best in stable, dry conditions. See the storage guide →
This is one of the easier SIRs in the set to buy raw at a fair price, so let condition drive the decision. For a display copy, buy raw and inspect photos closely for surface and corners. For long-term holding, a graded PSA 10 removes the condition guesswork and is the version most likely to hold value. See the singles buying guide →
Modern SIRs are far less faked than vintage cards, but proxies exist for popular sets. Confirm the texture is embossed into the holo rather than printed flat, check that the bottom illustrator credit reads Yuriko Akase, and verify the 242/191 numbering. For any meaningful spend, a graded slab from PSA or a comparable grader settles the question.
Protect your card
High Chase Score — protect and consider grading. · Amazon affiliate links · Storage guideWord on the streetCommunity sentiment
Collectors generally rate this as one of the better-liked, better-value SIRs in Surging Sparks. It tends to get described as great art at a friendly price, the kind of card that quietly sells well to set builders rather than generating headlines.
Online chatter leans positive on the art and the Exeggcute pairing, and Alolan Exeggutor's height gag is still good for jokes. It does not get the spotlight that the Pikachu ex or Latias SIR pull, but it is a steady favorite in master-set discussion.
Good to knowFrequently asked questions
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