Darkrai VSTAR (Japanese)
S12a: VSTAR Universe · 228/172 · Special Art Rare
Current Prices
Number
228/172
Rarity
Special Art Rare
Variant
Holofoil
Market
US (TCGplayer)
Last Updated
Jun 9, 2026
Darkrai VSTAR (Japanese): Rarity & Collectibility
Darkrai VSTAR (Japanese) in its sought-after Holofoil variant is an Ultra Rare chase card, one of the headline pulls that most boosters never produce. Cataloged as Ultra Rare #228/172 of the S12a: VSTAR Universe set, it is the kind of card RarePokemonCard tracks for scarcity and collector demand rather than raw price alone. The harder a card is to pull in top condition, the more weight serious collectors place on it.
How Rare & Valuable Is Darkrai VSTAR (Japanese)?
In 2026, a Near Mint Darkrai VSTAR (Japanese) (Ultra Rare, S12a: VSTAR Universe #228/172) changes hands at roughly $29.51, and its scarcity does most of the heavy lifting on that figure. Because demand concentrates on clean copies, surface wear is punished hard: a Near Mint example commands about $29.51, whereas a Moderately Played one slides to around $14.99. Across the wear scale that reads Near Mint $29.51, Lightly Played $25.02, Moderately Played $14.99 — proof that for a collectible like this, presentation is inseparable from value. At the very top, a gem-mint PSA 10 Darkrai VSTAR (Japanese) is valued near $100.00 — about 3.4x the raw copy, the clearest sign of how much collectors pay for flawless scarcity.
Graded Darkrai VSTAR (Japanese): Gem Mint & Population
For a chase card like Darkrai VSTAR (Japanese), the high-grade market is where the real money lives. A PSA 10 (or CGC 10 / BGS Black Label equivalent) Darkrai VSTAR (Japanese) sits around $100.00 — roughly 3.4x a raw copy. That gap exists because relatively few examples ever earn a perfect grade, so gem-mint population is the real scarcity collectors chase. Step down a notch and demand spreads across PSA 9 $30.00, CGC 10 $85.00, CGC 9.5 $31.50 — each tier a smaller, scarcer pool than the one below it. The rule of thumb for collectors: the rarer the card, the more a certified high grade matters to its standing.
Detailed Price Breakdown
| Source | Condition / Grade | Average | Low | High | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ebay | LIGHTLY PLAYED | $21.56 | $21.56 | $21.56 | 1 |
| ebay | NEAR MINT | $29.59 | $29.59 | $29.59 | 64 |
| ebay | ACE 10 | $64.63 | $64.63 | $64.63 | 6 |
| ebay | BGS 10 | $82.33 | $82.33 | $82.33 | 39 |
| ebay | BGS 9 | $25.00 | $25.00 | $25.00 | 1 |
| ebay | BGS 9 5 | $74.99 | $74.99 | $74.99 | 23 |
| ebay | CGC 10 | $85.00 | $85.00 | $85.00 | 65 |
| ebay | CGC 8 5 | $39.50 | $39.50 | $39.50 | 2 |
| ebay | CGC 9 | $25.00 | $25.00 | $25.00 | 3 |
| ebay | CGC 9 5 | $31.50 | $31.50 | $31.50 | 6 |
| ebay | PSA 10 | $100.00 | $100.00 | $100.00 | 57 |
| ebay | PSA 6 | $30.00 | $30.00 | $30.00 | 1 |
| ebay | PSA 7 | $13.99 | $13.99 | $13.99 | 1 |
| ebay | PSA 8 | $19.99 | $19.99 | $19.99 | 6 |
| ebay | PSA 9 | $30.00 | $30.00 | $30.00 | 30 |
| ebay | SGC 10 | $29.00 | $29.00 | $29.00 | 2 |
| ebay | TAG 10 | $94.95 | $94.95 | $94.95 | 4 |
| tcgplayer | LIGHTLY PLAYED | $25.02 | $25.02 | $25.02 | 29 |
| tcgplayer | MODERATELY PLAYED | $14.99 | $14.99 | $14.99 | 1 |
| tcgplayer | NEAR MINT | $29.51 | $35.00 | $39.95 | 433 |
Collector Outlook for Darkrai VSTAR (Japanese)
As an Ultra Rare, Darkrai VSTAR (Japanese) carries genuine chase status — exactly the card whose pull keeps a set desirable for years. Cards in this band from beloved sets tend to keep a loyal collector base over time. Whether you are chasing it for a set or as a centerpiece, revisit Darkrai VSTAR (Japanese) on RarePokemonCard — rarity demand in 2026 shifts with reprints, set nostalgia, and how few high-grade copies surface.
