Mela Special Illustration Rare #254

OK, I said there was a “relative uninterest” in waifu cards outside of Japan, but clearly something like this SIR for Mela isn’t fetching $21 because it’s so invaluable to any deck. The difference is, the Japanese version of this card is currently going for $104. Yeah.

However, it’s not unplayable either; it’s useful in a Fire deck, not only able to get Energy back out of your discard pile, but also topping your hand up from your deck.

And it’s crucial to recognize that the art by Rika is fantastic, too. New to the TCG since Obsidian Flames, the artist has stormed in with not only this Mela, but also Paradox Rift’s wonderful Mantyke full-art, and my favorite card from 151, the full-art Dragonair. Who they are, however, remains a mystery, and one certainly not helped by having the same name as another enormously popular trainer in this set, making them impossible to search for on Google. (The SIR for Rika is selling for a more modest $11.)