Is Empoleon V (Battle Styles) Worth Grading in 2026? Chase Card Investment Guide
Empoleon V #145 Battle Styles: raw £43.68 vs PSA 10 £144.50. Full grading ROI breakdown — 126.9% return, TCGInvest rating: Worth Grading.
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⚠ For informational purposes only. Data sourced from eBay UK sold listings and TCG Invest's price pipeline. Not financial advice.
Is Empoleon V (Battle Styles) Worth Grading in 2026? Chase Card Investment Guide
Card Overview
Empoleon V is a Special Rare Pokémon V card from the Battle Styles set (SWSH era), featuring the elegant water-type penguin Pokémon. As a Special Rare with notoriously low pull rates, this card has established itself as a sought-after chase card among collectors and investors alike. The raw market has softened recently, but graded PSA 10 copies are showing signs of independent strength—a pattern worth monitoring.
Current Market Data
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Raw Price | £43.68 |
| PSA 10 Price | £144.50 |
| 7-Day Trend (Raw) | −1.6% |
| 7-Day Trend (PSA 10) | +5.8% |
| 30-Day Trend (Raw) | −7.5% |
| 30-Day Trend (PSA 10) | −2.7% |
| Price Multiplier (PSA10 vs Raw) | 3.31x |
Grading ROI Breakdown
The investment case for grading is compelling. A raw copy at £43.68 can be submitted for PSA grading (assuming a £20 fee) and potentially emerge as a PSA 10 worth £144.50. This transaction yields:
Profit: £80.82 Return on Investment: 126.9%
In other words, you're turning a £63.68 outlay (card + grading fee) into £144.50—a 2.27x multiplier on cash invested. The spread between raw and graded copies sits at £100.82, making this one of the more attractive grading candidates in the current SWSH market.
Why This Card Is Being Watched
Special Rares from Battle Styles remain notoriously difficult to pull, keeping raw supply constrained. Empoleon V benefits from solid collector demand—it's a popular Pokémon with competitive artwork. The key observation: whilst raw prices have drifted down 7.5% over 30 days (reflecting broader market softness), PSA 10 copies gained 5.8% in just the past week. This divergence suggests that high-quality graded copies are decoupling from the raw market, potentially indicating collectors are upgrading or that PSA 10 scarcity is driving independent price pressure.
Investor Takeaway
The data supports a "Worth Grading" rating. Raw Empoleon V copies are trending downward, but the PSA 10 rebound suggests demand for gem-mint copies remains resilient. If you hold a raw copy in near-mint condition, the 126.9% ROI and 3.31x multiplier make grading an attractive play—especially if PSA 10 momentum continues. However, this strategy depends on your card arriving at a 9 or higher; anything below will erode returns significantly.
The decoupling between raw and graded prices is the real story here: the broader SWSH market may be cooling, but pristine Empoleon V copies are holding their own. This is classic chase-card behaviour and worth exploiting if you have the inventory.
Data from TCGInvest's live chase card tracker. Not financial advice. Track more chase cards →
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