Best Dark Explorers Cards to Grade
The Dark Explorers cards worth grading, ranked by expected profit per submission — every grade outcome weighted by how often the card actually receives it — after current grading fees. The PSA 10 best case is shown on every row but does not decide the order. Top pick: Gardevoir at an expected +$1,764.
Ranked by expected profit 23
| # | Card | Raw | PSA 9 | PSA 10 | Cost | Best case | Gem rate | Expected | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Expected +$1,764 per submission: 6.4% of 454 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($22,200), and a PSA 9 ($3,324) still clears the $2,241 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $1,000 | $3,324 | $22,200 | $1,241 | +$19,959 | 6.4% | +$1,764 | 454 high |
| 2 | Expected +$824 per submission: 11% of 263 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($6,999), and a PSA 9 ($550) still clears the $834 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $145 | $550 | $6,999 | $689 | +$6,165 | 11% | +$824 | 263 high |
| 3 | Expected +$619 per submission: 0% of 63 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($16,400), and a PSA 9 ($9,200) still clears the $1,445 you have in it. Confidence medium on that sample. | $262 | $9,200 | $16,400 | $1,183 | +$14,955 | 0% | +$619 | 63 medium |
| 4 | Expected +$324 per submission: 0% of 63 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($52,800), and a PSA 9 ($3,600) still clears the $3,891 you have in it. Confidence medium on that sample. | $344 | $3,600 | $52,800 | $3,547 | +$48,909 | 0% | +$324 | 63 medium |
| 5 | Expected +$310 per submission: 1.4% of 69 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($20,000), and a PSA 9 ($1,150) still clears the $1,487 you have in it. Confidence medium on that sample. | $268 | $1,150 | $20,000 | $1,219 | +$18,513 | 1.4% | +$310 | 69 medium |
| 6 | Expected +$228 per submission: 0% of 59 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($40,000), and a PSA 9 ($4,500) still clears the $2,682 you have in it. Confidence medium on that sample. | $263 | $4,500 | $40,000 | $2,419 | +$37,318 | 0% | +$228 | 59 medium |
| 7 | Expected +$201 per submission: 19.3% of 114 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($1,525), and a PSA 9 ($285) still clears the $362 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $128 | $285 | $1,525 | $234 | +$1,162 | 19.3% | +$201 | 114 high |
| 8 | Expected +$53 per submission: 7.3% of 192 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($1,675), and only a PSA 10 covers the $244 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $8 | $61 | $1,675 | $236 | +$1,431 | 7.3% | +$53 | 192 high |
| 9 | Expected +$47 per submission: 7.1% of 98 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($520), and a PSA 9 ($200) still clears the $129 you have in it. Confidence medium on that sample. | $44 | $200 | $520 | $85 | +$390 | 7.1% | +$47 | 98 medium |
| 10 | Expected +$39 per submission: 7% of 114 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($557), and a PSA 9 ($320) still clears the $141 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $55 | $320 | $557 | $86 | +$417 | 7% | +$39 | 114 high |
| 11 | Expected +$7 per submission: 3.1% of 162 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($2,000), and a PSA 9 ($128) still clears the $261 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $22 | $128 | $2,000 | $239 | +$1,739 | 3.1% | +$7 | 162 high |
| 12 | Expected loss −$15 per submission: 3.4% of 29 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($300), and a PSA 9 ($137) still clears the $90 you have in it. Confidence low on that sample. | $7 | $137 | $300 | $83 | +$210 | 3.4% | −$15 | 29 low |
| 13 | Expected loss −$18 per submission: 14.8% of 216 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($264), and only a PSA 10 covers the $89 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence high on that sample. | $6 | $86 | $264 | $83 | +$175 | 14.8% | −$18 | 216 high |
| 14 | Expected loss −$34 per submission: 1.3% of 151 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($183), and a PSA 9 ($180) still clears the $100 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $18 | $180 | $183 | $82 | +$84 | 1.3% | −$34 | 151 high |
| 15 | Expected loss −$40 per submission: 0% of 25 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($5,500), and a PSA 9 ($492) still clears the $739 you have in it. Confidence low on that sample. | $65 | $492 | $5,500 | $674 | +$4,761 | 0% | −$40 | 25 low |
| 16 | Expected loss −$50 per submission: 0% of 23 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($161), and a PSA 9 ($110) still clears the $104 you have in it. Confidence low on that sample. | $22 | $110 | $161 | $82 | +$57 | 0% | −$50 | 23 low |
| 17 | Expected loss −$54 per submission: 13.3% of 15 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($105), and only a PSA 10 covers the $89 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence low on that sample. | $8 | $43 | $105 | $81 | +$15 | 13.3% | −$54 | 15 low |
| 18 | Expected loss −$55 per submission: 19.5% of 41 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($112), and only a PSA 10 covers the $90 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence medium on that sample. | $9 | $22 | $112 | $81 | +$21 | 19.5% | −$55 | 41 medium |
| 19 | Expected loss −$56 per submission: 0% of 102 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($350), and a PSA 9 ($160) still clears the $107 you have in it. Confidence high on that sample. | $24 | $160 | $350 | $83 | +$243 | 0% | −$56 | 102 high |
| 20 | Expected loss −$58 per submission: 5% of 20 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($196), and only a PSA 10 covers the $95 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence low on that sample. | $13 | $75 | $196 | $82 | +$100 | 5% | −$58 | 20 low |
| 21 | Expected loss −$64 per submission: 9.1% of 11 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($89), and only a PSA 10 covers the $86 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence low on that sample. | $5 | $36 | $89 | $81 | +$3 | 9.1% | −$64 | 11 low |
| 22 | Expected loss −$68 per submission: 0% of 22 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($101), and only a PSA 10 covers the $92 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence low on that sample. | $11 | $42 | $101 | $81 | +$9 | 0% | −$68 | 22 low |
| 23 | Expected loss −$69 per submission: 2.7% of 37 graded copies came back PSA 10 ($181), and only a PSA 10 covers the $91 you have in it — a 9 loses money. Confidence medium on that sample. | $9 | $20 | $181 | $82 | +$91 | 2.7% | −$69 | 37 medium |
Expected = every grade outcome weighted by its share of the card's graded population, minus the raw price and the grading cost (PSA tier fee for the graded value plus ~$20 round-trip shipping, fees as of 2026-09-26). Best case is the PSA 10 leg alone. Gem rates come from a self-selected population — collectors grade their cleanest copies — so read them as an upper bound. Raw is a blended market price, not a sale of your copy. Full method and filters on the grading index.
How to read the Dark Explorers ranking
Every Dark Explorers card listed here clears one bar: its PSA 10 price beats its raw price by more than the cost of grading it. 23 cards from the set pass. 23 of them (100%) have a gem-rate sample of at least ten graded copies in the population reports, and 11 of those keep a positive expected value once every grade outcome is weighted by how often the card actually receives it.
The order is expected profit, not the PSA 10 best case, which rewards the widest raw-to-gem gap whether the card gems one time in two or one in fifty. Here the top row, the Gardevoir from Dark Explorers, gems 6.4% of the time across 454 graded copies: +$1,764 is what a long run of submissions would average, $19,959 is what one lucky copy returns.
The median gem rate across the sampled Dark Explorers cards is 3.4%. Roughly one submitted copy in 29 came back PSA 10, and most rows here still cover raw price plus fee at PSA 9, so the PSA 9 price does most of the work. Of the 23 ranked cards, 15 still cover raw price plus fee at PSA 9, 8 need a 10 to break even and 12 lose money on expectation. 9 rest on a hundred or more graded copies.
Before you submit a Dark Explorers card
Grading pays on condition. The four things every grader scores — centering, corners, edges and surface — can be checked at home before paying a fee, and a copy that is visibly off-centre or has a whitened corner will not gem whatever the population says. Those gem rates come from a self-selected population of clean copies, so a random copy does worse.
The cost column assumes a PSA submission at the tier covering the card's PSA 10 value, fees as of 2026-09-26, and raw is CardTrack's blended near-mint price, not a sale of your copy: pay more, or hold a lighter copy, and the break-even moves against you. Test a card with your own numbers in the ROI calculator, see the printings that fail the bar on the Dark Explorers card list, or see how gem-mint premiums run across the whole catalogue on the PSA premium index.