Dark Blastoise · Team Rocket, what to know.
About the Dark Blastoise card
Numbered 3 of 83 in Team Rocket, released in April 2000, Dark Blastoise is a Rare Holo, a Stage 2 Water-type carrying 70 HP.
It evolves from Dark Wartortle, so Dark Blastoise is a later-stage card that set-builders usually slot into a full evolution run rather than buy alone.
Team Rocket darkened Blastoise under its control for the set's villain arc, a grittier repaint of the familiar Pokémon with an altered attack profile.
Illustrated by Mitsuhiro Arita. Arita painted the Base Set Charizard and much of the early holo run, and his work has a painterly weight that set the visual tone of the Wizards era.
Dark Blastoise carries this Pokédex flavor text: "An aggressive Pokémon that tackles anything it sees."
About Blastoise in the Pokémon world
The fully evolved water starter. A heavy turtle with water cannons mounted on its shell. A defensive powerhouse in the games and a frequent tournament pick. The water Charizard equivalent. There is also a famous 1999 Galaxy Star Holo Blastoise presentation prototype which is a separate artifact from the standard print and trades for high six figures.
What is Dark Blastoise worth?
Dark Blastoise is a holo rare, one of the cards that holds Team Rocket's value. The print variant decides most of it: a 1st Edition copy in high grade commands a large premium over a Shadowless or Unlimited one. In top-grade 1st Edition, Team Rocket holos range from the mid hundreds for the lesser cards up to Dark Charizard at the top; raw and Unlimited copies trade for a fraction of that. The live market price above shows the current figure by grade.
Print variants and how to spot them
Team Rocket shipped in 1st Edition and Unlimited, with no Shadowless print. The 1st Edition Dark Blastoise carries the Edition 1 stamp under the artwork and trades above the Unlimited copy in matching grade. The set is also home to Dark Raichu, the first Secret Rare ever printed.
Grading and condition
On a holo like Dark Blastoise, surface is the grade cap. The water foil shows hairlines under raking light, and the print reveals scratches that flat scans miss. Centering on the left and right borders is the second thing to check.
If you are collecting Dark Blastoise
When you go to buy Dark Blastoise, settle three things in order: the print variant, the condition, and a comp for that exact combination. A blended average across variants will mislead you on Dark Blastoise, so price the specific copy in front of you.
Three prints, three markets.
Edition 1 stamp under the artwork. Trades above Unlimited in matching grade.
No stamp. The standard, more affordable print.
