Dark Charizard · Team Rocket, what to know.
About the Dark Charizard card
Numbered 21 of 83 in Team Rocket, released in April 2000, Dark Charizard is a Rare, a Stage 2 Fire-type carrying 80 HP.
It evolves from Dark Charmeleon, so Dark Charizard is a later-stage card that set-builders usually slot into a full evolution run rather than buy alone.
Team Rocket darkened Charizard under its control for the set's villain arc, a grittier repaint of the familiar Pokémon with an altered attack profile.
Illustrated by Ken Sugimori. Sugimori is the lead character designer of Pokémon itself, so his card art carries the tight, on-model look that defined how the creatures appear in the games.
Printed on the card, the Charizard Pokédex entry reads: "Seemingly possessed, it spews fire like a volcano, trying to burn all it sees."
About Charizard in the Pokémon world
The fire-flying final form of the Charmander line, and the unofficial mascot of the franchise outside of Pikachu. Massive dragon-shaped silhouette, wings, tail-flame. The single most-recognized trading card of the modern era. Its Base Set holo print drove the entire vintage Pokémon market and continues to set the comp price for every other Wizards-era holo.
What is Dark Charizard worth?
Based on recent eBay sales, raw copies trade from $74 to $176 depending on the print and a PSA 10 runs from $1,610 to $3,400. The 1st Edition print is the most valuable, with a PSA 10 near $3,400. The table on this page breaks the price down by print and grade, updated 2026-05-19.
Print variants and how to spot them
Team Rocket shipped in 1st Edition and Unlimited, with no Shadowless print. The 1st Edition Dark Charizard 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
Non-holo Rares like Dark Charizard are easier on surface but no kinder on centering. Wizards-era cards were less protected than the holos, so high-grade Dark Charizard survivors can be scarcer than expected, with edge whitening the usual cap.
If you are collecting Dark Charizard
For Dark Charizard, check centering by eye, edge whitening on all four sides, and surface under angled light. Non-holo Rares from this era are cheap enough that a PSA 10 submission on a clean Dark Charizard can make sense.
Three prints, three markets.
Edition 1 stamp under the artwork. Trades above Unlimited in matching grade.
No stamp. The standard, more affordable print.
