Dark Hypno · Team Rocket, what to know.
About the Dark Hypno card
Numbered 9 of 83 in Team Rocket, released in April 2000, Dark Hypno is a Rare Holo, a Stage 1 Psychic-type carrying 60 HP.
It evolves from Drowzee, so Dark Hypno is a later-stage card that set-builders usually slot into a full evolution run rather than buy alone.
Team Rocket darkened Hypno under its control for the set's villain arc, a grittier repaint of the familiar Pokémon with an altered attack profile.
Illustrated by Kagemaru Himeno. Himeno is one of the most-recognized vintage illustrators, with a softer, more textured style that shows up across the Jungle and Neo runs.
Printed on the card, the Hypno Pokédex entry reads: "Carries a pendulum with it always. Sometimes appears near less-traveled roads and schools at dusk."
About Hypno in the Pokémon world
The fully evolved Drowzee. Holds a pendulum. Unsettling design. Fossil holo Hypno is a sleeper. Its art is one of the more striking in the set.
What is Dark Hypno worth?
Dark Hypno 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 Hypno 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
Dark Hypno lives and dies on its holo surface in grading. The psychic foil catches light at angles that hide hairlines in a flat photo, so tilt it under a lamp, then measure the borders, where Wizards-era centering is the second-most-common grade cap.
If you are collecting Dark Hypno
For Dark Hypno, variant comes before condition. A 1st Edition and an Unlimited Dark Hypno are different markets for the same art, so settle the print before you negotiate. Demand a clear photo of the Dark Hypno holo for any raw purchase.
Three prints, three markets.
Edition 1 stamp under the artwork. Trades above Unlimited in matching grade.
No stamp. The standard, more affordable print.
