Dark Kadabra

Dark Kadabra is card 39 of 83 in Team Rocket, released in April 2000, an Uncommon. It is a Stage 1 Psychic-type with 50 HP.

As a Stage 1, it evolves from Abra, which places Dark Kadabra deeper in its line and means most collectors hold it alongside the cards it evolves from.

Team Rocket darkened Kadabra 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.

The card's flavor text gives Kadabra a line of lore: "Some people say that Kadabras are responsible for many of the mysterious events reported in the news."

The middle Abra stage. Notably absent from the TCG for decades due to a real-world legal dispute. Returned in 2023. Kadabra appears in Base Set then disappeared from the TCG until late 2023. The Base Set print is the only Wizards-era Kadabra and has unique cross-era collector interest because of the absence.

Dark Kadabra is an Uncommon, so raw copies are inexpensive and easy to find. The value is in condition: a genuine PSA 10, especially 1st Edition, can still reach a surprising figure for an otherwise common card. The live price above breaks it down by grade.

Team Rocket shipped in 1st Edition and Unlimited, with no Shadowless print. The 1st Edition Dark Kadabra 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.

Dark Kadabra grades forgivingly, but the same centering and edge standards apply. Pack-fresh raw copies are easy to find, which makes a clean PSA 10 submission a low-cost way to learn how the cardstock behaves under grading.

Raw copies of Dark Kadabra are inexpensive enough that grading rarely pays unless you have a clearly pack-fresh example. For set completion, a clean sleeved Dark Kadabra is the practical move.