Dark Raticate

Numbered 51 of 83 in Team Rocket, released in April 2000, Dark Raticate is a Common, a Stage 1 Colorless-type carrying 50 HP.

It evolves from Rattata, so Dark Raticate is a later-stage card that set-builders usually slot into a full evolution run rather than buy alone.

Team Rocket darkened Raticate under its control for the set's villain arc, a grittier repaint of the familiar Pokémon with an altered attack profile.

Illustrated by Shin-ichi Yoshida.

Printed on the card, the Raticate Pokédex entry reads: "A Raticate's front teeth are incredibly powerful; it can destroy a two-story house with them in 5 minutes."

The fully evolved Rattata. Larger, more aggressive, with a famous unverified internet rumor about its anime fate. Base Set Raticate has steady raw demand. Holo Raticate does not exist in Wizards-era prints.

Dark Raticate is a Common, so raw copies trade for very little and most of the print run survives. The only real value is in pristine, high-grade copies, where even a Common can reach low triple digits in 1st Edition PSA 10. See the live price above for the current figure by grade.

Team Rocket shipped in 1st Edition and Unlimited, with no Shadowless print. The 1st Edition Dark Raticate 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 Raticate is the most forgiving tier to grade in the set. Centering on the framed border is the usual cap, and the soft Wizards-era cardstock picks up edge whitening easily, but high print runs keep clean copies affordable.

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