Dark Wartortle

Dark Wartortle is card 46 of 83 in Team Rocket, released in April 2000, an Uncommon. It is a Stage 1 Water-type with 60 HP.

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

Team Rocket darkened Wartortle 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 Pokédex entry printed on Dark Wartortle reads: "A Pokémon with a negative attitude, it hides in its shell whenever it's in a bad mood—which is often."

The Squirtle middle stage. Longer ears, tail-feathers, and a more aggressive posture than Squirtle. Almost exclusively bought as part of a complete water starter line. Standalone demand is modest.

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