Giovanni's Magikarp

Numbered 73 of 132 in Gym Challenge, released in October 2000, Giovanni's Magikarp is a Common, a Basic Water-type carrying 30 HP.

As a Basic Pokémon, Magikarp needs no prior evolution to put into play, which made it a practical card in the era's decks.

Giovanni is the Ground-type Gym Leader of Viridian City and the secret boss of Team Rocket. Giovanni's Magikarp is part of that themed lineup.

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.

A water-type fish famous for being almost useless until it evolves into Gyarados. Base Set Common. Sentimental and emotionally significant for many collectors.

Based on recent eBay sales, raw copies trade from $4.66 to $16 depending on the print and a PSA 10 runs from $189 to $560. The 1st Edition print is the most valuable, with a PSA 10 near $560. The table on this page breaks the price down by print and grade, updated 2026-05-11.

Gym Challenge shipped in 1st Edition and Unlimited, with no Shadowless print. The trainer-prefix naming runs across the set, and the 1st Edition Giovanni's Magikarp carries the Edition 1 stamp and a premium over Unlimited in matching grade.

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