Misty's Staryu · Gym Heroes, what to know.
About the Misty's Staryu card
Misty's Staryu is card 90 of 132 in Gym Heroes, released in August 2000, a Common. It is a Basic Water-type with 50 HP.
As a Basic Pokémon, Staryu needs no prior evolution to put into play, which made it a practical card in the era's decks.
Misty is the Water-type Gym Leader of Cerulean City and one of Ash's earliest traveling companions. Misty's Staryu 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.
About Staryu in the Pokémon world
A star-shaped water Pokémon. Misty's second signature. Fossil Common. Easy and cheap.
What is Misty's Staryu worth?
Misty's Staryu 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.
Print variants and how to spot them
Gym Heroes shipped in 1st Edition and Unlimited, with no Shadowless print. The trainer-prefix naming runs across the set, and the 1st Edition Misty's Staryu carries the Edition 1 stamp and a premium over Unlimited in matching grade.
Grading and condition
Misty's Staryu 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.
If you are collecting Misty's Staryu
Raw copies of Misty's Staryu are inexpensive enough that grading rarely pays unless you have a clearly pack-fresh example. For set completion, a clean sleeved Misty's Staryu is the practical move.
Three prints, three markets.
Edition 1 stamp under the artwork. Trades above Unlimited in matching grade.
No stamp. The standard, more affordable print.
