Nidoking

Numbered 174 of 207 in Scarlet & Violet 151, released in September 2023, Nidoking is an Illustration Rare, a Stage 2 Darkness-type carrying 170 HP.

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

Illustrated by Misaki Hashimoto.

Nidoking carries this Pokédex flavor text: "Nidoking prides itself on its strength. It's forceful and spirited in battle, making use of its thick tail and diamond-crushing horn."

The Ground-Poison final form of the Nidoran♂ line. Tall bipedal silhouette with a long horn. Considered one of the strongest Ground types in Gen 1. Base Set holo Nidoking is a steady five-figure card in PSA 10 1st Edition. Quieter than the marquee starters but consistently in demand.

Nidoking is a holo rare, one of the cards that holds Scarlet & Violet 151's value. The rarity tier decides most of it, since the same card prints at several tiers with very different prices. In top-grade 1st Edition, Scarlet & Violet 151 holos range from the mid hundreds for the lesser cards up to the set's marquee chase; raw and Unlimited copies trade for a fraction of that. The live market price above shows the current figure by grade.

Confirm the print and finish on Nidoking before pricing it, since variant and rarity set the market more than the card name alone.

Nidoking lives and dies on its holo surface in grading. The darkness foil catches light at angles that hide hairlines in a flat photo, so tilt it under a lamp, then measure the borders, where modern centering is the second-most-common grade cap.

When you go to buy Nidoking, settle three things in order: the print variant, the condition, and a comp for that exact combination. A blended average across variants will mislead you on Nidoking, so price the specific copy in front of you.