Nidoking

Numbered 45 of 113 in XY Evolutions, released in November 2016, Nidoking is a Rare Holo, a Stage 2 Psychic-type carrying 150 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 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.

Printed on the card, the Nidoking Pokédex entry reads: "It is recognized by its rock-hard hide and its extended horn. Be careful with the horn as it contains venom."

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 XY Evolutions'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, XY Evolutions 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 psychic 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.

For Nidoking, variant comes before condition. Confirm the exact rarity tier on the Nidoking, since the spread between tiers is wide. Demand a clear photo of the Nidoking holo for any raw purchase.