Zapdos · XY Evolutions, what to know.
About the Zapdos card
Zapdos is card 42 of 113 in XY Evolutions, released in November 2016, a Rare Holo. It is a Basic Lightning-type with 110 HP.
As a Basic Pokémon, Zapdos needs no prior evolution to put into play, which made it a practical card in the era's decks.
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.
The Pokédex entry printed on Zapdos reads: "One of the legendary bird Pokémon. While it is flying, it makes crackling and snapping sounds."
About Zapdos in the Pokémon world
A Legendary Electric-Flying bird. The Electric of the three Legendary birds. Both Base Set holo Zapdos and Fossil holo Zapdos exist. The Base Set print is more famous and more valuable.
What is Zapdos worth?
Zapdos 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.
Print variants and how to spot them
Confirm the print and finish on Zapdos before pricing it, since variant and rarity set the market more than the card name alone.
Grading and condition
On a holo like Zapdos, surface is the grade cap. The lightning foil shows hairlines under raking light, and the print reveals scratches that flat scans miss. Centering on the left and right borders is the second thing to check.
If you are collecting Zapdos
If you are buying Zapdos, work in order: confirm the print variant first, then the grade, then price against recent sales for that exact variant and grade. Price the Zapdos against the population report, since modern holo supply is large.
