Pokémon · Base

Blastoise

Base

Base Set · #2 · Rare Holo · 1999

Counterfeit risk: High

High-value Base Set holo; commonly faked alongside Charizard and Venusaur.

Listings

No active listings

From

—

Market reference

$231.65

TCGPlayer

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Current listings on The Game Traders

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Card facts

Quick reference for collectors and graders.

Set position: 2 / 102
Release year: 1999
Rarity: Rare Holo
HP: 100
Subtype: Stage 2
Evolves from: Wartortle
Retreat cost: 3 energy
Illustrator: Ken Sugimori
Pokédex #: 9
Series: Base

Card analysis

Computed from this card's stats and text — not a reposted price.

Primary role: Ability Engine
Damage efficiency: 40 damage; 13.33 per Energy
Prize liability: 1 Prize given up; Single-prize attacker — favourable prize trades
Setup: Stage 2; Needs its evolution line or Rare Candy to set up

Also does

AttackerEnergy Acceleration

Strategy & play

How Blastoise plays — derived from its stats and the rules of the game, not an opinion.

Not a main attacker — its job is Ability-based draw/search. Run it as a consistency hub and protect it, because opponents will target the engine.
Needs Water Energy to attack — your line must supply that color.
Water type, weak to Lightning ×2 — a Lightning attacker doing ≥50 effectively one-shots it.
A single-prize attacker — prize-trade-positive against ex / V decks that give up two at a time.
Retreat cost 3 — gets stranded Active if gusted; run Switch / Escape Rope or a Float Stone-style Tool.
A Stage 2 — without Rare Candy you lose ~2 turns setting it up, and it’s gust-bait before it’s online (you must draw Wartortle first).

How to beat Blastoise

Exploit its Lightning weakness — ≥50 damage one-shots it.
KO it to choke their draw / search engine.
Gust it before the evolution is set up.
Trap it Active — 3 retreat means it can’t escape without help.

Budget alternatives

Cheaper cards that fill a similar role in Standard decks. Reference prices — most-played option first.

Dudunsparce

$0.86 · in 19% of decks

Mega Kangaskhan ex

$0.89 · in 13% of decks

Teal Mask Ogerpon ex

$2.88 · in 9% of decks

Fan Rotom

$0.16 · in 7% of decks

More by Ken Sugimori

This card was illustrated by Ken Sugimori.

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Building around Blastoise?

Drop it into the deck builder for a live consistency score, synergy suggestions, and Standard legality checks.

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About this card

HP: 100Type:WWaterSubtype: Stage 2Evolves from: Wartortle

"A brutal Pokémon with pressurized water jets on its shell. They are used for high-speed tackles."

Pokémon Power: Rain Dance

As often as you like during your turn (before your attack), you may attach 1 Water Energy card to 1 of your Water Pokémon. (This doesn't use up your 1 Energy card attachment for the turn.) This power can't be used if Blastoise is Asleep, Confused, or Paralyzed.

WWWHydro Pump — 40+

Does 40 damage plus 10 more damage for each Water Energy attached to Blastoise but not used to pay for this attack's Energy cost. Extra Water Energy after the 2nd doesn't count.

Weakness:L×2

Retreat cost:CCC

Tournament legality

Current legal status across competitive formats.

unlimitedLegal

Pricing reference

Latest snapshot from the upstream catalog. Actual marketplace prices fluctuate by condition, edition, and grade — use this as a reference, not a quote.

TCGPlayer (USD)

Updated 2026/07/07

Variant	Low	Mid	High	Market	Direct Low
Holofoil	$159.74	$220.00	$9,999.00	$231.65	$230.69

Cardmarket (EUR)

Updated 2026/07/01

Variant	Price
1-day average	€169.99
7-day average	€111.33
30-day average	€140.55
Low	€27.50
Trend price	€126.21
Low (excellent+)	€99.99
reverseHoloAvg1	€100.00
Reverse holo 7-day	€50.43
averageSellPrice	€143.10
Reverse holo 30-day	€64.46
Reverse holo trend	€73.51

Frequently asked

How can I tell if my Blastoise is real?

Blastoise is classified as high counterfeit risk: High-value Base Set holo; commonly faked alongside Charizard and Venusaur. Check the back-light test (real cards have a black inner layer that blocks light; counterfeits glow through), the rosette dot pattern on the back under magnification, font weight and kerning on the card name, and the holofoil pattern if applicable. For high-value copies we recommend submitting to a professional grader (PSA, BGS, CGC) for tamper-evident authentication.

What is Blastoise worth?

As of the latest data, the current market reference price for Blastoise is $231.65; there are no active listings on The Game Traders right now. Actual value depends on condition, grading, edition and printing variant — graded high-condition copies (PSA 9–10) trade at a substantial premium over raw copies.

What set is Blastoise from?

Blastoise is from the Pokémon set "Base Set" in the Base series, released in 1999.

What rarity is Blastoise?

Blastoise is a Rare Holo card in the Base Set set.