TCG GRAIL
Pokémon
Pokémon ✓
·
English
English ✓
PricesCard pricesPrice trendsToday's movers
SetsAll setsRarityPrint variantRegulation mark
PokémonPokédex numberEvolution stageEnergy typeArtists
GuidesCard formatsDeck buildingRarity explainedCard symbolsFakes
AboutAbout usData SourcesEditorial PolicyContact
🃏 Pokémon🌐 English

Base Pokémon cards — how many are there and what are they worth?

There are 102 Base cards on file, 96 of them with a price, and the typical one costs $39.62.

Set · 102 cards · 96 with a price · $3.42 to $918.75 · read August 14, 2026

How much is a Base Pokémon card worth?

The typical Base card costs $39.62. Across the 96 of them that carry a price, the cheapest is $3.42 and the dearest is $918.75 — Venusaur 15, at $918.75. That spread is why the group price is a starting point and not a valuation of any one card.

Card facts are read from openly published card files; prices are read once a day from public marketplace listings into this site's own archive. Figures on this page were read on August 14, 2026.

All setsRarityPrint variantPokédex numberRegulation markEnergy typeArtistEvolution stageCard mechanicAttack costAttack damageRetreat cost

Base 102 cardsSet

Base price summary

96 with a price · $3.42 to $918.75 · No. 7 of 145 sets by typical price · +48.1% in 11 months · 61 HP on average · weak to Psychic

Typical price, last 11 months$39.62+48.1% from $26.76
Card price ladder$918.75$37.16 to $918.75
Place among setsNo. 7CheapestMiddleDearestTypical price $39.62 · No. 7 of 145
138 sets cost less than this one
Cards on file10296 carry a priceMost expensive card$918.75Venusaur 15Cheapest on record$3.42across all 96 priced cardsPrice rose+48.1%over the last 11 monthsPlace by priceNo. 7of 145 sets

What stands out about Base cards

  • Scale 102 cards carry this set — 0.5% of the 20,444 English cards on file.
  • Price Half of the priced cards cost under $39.62, but the dearest reaches $918.75 — a gap of 23×.
  • Place By typical price this is No. 7 of 145 sets; 138 of them cost less.
  • Record 96 of the 102 cards have a price on file. The rest are counted but left out of every price figure rather than guessed at.

How 20,444 English cards narrow down to these 102

Full bar = that step's denominator · filled = what carries over
  • English cards on file 20,44420,033 cardsonly cards that record a set remain · 98.0% of 20,444
  • Cards with a set 20,033102 cardsonly Base remain · 0.5% of 20,033
  • The 102 cards on this page102 cards0.5% of every English card on file

The middle step counts every card that records a set, including sets too small to have a page of their own. That is why its figure is larger than the totals on the set list, which only counts the groups it can open.

Base Pokémon cards at a glance

  • What this group is. 102 cards share the set base1. A set is the expansion a card was printed in, and every card in the card files this site reads names exactly one. Sorting by set puts each release back together the way it was sold, so a card can be read next to the cards it shared a pack with.
  • What they cost. The typical card is $39.62. Across the 96 priced cards the range runs $3.42 to $918.75.
  • Where it stands. No. 7 of 145 sets by typical price, with 138 of them cheaper.
  • What the cards are like. They average 61 HP and 34 maximum damage, and are most often weak to Psychic.
  • What is listed below. The 50 most expensive of the 96 cards that carry a price, each with its own price page. Cards without a price are counted in the total but are not listed.
  • When it was read. Every figure on this page comes from the archive as it stood on August 14, 2026.
Source: Counted from 102 cards on file, 96 of them with a price

Every Base card with a price on file

The 50 dearest Base cards, each one opening its own price page.
1Venusaur 15 — BaseMarket $918.75Venusaur [15]2Blastoise 2 — BaseMarket $820.00Blastoise [2]3Gyarados 6 — BaseMarket $600.00Gyarados [6]4Zapdos 16 — BaseMarket $600.00Zapdos [16]5Nidoking 11 — BaseMarket $319.99Nidoking [11]6Clefairy 5 — BaseMarket $316.97Clefairy [5]7Mewtwo 10 — BaseMarket $299.77Mewtwo [10]8Hitmonchan 7 — BaseMarket $292.50Hitmonchan [7]9Alakazam 1 — BaseMarket $290.32Alakazam [1]10Magikarp 35 — BaseMarket $186.46Magikarp [35]11Dragonair 18 — BaseMarket $181.00Dragonair [18]12Poliwrath 13 — BaseMarket $159.97Poliwrath [13]13Beedrill 17 — BaseMarket $153.17Beedrill [17]14Item Finder 74 — BaseMarket $144.99Item Finder [74]15Charmeleon 24 — BaseMarket $130.95Charmeleon [24]16Electabuzz 20 — BaseMarket $127.02Electabuzz [20]17Computer Search 71 — BaseMarket $119.99Computer Search [71]18Ninetales 12 — BaseMarket $115.59Ninetales [12]19Raichu 14 — BaseMarket $115.27Raichu [14]20Wartortle 42 — BaseMarket $110.12Wartortle [42]21Super Energy Removal 79 — BaseMarket $109.32Super Energy Removal [79]22Chansey 3 — BaseMarket $95.69Chansey [3]23Pidgeotto 22 — BaseMarket $90.90Pidgeotto [22]24Lass 75 — BaseMarket $90.48Lass [75]25Arcanine 23 — BaseMarket $88.58Arcanine [23]26Ivysaur 30 — BaseMarket $87.03Ivysaur [30]27Machamp 8 — BaseMarket $83.84Machamp [8]28Impostor Professor Oak 73 — BaseMarket $79.25Impostor Professor Oak [73]29Kadabra 32 — BaseMarket $75.89Kadabra [32]30Electrode 21 — BaseMarket $73.46Electrode [21]31Magneton 9 — BaseMarket $72.76Magneton [9]32Clefairy Doll 70 — BaseMarket $71.91Clefairy Doll [70]33Scoop Up 78 — BaseMarket $68.66Scoop Up [78]34Growlithe 28 — BaseMarket $66.15Growlithe [28]35Dratini 26 — BaseMarket $64.19Dratini [26]36Professor Oak 88 — BaseMarket $63.60Professor Oak [88]37Devolution Spray 72 — BaseMarket $63.35Devolution Spray [72]38Haunter 29 — BaseMarket $62.36Haunter [29]39Caterpie 45 — BaseMarket $60.37Caterpie [45]40Pokémon Breeder 76 — BaseMarket $59.27Pokémon Breeder [76]41Machoke 34 — BaseMarket $55.40Machoke [34]42Pokémon Trader 77 — BaseMarket $54.63Pokémon Trader [77]43Weedle 69 — BaseMarket $49.20Weedle [69]44Gastly 50 — BaseMarket $47.89Gastly [50]45Double Colorless Energy 96 — BaseMarket $44.97Double Colorless Energy [96]46Abra 43 — BaseMarket $43.90Abra [43]47Jynx 31 — BaseMarket $40.99Jynx [31]48Farfetch'd 27 — BaseMarket $40.77Farfetch'd [27]49Energy Retrieval 81 — BaseMarket $38.46Energy Retrieval [81]50Vulpix 68 — BaseMarket $37.16Vulpix [68]

The 50 most expensive Base cards on file, dearest first. The badge on each card is its market price.

6 of the 102 cards on file carry no published price, so they are counted in every total on this page but are not drawn here rather than shown with a guessed figure.

The grid above runs dearest first. This list runs in printing order — by card number inside the set — so a card can be found the way it sits in a binder rather than by what it costs.

Each row opens that card's own price page.

The same 50 cards in printing orderCard number · name · rarity · market price
Alakazam 1 — Base price page1Alakazam#1 · Rare Holo$290.32PsychicBlastoise 2 — Base price page2Blastoise#2 · Rare Holo$820.00WaterChansey 3 — Base price page3Chansey#3 · Rare Holo$95.69ColorlessClefairy 5 — Base price page4Clefairy#5 · Rare Holo$316.97ColorlessGyarados 6 — Base price page5Gyarados#6 · Rare Holo$600.00WaterHitmonchan 7 — Base price page6Hitmonchan#7 · Rare Holo$292.50FightingMachamp 8 — Base price page7Machamp#8 · Rare Holo$83.84FightingMagneton 9 — Base price page8Magneton#9 · Rare Holo$72.76LightningMewtwo 10 — Base price page9Mewtwo#10 · Rare Holo$299.77PsychicNidoking 11 — Base price page10Nidoking#11 · Rare Holo$319.99Grass
Show the rest of the list40 more cards in printing order+40
Ninetales 12 — Base price page11Ninetales#12 · Rare Holo$115.59FirePoliwrath 13 — Base price page12Poliwrath#13 · Rare Holo$159.97WaterRaichu 14 — Base price page13Raichu#14 · Rare Holo$115.27LightningVenusaur 15 — Base price page14Venusaur#15 · Rare Holo$918.75GrassZapdos 16 — Base price page15Zapdos#16 · Rare Holo$600.00LightningBeedrill 17 — Base price page16Beedrill#17 · Rare$153.17GrassDragonair 18 — Base price page17Dragonair#18 · Rare$181.00ColorlessElectabuzz 20 — Base price page18Electabuzz#20 · Rare$127.02LightningElectrode 21 — Base price page19Electrode#21 · Rare$73.46LightningPidgeotto 22 — Base price page20Pidgeotto#22 · Rare$90.90ColorlessArcanine 23 — Base price page21Arcanine#23 · Uncommon$88.58FireCharmeleon 24 — Base price page22Charmeleon#24 · Uncommon$130.95FireDratini 26 — Base price page23Dratini#26 · Uncommon$64.19ColorlessFarfetch'd 27 — Base price page24Farfetch'd#27 · Uncommon$40.77ColorlessGrowlithe 28 — Base price page25Growlithe#28 · Uncommon$66.15FireHaunter 29 — Base price page26Haunter#29 · Uncommon$62.36PsychicIvysaur 30 — Base price page27Ivysaur#30 · Uncommon$87.03GrassJynx 31 — Base price page28Jynx#31 · Uncommon$40.99PsychicKadabra 32 — Base price page29Kadabra#32 · Uncommon$75.89PsychicMachoke 34 — Base price page30Machoke#34 · Uncommon$55.40FightingMagikarp 35 — Base price page31Magikarp#35 · Uncommon$186.46WaterWartortle 42 — Base price page32Wartortle#42 · Uncommon$110.12WaterAbra 43 — Base price page33Abra#43 · Common$43.90PsychicCaterpie 45 — Base price page34Caterpie#45 · Common$60.37GrassGastly 50 — Base price page35Gastly#50 · Common$47.89PsychicVulpix 68 — Base price page36Vulpix#68 · Common$37.16FireWeedle 69 — Base price page37Weedle#69 · Common$49.20GrassClefairy Doll 70 — Base price page38Clefairy Doll#70 · Rare$71.91Computer Search 71 — Base price page39Computer Search#71 · Rare$119.99Devolution Spray 72 — Base price page40Devolution Spray#72 · Rare$63.35Impostor Professor Oak 73 — Base price page41Impostor Professor Oak#73 · Rare$79.25Item Finder 74 — Base price page42Item Finder#74 · Rare$144.99Lass 75 — Base price page43Lass#75 · Rare$90.48Pokémon Breeder 76 — Base price page44Pokémon Breeder#76 · Rare$59.27Pokémon Trader 77 — Base price page45Pokémon Trader#77 · Rare$54.63Scoop Up 78 — Base price page46Scoop Up#78 · Rare$68.66Super Energy Removal 79 — Base price page47Super Energy Removal#79 · Rare$109.32Energy Retrieval 81 — Base price page48Energy Retrieval#81 · Uncommon$38.46Professor Oak 88 — Base price page49Professor Oak#88 · Uncommon$63.60Double Colorless Energy 96 — Base price page50Double Colorless Energy#96 · Uncommon$44.97
Back to summary

Are Base Pokémon cards going up in value?

This is the middle price of the whole set on each reading day, so it answers the question for Base as a set rather than for one card.

What one Base card cost over the readings on file

Middle price of one card · 13 readings · latest $39.62
Sep 12, 2025Middle price of one card$26.76Aug 14, 2026Middle price of one card$39.62From start+48.1%From previous+0.8%
Hover a band to read that readingTap a band to read that reading
Every point is a reading taken on that date, joined without smoothing. Cards that carry no price are left out of every point rather than counted as zero.
Back to summary

How Base Pokémon card prices are spread

One number cannot describe a set whose cards run from pocket change to several hundred dollars. These points and the two ends below show the shape of it.

An average hides the shape of a set. These points say where the money actually sits among Base cards.

A typical Base card$39.62medianThat is 4.3% of the dearest single card at $918.75. "Base cards are expensive" is a story about one card.
The cheapest Base card$3.42Base #49That is 8.6% of the typical price, so this set has cards you can buy for pocket change.
One in four costs less than this$23.95lower quarterA quarter of the priced cards sit under $23.95.
One in ten costs more than this$183.73upper tenthThat is 4.6× the typical price. This bar is the longest one here, and the tiles above are measured against it.

The two ends of that spread are both Base cards. Put side by side, they show what you are actually paying for.

Dearest on fileVenusaurBase #15One card carries the reputation of the whole set at $918.75.
269 times apartBoth were opened out of the same packs.
A quarter of the set costs under $23.95.
96 of the 102 cards carry a price at all.
Cheapest on fileDrowzeeBase #49The same set, in print, for $3.42.
Back to summary

What Base Pokémon cards are made of, and which of them hold the value

Base prints 4 rarities across its 102 cards, and the biggest of them is Common with 32 cards.
4rarities printed
Common32 · 31.4%Uncommon32 · 31.4%Rare16 · 15.7%Rare Holo16 · 15.7%The rest6 · 5.9%

The rarities printed in Base, counted across all 102 cards on file.

Every rarity in Base, most printed first
Common31.4%$26.94 typical32 cards
Uncommon31.4%$33.75 typical32 cards
Rare15.7%$90.48 typical16 cards
Rare Holo15.7%$292.50 typical16 cards

Each bar is measured against the biggest rarity, Common with 32 cards, so the bars compare the rarities with one another. The percentage on each row is that rarity's share of all 102 cards.

The price on each row is the middle price inside that rarity, not the price of any single card.

Every rarity in Base, most printed first
GroupShareValue
Common31.4%32 cards
Uncommon31.4%32 cards
Rare15.7%16 cards
Rare Holo15.7%16 cards
7energy types
Grass13 · 12.7%Water12 · 11.8%Colorless11 · 10.8%Fire9 · 8.8%Fighting8 · 7.8%Lightning8 · 7.8%The rest41 · 40.2%

The energy types printed in Base. 69 of the 102 cards carry a type; the rest are cards with no energy type printed on them.

Every energy type in Base, most printed first
Grass12.7%$42.04 typical13 cards
Water11.8%$35.96 typical12 cards
Colorless10.8%$40.77 typical11 cards
Fire8.8%$66.15 typical9 cards
Fighting7.8%$35.16 typical8 cards
Lightning7.8%$73.46 typical8 cards
Psychic7.8%$55.13 typical8 cards

Bars are measured against the most printed type. Adding the rows gives 69 cards; the other 33 carry no energy type, which is why the rows do not add up to 102.

A wide spread of types means a set can supply the start of almost any deck. A set that leans on two or three types only helps those decks.

Every energy type in Base, most printed first
GroupShareValue
Grass12.7%13 cards
Water11.8%12 cards
Colorless10.8%11 cards
Fire8.8%9 cards
Fighting7.8%8 cards
Lightning7.8%8 cards
Psychic7.8%8 cards
27rule box cards
Rule box cards27 · 26.5%The rest75 · 73.5%
Rule box
27cards
26.5% · gives up an extra prize
The rest
75cards
73.5% · one prize when knocked out
Basic Pokémon
45cards
playable straight from hand
Highest HP
120
the real reason to run one

A rule box card carries a printed rule that hands the opponent an extra prize card when it is knocked out. 27 of the 102 cards in Base carry one.

The count is read from the printed rule on the card face, so it covers ex, V, GX and every other rule box wording without needing a list of names.

Holo, reverse holo or plain — how Base cards were printed
1st Edition79.4%$31.30 typical81 cards
1st Edition Holofoil14.7%$292.50 typical15 cards

The printing finish of each card, with the middle price inside each finish beside it.

Holo, reverse holo or plain — how Base cards were printed
GroupShareValue
1st Edition79.4%81 cards
1st Edition Holofoil14.7%15 cards
How far up the evolution line Base cards sit
Basic44.1%$29.01 typical45 cards
Stage 121.6%$73.46 typical22 cards
Stage 27.8%$290.32 typical8 cards

Basic cards can be played straight from hand; Stage 1 and Stage 2 need the card below them on the board first.

How far up the evolution line Base cards sit
GroupShareValue
Basic44.1%45 cards
Stage 121.6%22 cards
Stage 27.8%8 cards
An evolution line printed inside Base3 steps · every one of them in this set
AbraBasic · Base #43 · $43.90
KadabraStage 1 · Base #32 · $75.89
AlakazamStage 2 · Base #1 · $290.32
Abra → Kadabra → Alakazam
  • Every card in this line was printed in Base itself, so the whole line can be put together out of the same set.
  • The card at the end of the line costs $290.32, against $43.90 for the one it starts from — a gap of 6.6×.
  • 21 of the 50 cards listed on this page name an earlier Pokémon they evolve from.
What Base cards are played on top of6 named earlier Pokémon · most cards first
1 cardAbra1.0% of the set
1 cardBulbasaur1.0% of the set
1 cardCaterpie1.0% of the set
1 cardCharmander1.0% of the set
1 cardCharmeleon1.0% of the set
1 cardDiglett1.0% of the set
Who drew the Base cards
Ken Sugimori43.1%$65.17 typical44 cards
Keiji Kinebuchi37.3%$23.75 typical38 cards
Mitsuhiro Arita18.6%$39.39 typical19 cards
Tomoaki Imakuni1.0%1 cards

The 4 illustrators with the most cards in this set, out of 4 credited in total.

Who drew the Base cards
GroupShareValue
Ken Sugimori43.1%44 cards
Keiji Kinebuchi37.3%38 cards
Mitsuhiro Arita18.6%19 cards
Tomoaki Imakuni1.0%1 cards
Base Pokémon cards by rarity
RarityCardsShare of the setTypical price
Common32 31.4%$26.94
Uncommon32 31.4%$33.75
Rare16 15.7%$90.48
Rare Holo16 15.7%$292.50

Counted across all 102 Base cards on file. "Typical price" is the middle price inside that row.

The most common rarity alone covers 31.4% of the set. The thicker that layer is, the less it costs to put a first deck together — the frame gets built out of cards that fall out of packs, and the scarce ones are kept for the slots that decide a game.

Base prints 4 rarities, and the top three fill 78.4% of the set between them. The other 1 split the remaining 22 cards, which is the usual shape: the scarcer the tier, the more tiers there are and the fewer cards sit in each.

By energy type the set leans on Grass with 13 cards, and the thinnest type on file is Psychic with 8. A gap of 5 cards between the widest and the narrowest type is what decides whether this set can start a deck of any colour or only feeds two of them.

Back to summary

How much HP and damage Base Pokémon cards print

An average hides the shape of a group: it reads the same whether every Base card prints the same number or they run from one end of the scale to the other. These five points show which of the two is happening.
Base Pokémon cards — how far apart the numbers on the cards sit
MeasureLowestLower quarterTypicalUpper quarterHighestCards counted
HP1040608012070
Biggest attack1013305010066

Trainer and energy cards carry no HP or attack, so they are left out of these counts rather than entered as zero. "Biggest attack" is the largest printed damage number on the card, before any condition the attack text adds.

The five points that describe Base card HP
Lowest8.3% of the highest10 HP
Lower quarter33.3% of the highest40 HP
Typical50.0% of the highest60 HP
Upper quarter66.7% of the highest80 HP
Highest100.0% of the highest120 HP

HP printed on the 70 Base cards that carry one. The typical card is 60 HP. Bar length is that HP against the highest in the group.

Half of these cards sit between 40 and 80 HP. The distance between the two ends is what a single average would have hidden.

The five points that describe Base card HP
GroupShareValue
Lowest8.3% of the highest10 HP
Lower quarter33.3% of the highest40 HP
Typical50.0% of the highest60 HP
Upper quarter66.7% of the highest80 HP
Highest100.0% of the highest120 HP
The five points that describe the biggest attack on a Base card
Lowest10.0% of the highest10 damage
Lower quarter13.0% of the highest13 damage
Typical30.0% of the highest30 damage
Upper quarter50.0% of the highest50 damage
Highest100.0% of the highest100 damage

The largest printed damage number on each of the 66 Base cards that print one. The typical card hits for 30. Bar length is that number against the hardest hitter in the group.

Half of these cards hit between 13 and 50. Attack text that adds a condition is not counted here — only the printed number.

The five points that describe the biggest attack on a Base card
GroupShareValue
Lowest10.0% of the highest10 damage
Lower quarter13.0% of the highest13 damage
Typical30.0% of the highest30 damage
Upper quarter50.0% of the highest50 damage
Highest100.0% of the highest100 damage
Back to summary

What are Base Pokémon cards weak to?

Weakness is the one printed number that doubles incoming damage, so it decides more matches than HP does. Across the 64 Base cards that print one, the most common is Psychic on 14 of them.
What Base Pokémon cards are weak to
Psychic21.9%14 cards
Fighting18.8%12 cards
Lightning18.8%12 cards
Fire14.1%9 cards
Water14.1%9 cards
Grass12.5%8 cards

What Base Pokémon cards are weak to — 64 cards counted. Each track is the whole of that count, so a short bar means most of the group sits elsewhere.

An attack of this type does double damage to the card. Counted across the 64 Base cards that print a weakness.

What Base Pokémon cards are weak to
GroupShareValue
Psychic21.9%14 cards
Fighting18.8%12 cards
Lightning18.8%12 cards
Fire14.1%9 cards
Water14.1%9 cards
Grass12.5%8 cards
Back to summary

Which Base Pokémon cards print a resistance?

Resistance is the rarer of the two printed match-ups: only 20 of the 102 Base cards on file carry one at all, and the rest simply leave the box empty.

What Base Pokémon cards resist

What Base Pokémon cards resist — 20 cards counted.
Share across 3 items. The largest is Fighting at 50%.50%Fighting
  • Fighting50%
  • Psychic35%
  • Lightning15%

Resistance cuts incoming damage from that type. Only some Base cards print one, which is why this count is smaller than the card total.

Back to summary

How do Base Pokémon cards evolve?

Evolution stage decides how many turns a card costs you before it can attack. These are the 75 Base cards that print a stage.

How Base Pokémon cards evolve

How Base Pokémon cards evolve — 75 cards counted.
Share across 3 items. The largest is Basic at 60%.60%Basic
  • Basic60%
  • Stage 129%
  • Stage 211%

Basic cards are played straight from the hand; the later stages have to evolve from the card before them.

Back to summary

Can you still play Base Pokémon cards, and what do they cost to retreat?

Retreat cost is the energy discarded to move a Pokémon back to the bench, and 14 of the 102 Base cards cost three or more.
What it costs to retreat a Base card
Retreat cost 05.9%discards nothing6 cards
Retreat cost 138.2%39 cards
Retreat cost 29.8%10 cards
Retreat cost 313.7%14 cards

Retreat cost is the number of energy cards discarded to move a Pokémon back to the bench. Counted across the 69 Base cards that print one.

What it costs to retreat a Base card
GroupShareValue
Retreat cost 05.9%6 cards
Retreat cost 138.2%39 cards
Retreat cost 29.8%10 cards
Retreat cost 313.7%14 cards
13.7%effectively stuck
Retreat cost 06 · 5.9%Retreat cost 139 · 38.2%Retreat cost 210 · 9.8%Retreat cost 314 · 13.7%The rest33 · 32.4%

14 of the 102 cards on file cost three energy or more to retreat, which is where a Pokémon starts to be stuck in the active spot.

Cards that print no retreat cost at all are not Pokémon, so they never retreat and are counted in "the rest".

Can you still play Base Pokémon cards in a tournament?
QuestionCardsShare of the group
Legal in Standard today98.8%
Legal in Expanded today1514.7%
Cards with an Ability65.9%
Cards with a special rule2726.5%

Standard and Expanded are the two tournament formats. A card leaves Standard when its set rotates out, so this share moves each year while the card itself does not change.

How much of the group each answer covers, out of 102 cards
Legal in Standard today8.8%9 cards
Legal in Expanded today14.7%15 cards
Cards with an Ability5.9%6 cards
Cards with a special rule26.5%27 cards

Each track is the whole of the 102 Base cards on file, so the empty part of a bar is the share the answer does not cover.

These rows are not slices of one whole — a card can be legal in Standard and carry an Ability at the same time, so each bar is read on its own.

How much of the group each answer covers, out of 102 cards
GroupShareValue
Legal in Standard today8.8%9 cards
Legal in Expanded today14.7%15 cards
Cards with an Ability5.9%6 cards
Cards with a special rule26.5%27 cards

A card that costs three energy or more to retreat is stuck in practice: paying it empties the board of the energy that was meant to attack. 14 of the 102 cards here sit at that level, which is the argument for packing switch cards alongside them.

At the other end, 6 cards retreat for free. Those are the ones that open a game, because moving them out costs nothing that was going to be spent on an attack.

The rows above add up to 69 cards. The remaining 33 print no retreat cost at all — they never stand in the active spot, so they never retreat.

Back to summary

Which Base Pokémon cards moved most this year

The set line is made of single cards, and they do not all move together. These are the two ends of that spread over the last twelve months.

Biggest risers over 12 months

Biggest fallers over 12 months

Counted on the 87 cards that carried a price on both the first and the last reading, so a card that only appeared recently is not in here.

Back to summary

The cheapest Base Pokémon cards you can buy

The opposite end of the list above — the 6 Base cards with the lowest price on file.
DrowzeeCommon · BaseMarket $3.42StarmieCommon · BaseMarket $3.96Fighting EnergyBaseMarket $5.93Lightning EnergyBaseMarket $8.60Psychic EnergyBaseMarket $8.85Fire EnergyBaseMarket $9.76

Read on the same day as every other figure on this page. A cheap card is not a broken card — most of a set sits down here, which is what makes a set collectable at all.

Back to summary

How Base compares with the other sets

Where Base sits among the 145 sets on file, measured by what an ordinary card in each one costs.

"Which set is the most expensive" has more than one answer depending on what you measure, so this ladder keeps to one: what an ordinary card in each set costs.

Ranked by what an ordinary card costs, Base is number 7 of 145 sets, with 138 of them cheaper.

Ranked by what an ordinary card costs, Base is number 7

Every bar is measured against No. 1 Legendary Collection at $80.30
  • Legendary CollectionNo. 1 by price · 110 cardsbaseline$80.30
  • Nintendo Black Star PromosNo. 2 by price · 40 cards$57.33
  • Team Rocket ReturnsNo. 3 by price · 111 cards$54.85
  • BaseNo. 7 by price · 102 cardsYou are here$39.62
  • Unseen ForcesNo. 8 by price · 145 cards$38.71
  • HGSS Black Star PromosNo. 9 by price · 25 cards$37.65

These are the sets that sit next to Base on that ladder.

Legendary Collection — 110 cards110 with a pricetypical $80.30Nintendo Black Star Promos — 40 cards26 with a pricetypical $57.33Team Rocket Returns — 111 cards92 with a pricetypical $54.85Unseen Forces — 145 cards126 with a pricetypical $38.71HGSS Black Star Promos — 25 cards25 with a pricetypical $37.65
Back to summary

The three dearest Base cards, side by side

The cards that carry this set's reputation, with the plain facts of the set beside them.
The 3 dearest Base cards on file — hover to draw one out
Middle · Blastoise Base #2Most drawn by Ken Sugimori
Base cards
102on file
96 of them carry a price
Rarities printed
4
Most often Common
Illustrators
4
Most often Ken Sugimori
Typical card
$39.62median
One in ten costs over $183.73
Typical HP60Typical attack30Weak toPsychicMost printed typeGrass

Base Pokémon cards — frequently asked questions

How many Base Pokémon cards are there?

There are 102 Base cards in this archive, and 96 of them carry a price. A set is the expansion a card was printed in, and every card in the card files this site reads names exactly one. Sorting by set puts each release back together the way it was sold, so a card can be read next to the cards it shared a pack with.

How much is a Base Pokémon card worth?

The typical one costs $39.62. Across the 96 priced cards the range runs from $3.42 to $918.75, so the group price is a starting point rather than a valuation of any one card.

What is the most expensive Base Pokémon card?

Venusaur 15 from Base, at $918.75. It is 23× the typical price of the group.

Are Base Pokémon cards rare?

By price they rank No. 7 of 145 sets, with 138 cheaper than this one. By size the group holds 102 of the 20,444 English cards on file, or 0.5%. Those two together are what "rare" usually means in practice — few of them, and dear because of it.

Do all Base Pokémon cards have a price?

No. 96 of the 102 carry a price on file. The rest have never been listed at a price this archive could read, so they are counted in the card total but left out of every price figure rather than guessed at.

Where can I see every Base Pokémon card?

The list on this page holds the 50 most expensive of them, dearest first, and each card opens its own price page. The remaining 52 carry no published price, which is why they are not drawn.

How often are Base Pokémon card prices updated?

Prices are read once a day from public marketplace listings. The figures on this page were read on August 14, 2026. Which cards belong to this group comes from openly published card files and changes only when a new set is added.

Are Base Pokémon cards going up in value?

Over the last 11 months the typical Base card rose from $26.76 to $39.62, a change of +48.1%. That is the middle of the whole group, so it describes an ordinary card of this kind rather than the headline one at the top.

How much does a cheap Base Pokémon card cost?

One in four Base cards costs $23.95 or less and the cheapest on file is $3.42. Three in four cost $89.06 or less, so the cards past that point are the exception rather than the rule for this group.

Which Base Pokémon cards are worth the most?

Sorted by rarity, Rare Holo is the dearest kind of Base card: 16 of them are on file and the middle one costs $292.50. The table on this page lists every rarity in the group beside its own typical price.

What is the highest HP on a Base Pokémon card?

The highest printed HP among Base cards is 120, and the lowest is 10. The typical one is 60 HP, with half of them between 40 and 80 — figures counted from the 70 cards in this group that print an HP value.

Are Base Pokémon cards legal in tournaments?

9 of the 102 Base cards are legal in Standard today and 15 in Expanded — 8.8% and 14.7% of the group. A card leaves Standard when its set rotates out, so this share moves each year even though the cards do not change.

What are Base Pokémon cards weak to?

Most often Psychic — 14 of the 64 Base cards that print a weakness take double damage from it, with Fighting next at 12 cards. Weakness is printed per card, so the group tendency is a guide and the card itself is the answer.

Which Base Pokémon card rose the most this year?

Venusaur 15 from Base, which went from $71.88 to $918.75 — a change of +1,178.2% between August 14, 2025 and August 14, 2026. It is one of 87 Base cards that carried a price on both days.

How these Base figures are collected, and where you can check them

Every figure on this page is counted from the 102 Base cards this site holds on file — 96 of them with a price read once a day from public marketplace listings into this site's own archive. Nothing here is estimated: a card with no price is left out of the price columns rather than filled in. The places below are where the same card information can be checked.

Primary official source

First-party official sources — the body that issues the data itself, such as a government agency, a statutory register or a rights holder publishing its own records.

1
The Pokémon Company International — official tournament format and rotation announcements www.pokemon.com

Industry source

Second-party sources — marketplaces, trade associations, research institutes and companies that compile data about the market.

1
Pokémon TCG Data — openly published card files (card text, rarity, types, regulation mark, illustrator credits) github.com
2
TCGdex card database — openly licensed card files (set listings and printed names) github.com

Before you rely on these figures

Note: Prices on this page are asking and market prices for ungraded English Base cards, taken from a daily snapshot of public marketplace listings read on August 14, 2026. They are not offers, they exclude shipping, duty and marketplace fees, and they move. Counts cover only the English cards this site holds on file. Graded prices, population counts, sealed product values and pack odds are not published on this site because no free commercial source provides them.

Last updated: 2026-08-14