Blaine's Growlithe

Numbered 35 of 132 in Gym Heroes, released in August 2000, Blaine's Growlithe is an Uncommon, a Basic Fire-type carrying 50 HP.

As a Basic Pokémon, Growlithe needs no prior evolution to put into play, which made it a practical card in the era's decks.

Blaine is the Fire-type Gym Leader of Cinnabar Island, the quiz-loving scientist behind the island's lab. Blaine's Growlithe is part of that themed lineup.

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.

A Fire-type puppy. Loyal in-game lore. Base Set Uncommon. Cheap and easy to grade; sentimental collector demand.

Blaine's Growlithe is an Uncommon, so raw copies are inexpensive and easy to find. The value is in condition: a genuine PSA 10, especially 1st Edition, can still reach a surprising figure for an otherwise common card. The live price above breaks it down by grade.

Gym Heroes shipped in 1st Edition and Unlimited, with no Shadowless print. The trainer-prefix naming runs across the set, and the 1st Edition Blaine's Growlithe carries the Edition 1 stamp and a premium over Unlimited in matching grade.

Blaine's Growlithe grades forgivingly, but the same centering and edge standards apply. Pack-fresh raw copies are easy to find, which makes a clean PSA 10 submission a low-cost way to learn how the cardstock behaves under grading.

Raw copies of Blaine's Growlithe are inexpensive enough that grading rarely pays unless you have a clearly pack-fresh example. For set completion, a clean sleeved Blaine's Growlithe is the practical move.