Dark Flareon

Numbered 35 of 83 in Team Rocket, released in April 2000, Dark Flareon is an Uncommon, a Stage 1 Fire-type carrying 50 HP.

It evolves from Eevee, so Dark Flareon is a later-stage card that set-builders usually slot into a full evolution run rather than buy alone.

Team Rocket darkened Flareon under its control for the set's villain arc, a grittier repaint of the familiar Pokémon with an altered attack profile.

Illustrated by Mitsuhiro Arita. Arita painted the Base Set Charizard and much of the early holo run, and his work has a painterly weight that set the visual tone of the Wizards era.

Dark Flareon carries this Pokédex flavor text: "A Pokémon with a hot temper that can't be controlled once it's angered. Capable of breathing flames hotter than 3000°."

The Fire Eeveelution. Fluffy red-orange silhouette. Jungle holo Flareon rounds out the Eeveelution trio. Cuteness factor and elemental coverage drive demand.

Dark Flareon 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.

Team Rocket shipped in 1st Edition and Unlimited, with no Shadowless print. The 1st Edition Dark Flareon carries the Edition 1 stamp under the artwork and trades above the Unlimited copy in matching grade. The set is also home to Dark Raichu, the first Secret Rare ever printed.

Dark Flareon 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 Dark Flareon are inexpensive enough that grading rarely pays unless you have a clearly pack-fresh example. For set completion, a clean sleeved Dark Flareon is the practical move.