Dark Gloom

Numbered 36 of 83 in Team Rocket, released in April 2000, Dark Gloom is an Uncommon, a Stage 1 Grass-type carrying 50 HP.

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

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

Illustrated by Kagemaru Himeno. Himeno is one of the most-recognized vintage illustrators, with a softer, more textured style that shows up across the Jungle and Neo runs.

Printed on the card, the Gloom Pokédex entry reads: "Its pollen has such a strong smell that it even confuses itself at times."

The middle Oddish stage. Splits into Vileplume or Bellossom depending on evolution method. Middle-stage card with thin demand.

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