Metapod · Base Set 2, what to know.
About the Metapod card
Numbered 81 of 130 in Base Set 2, released in February 2000, Metapod is a Common, a Stage 1 Grass-type carrying 70 HP.
It evolves from Caterpie, so Metapod is a later-stage card that set-builders usually slot into a full evolution run rather than buy alone.
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.
Metapod carries this Pokédex flavor text: "It is vulnerable to attack because its shell is soft, exposing its weak and tender body."
About Metapod in the Pokémon world
Caterpie evolved into a hardened green chrysalis. Famous in the anime for the Ash vs Ash episode where Metapods battled by hardening. Cheap entry-level vintage card. Used by new collectors to learn the difference between Unlimited and Shadowless prints.
What is Metapod worth?
Metapod is a Common, so raw copies trade for very little and most of the print run survives. The only real value is in pristine, high-grade copies, where even a Common can reach low triple digits in 1st Edition PSA 10. See the live price above for the current figure by grade.
Print variants and how to spot them
Base Set 2 produced Unlimited prints. For Metapod, the print variant can change the price several times over, so identify it before you buy.
Grading and condition
Metapod is the most forgiving tier to grade in the set. Centering on the framed border is the usual cap, and the soft Wizards-era cardstock picks up edge whitening easily, but high print runs keep clean copies affordable.
If you are collecting Metapod
Raw copies of Metapod are inexpensive enough that grading rarely pays unless you have a clearly pack-fresh example. For set completion, a clean sleeved Metapod is the practical move.
