Misty's Gyarados · Gym Challenge, what to know.
About the Misty's Gyarados card
Misty's Gyarados is card 13 of 132 in Gym Challenge, released in October 2000, a Rare Holo. It is a Stage 1 Water-type with 100 HP.
As a Stage 1, it evolves from Misty's Magikarp, which places Misty's Gyarados deeper in its line and means most collectors hold it alongside the cards it evolves from.
Misty is the Water-type Gym Leader of Cerulean City and one of Ash's earliest traveling companions. Misty's Gyarados 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.
About Gyarados in the Pokémon world
The fully evolved Magikarp. A massive serpentine water-flying dragon. Famous for the disproportionate evolution arc. Base Set holo Gyarados is one of the most aesthetically beloved holos in the set. Steady graded demand and appreciation.
What is Misty's Gyarados worth?
Misty's Gyarados is a holo rare, one of the cards that holds Gym Challenge's value. The print variant decides most of it: a 1st Edition copy in high grade commands a large premium over a Shadowless or Unlimited one. In top-grade 1st Edition, Gym Challenge holos range from the mid hundreds for the lesser cards up to Blaine's Charizard at the top; raw and Unlimited copies trade for a fraction of that. The live market price above shows the current figure by grade.
Print variants and how to spot them
Gym Challenge shipped in 1st Edition and Unlimited, with no Shadowless print. The trainer-prefix naming runs across the set, and the 1st Edition Misty's Gyarados carries the Edition 1 stamp and a premium over Unlimited in matching grade.
Grading and condition
Grading Misty's Gyarados comes down to the holo surface and the borders. The era's foil scratches easily, so even a pack-fresh Misty's Gyarados can drop from a 10 to a 9 on a single hairline. Inspect the window at an angle and the corners against the frame.
If you are collecting Misty's Gyarados
If you are buying Misty's Gyarados, work in order: confirm the print variant first, then the grade, then price against recent sales for that exact variant and grade. For a raw Misty's Gyarados above a few hundred dollars, insist on angled-light photos of the holo so you can spot hairlines.
Three prints, three markets.
Edition 1 stamp under the artwork. Trades above Unlimited in matching grade.
No stamp. The standard, more affordable print.
