Misty's Tentacruel

Numbered 10 of 132 in Gym Heroes, released in August 2000, Misty's Tentacruel is a Rare Holo, a Stage 1 Water-type carrying 70 HP.

It evolves from Misty's Tentacool, so Misty's Tentacruel is a later-stage card that set-builders usually slot into a full evolution run rather than buy alone.

Misty is the Water-type Gym Leader of Cerulean City and one of Ash's earliest traveling companions. Misty's Tentacruel 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.

The fully evolved Tentacool. Larger, with more visible tentacles. Fossil Rare with thin standalone demand.

Misty's Tentacruel is a holo rare, one of the cards that holds Gym Heroes'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 Heroes holos range from the mid hundreds for the lesser cards up to Sabrina's Gengar at the top; raw and Unlimited copies trade for a fraction of that. The live market price above shows the current figure 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 Misty's Tentacruel carries the Edition 1 stamp and a premium over Unlimited in matching grade.

On a holo like Misty's Tentacruel, surface is the grade cap. The water foil shows hairlines under raking light, and the print reveals scratches that flat scans miss. Centering on the left and right borders is the second thing to check.

When you go to buy Misty's Tentacruel, settle three things in order: the print variant, the condition, and a comp for that exact combination. A blended average across variants will mislead you on Misty's Tentacruel, so price the specific copy in front of you.