Poliwrath

Numbered 13 of 102 in Base Set, released in January 1999, Poliwrath is a Rare Holo, a Stage 2 Water-type carrying 90 HP.

It evolves from Poliwhirl, so Poliwrath 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.

Poliwrath carries this Pokédex flavor text: "An adept swimmer at both the front crawl and breaststroke. Easily overtakes the best human swimmers."

The Water-Fighting final form of the Poliwag line via Water Stone. Heavy muscled silhouette. Base Set holo Poliwrath is one of the original 16 holos. Quietly traded, with PSA 10 1st Edition appreciating slowly.

Based on recent eBay sales, raw copies trade from $19 to $355 depending on the print and a PSA 10 runs from $1,040 to $15,800. The 1st Edition print is the most valuable, with a PSA 10 near $15,800. The table on this page breaks the price down by print and grade, updated 2026-05-23.

Base Set produced three print waves that collectors track separately: 1st Edition (the launch print, with an Edition 1 stamp under the artwork), Shadowless (no stamp and no drop shadow on the right of the frame), and Unlimited (the long-running print with the drop shadow restored). On Poliwrath, the price gap between these prints can run 10x or more, so confirm the variant before any purchase.

Poliwrath lives and dies on its holo surface in grading. The water foil catches light at angles that hide hairlines in a flat photo, so tilt it under a lamp, then measure the borders, where Wizards-era centering is the second-most-common grade cap.

When you go to buy Poliwrath, 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 Poliwrath, so price the specific copy in front of you.