Rocket's Zapdos

Numbered 15 of 132 in Gym Challenge, released in October 2000, Rocket's Zapdos is a Rare Holo, a Basic Lightning-type carrying 70 HP.

As a Basic Pokémon, Zapdos needs no prior evolution to put into play, which made it a practical card in the era's decks.

This is a Team Rocket card, a member of the criminal organization's roster in the Gym Challenge set. Rocket's Zapdos is part of that themed lineup.

Illustrated by Shin-ichi Yoshida.

A Legendary Electric-Flying bird. The Electric of the three Legendary birds. Both Base Set holo Zapdos and Fossil holo Zapdos exist. The Base Set print is more famous and more valuable.

Rocket's Zapdos 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.

Gym Challenge shipped in 1st Edition and Unlimited, with no Shadowless print. The trainer-prefix naming runs across the set, and the 1st Edition Rocket's Zapdos carries the Edition 1 stamp and a premium over Unlimited in matching grade.

Grading Rocket's Zapdos comes down to the holo surface and the borders. The era's foil scratches easily, so even a pack-fresh Rocket's Zapdos can drop from a 10 to a 9 on a single hairline. Inspect the window at an angle and the corners against the frame.

For Rocket's Zapdos, variant comes before condition. A 1st Edition and an Unlimited Rocket's Zapdos are different markets for the same art, so settle the print before you negotiate. Demand a clear photo of the Rocket's Zapdos holo for any raw purchase.