Garchomp 120 Secret Rare
Quick take
- Numbered 120/116, a gold-bordered Secret Rare beyond the main set count
- One of the harder slots to fill in a Plasma Freeze master set
- Garchomp's fan following adds demand beyond pure set completion
- Sits near the top of the set's price ladder
Collector's readWhat it means for your master set
Set landscapeWhere this card sits in Plasma Freeze
VariantsCard variants
Holofoil 120/116 · $468.00 — the only variant this card was printed in (no reverse holo or special pattern), so a master set needs just this one copy.
The storyA gold-bordered closer for a Plasma Freeze master set
Plasma Freeze runs to 116 cards on paper, but the Secret Rares push the count past that. Garchomp lands at 120/116, part of the gold-bordered tier that runs from 117 to 122. You only complete these after everything else is in the binder. In the Black & White era, these gold cards were the scarcest thing in the set, and they tend to be among the last slots a master set builder fills.
“Numbered 120/116, a gold-bordered Secret Rare beyond the main set count”
Garchomp itself carries weight here. It's a fan-favorite pseudo-legendary with a long competitive history, so the gold version pulls demand from both set collectors and people who just want a nice Garchomp. That dual pull is what keeps it firmer than a gold Secret Rare of a less popular Pokemon.
The practical read for a master set: budget for this one. Gold Secret Rares from the BW run carry a real premium, and Garchomp's name recognition puts it near the ceiling for the set rather than the middle.
By the numbersMarket analysis
This is one of the more expensive cards needed for a Plasma Freeze master set, sitting near the top of the ladder alongside the other gold Secret Rares. Raw Near Mint copies command a strong premium over standard set cards, and the Garchomp name keeps it from sliding the way generic gold cards sometimes do.
BW-era gold Secret Rares have drifted upward over the long run as sealed Plasma Freeze product dried up and older graded cards drew more attention. Expect this one to track the broader Black & White nostalgia wave rather than spike on any single catalyst.
A steady hold rather than a flip. A popular Pokemon, a gold Secret Rare tier, and shrinking sealed supply give it a reasonable floor. Don't expect rapid moves. This is a card that rewards patience and condition.
High grades carry a clear premium over raw because gold-bordered cards from this era show edge wear and print lines easily. A clean PSA or CGC 9 or 10 is worth chasing if you want the card to hold value, and the gap between a raw copy and a gem-grade example is meaningful.
Plasma Freeze predates the Scarlet & Violet rarity system, so there's no official per-rarity odds sheet to quote. In practice the gold Secret Rares were the scarcest cards in the set, pulled far less often than the Full Art Pokemon-EX, and you typically opened multiple booster boxes before the gold tier filled out. The set has six golds (numbers 117 through 122), so the odds of hitting one specific gold like Garchomp run long. That's why most master set builders buy this slot as a single rather than gamble on packs.
Rarer than the set's holo rares, Reverse Holos, and Full Art EX cards. It shares the gold Secret Rare tier with the other 117 through 122 cards in the set, and those golds collectively sit at the top of the Plasma Freeze rarity ladder.
ArtworkWhy the art matters
Ayaka Yoshida illustrated a run of Black & White and early XY era cards. The work tends toward clean, motion-driven poses rather than heavy painterly detail, which suits an aggressive Pokemon like Garchomp.
Garchomp is caught mid-lunge, claws and fins leading, against a swirling field of blue and white energy that reads as speed. The pose sells the Pokemon's signature trait, raw velocity, without leaning on a busy background. On the gold Secret Rare treatment the whole card gets the gold border and a full holo sheen, so the energy in the art picks up extra shimmer under light.
Black & White era Secret Rares use a gold border with a full-card holofoil finish. That mirror-like surface is part of the appeal and part of the problem. It telegraphs scratches, print lines, and edge whitening, which is why condition spreads are wide on this card.
The art matches the card. A lot of gold Secret Rares feel like a recolor slapped on a stock pose, but Yoshida's lunging Garchomp earns the dramatic gold treatment, which is why collectors single it out over some of the other golds in the set.
BackgroundAbout Garchomp 120 Secret Rare
Garchomp is the Generation 4 pseudo-legendary from Sinnoh, a Dragon and Ground type that evolves from Gible through Gabite. It built a reputation in the video games as a fast, hard-hitting threat, and that reputation carried straight into the TCG fanbase. Cynthia's Garchomp in particular cemented it as a marquee Pokemon.
- ›A pseudo-legendary, which always draws collector attention
- ›Strong competitive pedigree across the main series games
- ›Association with Champion Cynthia, one of the most popular characters in the franchise
- ›An aggressive, recognizable design that reads well in card art
- ›Cynthia's signature Pokemon across Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum
- ›A recurring presence in TCG sets from the Diamond & Pearl era onward
This specific gold print is a collector card, not a deck staple. The playable version is the standard 88/116 Garchomp from the same set. As a card, it's Expanded-legal at best today and bought for the binder, not the table.
Own it wellCollector guide
The full-card gold holo finish shows wear fast. Check the borders for whitening, look across the surface at an angle for scratches and print lines, and inspect corners closely. Pack-fresh raw copies in true Near Mint condition are harder to find than the listing counts suggest.
Worth grading if your copy is clean. The premium for a 9 or 10 over a raw card is real, and a slab protects that mirror surface from the handling damage these cards are prone to. If it has visible scratches or edge wear, it's better kept as a raw binder copy than sent in. Read the grading guide →
Sleeve it and get it into a toploader or a rigid holder right away. The gold foil scratches against other cards in a binder pocket, so a penny sleeve plus a toploader is the minimum for a card at this value. See the storage guide →
Buy on condition, not on the lowest price. Ask for clear angled photos that show the surface and corners before paying. For a card at this tier, a graded copy from a reputable seller removes most of the condition guesswork, and the price gap over raw is often worth it for peace of mind. See the singles buying guide →
Gold Secret Rares get faked, so verify before paying big. Confirm the 120/116 numbering and the gold border, check that the holo pattern and gold sheen behave correctly under tilting light, and compare the back's blue swirl gradient and centering against a known-genuine card. A light test can reveal a missing or wrong black core layer in cheap counterfeits. For serious money, buy graded from a trusted grader.
Protect your card
High Chase Score — protect and consider grading. · Amazon affiliate links · Storage guideWord on the streetCommunity sentiment
Collectors generally rate this as one of the better-looking golds in the Black & White run. The pose and the energy field give it more life than the typical static gold Secret Rare, and Garchomp's popularity means it gets talked about more than the average set-closer.
Discussion tends to cluster around two groups: Plasma Freeze master set builders treating it as a required slot, and Garchomp fans who want a gold version for a Pokemon-specific collection. Both keep low-level demand steady rather than viral.
Good to knowFrequently asked questions
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