Gengar Prime
Quick take
- Reprint of HS Triumphant 94/102 by Takashi Yamaguchi, first released in Japan in the Lost Link subset
- Fourth most valuable Classic Collection card, behind Lugia, Charizard and Magikarp
- Psychic Stage 2, 130 HP, Darkness weakness, Colorless resistance -20, no retreat cost
- Gold Prime frame and full-card glitter foil replace the original's silver frame
Collector's readWhat it means for your master set
Set landscapeWhere this card sits in 30th Celebration Classic Collection
VariantsCard variants
Holofoil 94/102 · $55.13 — 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 reprint of a card most collectors could not otherwise buy in Near Mint
Gengar Prime came out in HS Triumphant in November 2010, and Near Mint originals have become very scarce. In the reprint's release week TCGplayer had no Near Mint copies of the original listed at all. Market writers pointed to exactly that, a chase card that has nearly disappeared in top condition, as the kind of pick the Classic Collection was made for.
“Reprint of HS Triumphant 94/102 by Takashi Yamaguchi, first released in Japan in the Lost Link subset”
It is also a card of its era. Catastrophe and Hurl into Darkness both send cards to the Lost Zone, and one popular reading of the lineup is that it was chosen to cover a range of eras and mechanics as well as famous art.
The English reprint keeps the number 94/102, the Prime layout and the 2010 copyright line. The original's silver Prime frame is now gold, glitter foil covers the card and the 30th anniversary logo sits on the art. The card itself is printed with the name Gengar; Prime is the rarity, though collectors and marketplaces call it Gengar Prime. Japanese copies are renumbered as 150/103.
By the numbersMarket analysis
Fourth in the Classic Collection, a step below Magikarp and well clear of the rest of the checklist. In the numbered set's terms it trades in the same band as the middle Special Illustration Rares, around Mewtwo ex and Day Pikachu ex, and below the Gengar ex SIR from the same set.
Twelfth in the whole set on day one, in both the English and Japanese markets. In release week it went up while almost everything else in 30th Celebration fell, which is rare for a new set. In week two, while Lugia, Charizard and Magikarp all climbed, it gave some of that back. One market writer suggested that Gengar demand is being split with the Mega Gengar ex from Ascended Heroes, though that is a guess rather than something the data shows.
So far it has moved against the rest of the top four, up in week one and down in week two. The original has kept rising, about 14% between late July and early October, but it was already climbing through 2026, so there is no evidence the reprint caused that. For a binder copy, waiting until the November Ultra-Premium supply has been opened is reasonable.
Too early to say. There is no meaningful PSA or CGC population for the reprint three weeks after release, and no reliable centring reports.
About 1 in 300 packs for this specific card. Some Classic Collection card appears in about 1 pack in 10, and nothing so far suggests any of the 30 is rarer than the others. A 9-pack Elite Trainer Box gives about a 3% chance at Gengar Prime. An Ultra-Premium Collection gives roughly 18%, assuming its three-card Classic Collection booster never repeats a card, which has not been confirmed.
A named Classic Collection card is harder to pull than a named Special Illustration Rare in this set, which comes up about once in 210 packs. That is why the Gengar ex SIR, the more expensive card, is actually the easier Gengar to open.
ArtworkWhy the art matters
Takashi Yamaguchi illustrated the 2010 Gengar Prime, and the reprint carries his credit unchanged. The Classic Collection reproduces the original art exactly.
A close-up of Gengar's face filling the art window: red eyes, a wide grin and a long pink tongue, with a star-shaped glint on one eye. One hand reaches in from the left, with white and purple lightning crackling around it against a dark background. The spiked Prime frame breaks over the edges of the art.
Same art, text, layout and number as the 2010 card. The reprint swaps the silver Prime frame for gold, adds glitter foil and prints the 30th anniversary logo on the artwork. It keeps the 2010 copyright line. It comes in the pack's third slot, which holds Classic Collection cards.
The spiked Prime frame reaches into the art, so the switch from silver to gold changes more of this card than a border swap does on most of the others. Next to an original, the difference is obvious at a glance.
BackgroundAbout Gengar Prime
Gengar has been one of the most popular Pokemon since the first generation, and 30th Celebration gives it two chase cards: this reprint in the Classic Collection and a Gengar ex Special Illustration Rare in the numbered set. The Prime is the older and stranger card of the two, built around removing the opponent's cards from the game entirely.
- ›Gengar's popularity since 1996, which supports every Gengar chase card
- ›The Prime design from the HeartGold SoulSilver era
- ›Scarcity of the original in Near Mint, which makes the reprint the practical way to own the art
- ›Lost Link in Japan, as 015/040
- ›HS Triumphant, November 2010, as Rare Holo Prime 94/102
- ›30th Celebration Classic Collection, 2026, beside a Gengar ex Special Illustration Rare in the numbered set
Not legal in current formats. In its time it was built around the Lost Zone: Catastrophe sends your opponent's Knocked Out Pokemon to the Lost Zone instead of the discard pile while Gengar is Active, Hurl into Darkness puts Pokemon from your opponent's hand into the Lost Zone, and Cursed Drop places four damage counters however you like.
Own it wellCollector guide
The glitter foil covers the whole card, including the spiked frame, so check for scratches with the card tilted under a light. Look closely along the gold edges for chipping and at the back for whitening.
Wait. There is no graded population or gem-rate data yet, and the raw price has swung both ways in two weeks. Grading makes more sense once prices settle after November. Read the grading guide →
Penny sleeve and a toploader or semi-rigid. On a Classic Collection page sorted by original release, it sits with the other HS Triumphant reprints, next to the two Darkrai & Cresselia LEGEND halves from the same set. See the storage guide →
Decide first whether the Classic Collection is in scope. Cardrake tracks it as its own 30-card checklist, apart from the numbered set, so you can collect the Gengar ex SIR without this card or the reverse. If you are doing the Classic Collection, Gengar Prime is the fourth most expensive card on it and so far the only one of the top four to fall in week two. If you want the original instead, expect to search a long time for a Near Mint copy. See the singles buying guide →
The reprint has a gold frame, glitter foil and the 30th logo on the art. The 2010 original has a silver frame and no logo. Both read 94/102, so check the frame colour and the logo in the listing photos rather than relying on the number.
Protect your card
Low Chase Score — basic protection is plenty. · Amazon affiliate links · Storage guideWord on the streetCommunity sentiment
Less discussed than Lugia, Charizard or Magikarp. In one widely read argument about the lineup, the top reply said the Classic Collection was meant to cover different eras and mechanics and cards that mattered in play, which is the easiest way to read the Gengar Prime pick.
What attention it has had is mostly about price. Market writers singled it out for rising in release week, when nearly everything else in the set was falling, and again when it slipped back in week two.
Good to knowFrequently asked questions
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