Goldeen
Quick take
- First full-art Goldeen in the TCG's history, confirmed by launch coverage of Pitch Black
- Illustration Rare by Gemi, numbered 087/084 above the base set count
- Originally printed in Japan's Abyss Eye expansion before the English release
- Currently a top-ten card in Pitch Black by market price, rare air for a non-ex basic
Collector's readWhat it means for your master set
Set landscapeWhere this card sits in Pitch Black
VariantsCard variants
Holofoil 87/84 · $4.21 — the only variant this card was printed in (no reverse holo or special pattern), so a master set needs just this one copy.
The storyGoldeen's first full-art card, almost thirty years in the making
Goldeen has been in the TCG since the very beginning and has never headlined anything. Filler slot, the common you sleeve for completeness. Pitch Black changed that. Card 087/084 is the first full-art Goldeen ever printed, a fact launch coverage of the set called out directly, and it landed as one of the most talked-about pulls despite being a plain Illustration Rare of a 70 HP basic.
“First full-art Goldeen in the TCG's history, confirmed by launch coverage of Pitch Black”
The card comes from Japan's Abyss Eye expansion and carries artwork by Gemi. The scene keeps Goldeen in the water, which suits a Pokemon whose Pokedex entry calls it the Water Dancer for the way its fins wave as it swims. A simple idea, and no other Goldeen card can claim it.
For master set builders the card matters for a different reason: it sits in the secret-numbered slot above the base 084 count, so it is part of the full Pitch Black checklist whether you chase the hype or not. Right now it prices like a top-ten card in the set. That is unusual territory for a Goldeen of any kind.
By the numbersMarket analysis
This Goldeen sits in the top ten of Pitch Black by market price, ahead of plenty of the set's ex cards. That is unusual for an Illustration Rare of a basic, non-evolving Pokemon with no competitive use. The premium is almost entirely the first-full-art-ever story plus fresh-release scarcity.
Two weeks after the July 17, 2026 release, the set's usual post-launch drift has mostly happened — most Illustration Rares eased as supply built. The open question is still whether the novelty angle gives this one a firmer floor than a typical IR; the first-of-its-kind story does not expire the way launch hype does.
Cautious. Novelty firsts hold attention at launch but rarely sustain a premium once the story fades and supply catches up. If you want it for the binder, waiting a month or two will probably cost you nothing and may save you money. If you are betting on long-term appreciation, an IR of a minor Pokemon is a thin thesis, even a charming one.
Too new for a meaningful graded population. Modern Illustration Rares in top grades typically carry a solid multiple over raw, but only for clean, well-centered copies, and IRs often come out of packs with edge and surface issues. If you plan to grade, be picky about the raw copy first.
Official pull rates for Pitch Black have not been published. For reference, Scarlet & Violet era sets put any Illustration Rare at roughly one in a dozen packs. The odds of pulling this specific Goldeen run much longer, since the IR slot is spread across many different cards in a set, easily reaching dozens of packs on average. Plan on buying the single rather than pulling it.
Within Pitch Black, this Goldeen prices above most other Illustration Rares and even ahead of some ex cards, purely on the first-full-art story. Popular IRs from Scarlet & Violet era sets showed the same pattern: character appeal beats rarity math. Goldeen is the rare case where novelty, not the character's star power, is doing the lifting.
ArtworkWhy the art matters
Gemi is a returning illustrator in the modern game with credits across recent sets, including Illustration Rare slots. The regular Goldeen in Pitch Black, card 013, is by Shibuzoh; the full-art version is Gemi's alone.
The full-bleed illustration keeps Goldeen in its element, a calm aquatic scene that launch coverage described as serene. It fits what the species is actually known for: the Pokedex calls Goldeen the Water Dancer for its elegantly waving dorsal, pectoral, and tail fins.
Standard modern Illustration Rare treatment: full-art borderless canvas above the base set count, numbered 087/084. The underlying card is a 70 HP Water-type basic with a single attack, Pierce, two Colorless for 30 damage.
The first-ever factor. Hundreds of Pokemon received full-art or Illustration Rare cards before Goldeen finally got one, and collectors love a box checked after that long a wait. Whatever the market does, this stays the answer to a trivia question.
BackgroundAbout Goldeen
Goldeen is original Gen 1, a Water-type goldfish Pokemon with a horn, evolving into Seaking. It has been in the card game since the earliest sets and in the anime from the start as one of Misty's Pokemon. Its Pokedex entry, quoted on this card's regular version, calls it the Water Dancer for the way its fins wave in the water. Despite all that screen time, it spent nearly three decades as a commons-only Pokemon in the TCG.
- ›Gen 1 species with real anime visibility through Misty's Goldeen
- ›The underdog appeal of a forgettable common finally getting a premium card
- ›Water-type fish Pokemon collectors are a small but dedicated niche
- ›Launch press coverage put this specific card in front of casual collectors
- ›Misty's Goldeen appeared regularly in the original Pokemon anime
- ›Printed as a common in the TCG's earliest sets and steadily reprinted across eras, always at low rarity until this card
None. A 70 HP basic with one attack that does 30 for two Energy is binder material, not a deck card. Nobody is buying this to play it, and that is fine.
Own it wellCollector guide
Modern Illustration Rares are prone to edge whitening on the dark borders of the card back, surface scratches on the holofoil, and centering drift. Check the back edges first, that is where fresh pack pulls most often lose a grade.
Grade only clean, well-centered copies, and only if the first-full-art angle matters to you long term. The raw price is modest enough that grading fees eat a real share of the value unless you land a top grade. For a pure master set build, a raw near mint copy in the binder does the job. Read the grading guide →
Penny sleeve then a side-loading binder page, or a semi-rigid in a box. Holofoil surfaces pick up scratches from repeated sleeve-ins, so handle it once and leave it. Keep the binder away from direct light, modern inks fade. See the storage guide →
The fresh-release peak has already deflated across the set's IR tier, so the worst time to buy has passed. Supply keeps building while Pitch Black is in active print, which argues against urgency, but most of the drift is likely behind it. Buy the single — at 1 in 9 packs for any of the set's eleven IRs, this specific Goldeen runs about 1 in 100 packs — and do not chase it in sealed product. See the singles buying guide →
Counterfeit risk is low on a card this new and this modestly priced, but the basics apply: print should be crisp under a loupe, the holofoil should behave like other cards from the same set, and the card should pass the standard light test showing the opaque core layer.
Protect your card
High Chase Score — protect and consider grading. · Amazon affiliate links · Storage guideWord on the streetCommunity sentiment
Warm and a little amused. The story of a humble Goldeen outpricing ex cards made for good launch-week content, and coverage of the set's release leaned on the first-of-its-kind angle. Collectors who never gave Goldeen a second look are suddenly adding it to want lists.
The card got a visibility bump from mainstream-adjacent coverage of Pitch Black's launch, where a reviewer who pulled it framed it as a first-of-its-kind card. Within the hobby, the card was already known from Japan's Abyss Eye, which released ahead of the English set.
Good to knowFrequently asked questions
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