Dhelmise
Quick take
- Illustration Rare 091/084, part of the eleven-card IR run opening Pitch Black's secret block
- Nakamura Ippan's art assembles the Hide 'n' Sneak ghosts, Poltchageist, Sinistcha, Shuppet, and Banette, around Dhelmise
- Vengeful Anchor hits for 30 plus 140 more with four or more Hide 'n' Sneak Pokemon in the discard, powering a real tournament archetype
- Ranks in the upper-middle of the set by value, strong for an Illustration Rare
Collector's readWhat it means for your master set
Set landscapeWhere this card sits in Pitch Black
VariantsCard variants
Holofoil 91/84 · $1.91 — the only variant this card was printed in (no reverse holo or special pattern), so a master set needs just this one copy.
The storyThe ghost crew's captain, on and off the table
Dhelmise earns its slot in Pitch Black twice over. As card 091/084 it sits in the Illustration Rare block above the base set count, and Nakamura Ippan's artwork gathers the set's other Hide 'n' Sneak ghosts, Poltchageist, Sinistcha, Shuppet, and Banette, around the anchor. The art shows you the exact deck the card belongs to. That kind of mechanical storytelling in an Illustration Rare is uncommon, and collectors noticed.
“Illustration Rare 091/084, part of the eleven-card IR run opening Pitch Black's secret block”
The playable side matters too. Vengeful Anchor starts at 30 damage for a single Energy, then jumps by 140 more once four or more Hide 'n' Sneak Pokemon sit in your discard pile. That made Dhelmise the single-prize closer for a real archetype, one that reached top cut at the 2026 Japan Championships. Cards that anchor a competitive deck and carry a strong Illustration Rare treatment tend to hold collector attention longer than art-only picks.
Within Pitch Black itself, Dhelmise ranks in the set's upper-middle tier. The Mega Darkrai ex chase cards own the top of the market, but among the eleven Illustration Rares running from 85 to 95, this one is a standout for master set builders who want the secret block's best story in a single card.
By the numbersMarket analysis
Dhelmise sits in the upper-middle of Pitch Black's market, around fourteenth in the set. That is strong territory for an Illustration Rare in a set where Mega Darkrai ex Special Illustration Rares dominate the top slots. IRs that outrank a stack of Ultra Rares usually have something extra going for them, and here it is the deck connection plus the group-scene art.
Two weeks after the July 17, 2026 release, launch supply has done its usual work on the IR tier. The competitive angle cuts the other way: if the Hide 'n' Sneak deck performs at Worlds, played copies leave the collector pool and the IR gets a second look. Expect volatility in either direction into the fall.
Modest. Illustration Rares from heavily printed modern sets rarely appreciate while product is on shelves, and Pitch Black will be printed hard through 2026. The realistic case for upside is competitive success sustaining demand plus the art earning a long-term following. Buy it because you want it in the binder, not as a growth position. If you want exposure to the set's ceiling, that money goes to the Darkrai chase cards instead.
Grading only makes sense here at the highest grade, and even then the premium over raw is thin while the set is in print. Modern Illustration Rares come out of packs in good shape, so gem rates are high and top-graded population grows fast. Grade a personal favorite copy if you like slabs. Do not grade this expecting the slab to pay for itself.
The Pokemon Company does not publish pull rates for the Mega Evolution era. If Pitch Black tracks the Scarlet & Violet norm, any Illustration Rare shows up in roughly one of every twelve packs. With eleven IRs in the set, landing this specific Dhelmise runs much longer, likely well past a hundred packs on average. Buying the single is far cheaper than chasing it in packs, as usual for the IR tier.
Within the IR tier, Dhelmise punches above its slot: it outranks several higher-rarity cards in the set's market ordering, which is unusual for a non-ex single-stage Pokemon. Against the set's true chase, the Mega Darkrai ex Special Illustration Rare, it is a different class entirely. Think of it as the affordable secret-block card people actually talk about.
ArtworkWhy the art matters
Nakamura Ippan is a Pokemon TCG illustrator credited across modern expansions, and Bulbapedia confirms the credit on this Illustration Rare print. The regular print of Dhelmise in Pitch Black is by a different artist, Oku, so the IR is a wholly separate piece rather than an extended crop.
Dhelmise appears alongside the set's other Hide 'n' Sneak ghosts: Poltchageist, Sinistcha, Shuppet, and Banette. It is a team portrait of the archetype. Every Pokemon in the scene has a Pitch Black card that interacts with Dhelmise's attack, so the illustration doubles as a deck list you can read at a glance.
Full-art Illustration Rare treatment in the style used across the Mega Evolution era's secret block. The card is a Psychic-type Basic with 140 HP, numbered 091/084 above the base set count.
Most Illustration Rares tell a slice-of-life story about one Pokemon. This one tells the story of a deck. The cameo cast maps one-to-one onto the Hide 'n' Sneak cards you would actually sleeve up with Dhelmise, which makes it a favorite for players who collect their own archetype. Group scenes with real mechanical meaning behind them come along rarely, and they age well.
BackgroundAbout Dhelmise
Dhelmise debuted in Pokemon Sun and Moon as a Ghost and Grass type from Alola. The lore is grim in the best Pokemon way: the spirit of drifting seaweed possessed a shipwreck's anchor and wheel, and it now drags prey down with chains of kelp. It does not evolve and it has never been prominent in the anime or spin-offs, which kept it a cult pick rather than a mainstream star. Its TCG appearances since the Sun and Moon era have been sporadic, so a secret-rare treatment attached to a winning deck is among the biggest cards Dhelmise has ever had.
- ›Cult favorite among Ghost-type collectors thanks to its haunted-anchor design
- ›A rare premium treatment for a Pokemon that usually lands in ordinary rarity slots
- ›The Hide 'n' Sneak deck gives it an identity with players, not just collectors
- ›Alola-era single-stage Pokemon with a memorable Pokedex backstory
- ›Debuted in Pokemon Sun and Moon (2016) as an Alolan Ghost/Grass type
- ›Featured as the attacker of Pitch Black's Hide 'n' Sneak archetype, which reached top cut at the 2026 Japan Championships
- ›A separate promo print with artwork by Dsuke was distributed in Taiwan and Hong Kong, then released internationally as an MEP Black Star Promo in Pitch Black Build & Battle Boxes
Real and current. Vengeful Anchor costs one Psychic Energy for 30 damage, plus 140 more if four or more Pokemon with the Hide 'n' Sneak Ability are in your discard pile. As a single-prize attacker hitting 170, Dhelmise trades favorably against multi-prize decks. The archetype, built around Sinistcha, Spiritomb, and Banette, took top-cut spots at the 2026 Japan Championships without unseating Dragapult as the format's front-runner. Players will run the cheap regular print, but competitive success keeps eyes on the IR.
Own it wellCollector guide
Modern Illustration Rares generally come out of packs clean, but foil edges can show whitening on the back borders under a loupe, and the dark palette of a set called Pitch Black makes surface scratches easier to spot than usual. Check the foil under angled light before buying raw.
Only worth grading at the top grade, and even then treat it as a keepsake rather than an investment. Population at the highest grade will grow quickly while the set is in print. If you pull a flawless copy and love the art, grade it for the display case. Otherwise sleeve it and move on. Read the grading guide →
Penny sleeve plus a snug toploader or a side-loading binder page. Keep it away from direct light; dark-background foils show fading and surface wear more readily than white-bordered cards. If it goes in the master set binder, use pages with full card coverage rather than open-top pockets. See the storage guide →
Set is brand new, so let launch supply do the work. IR prices in modern sets typically drift down over the first couple of months as boxes get cracked. The one reason to move earlier: a strong Worlds showing for the Hide 'n' Sneak deck could firm the price up. Buy raw near-mint from a seller with clear photos, and skip paying a premium for early-graded copies. See the singles buying guide →
Protect your card
High Chase Score — protect and consider grading. · Amazon affiliate links · Storage guideWord on the streetCommunity sentiment
Positive, with the art doing most of the talking. Early set coverage flags Dhelmise as one of the stronger entries in the eleven-card IR run, and the cameo concept, the whole Hide 'n' Sneak crew in one frame, is the detail people repeat. The Mega Darkrai ex cards own the headlines, but among IR-focused collectors this is a frequent favorite.
Most Dhelmise chatter right now is competitive: deck techs and Japan Championships coverage for the Hide 'n' Sneak archetype, with the IR shown as the pretty version of the deck's engine card. Expect binder showcase posts to pick up as more product gets opened through late July and August 2026.
Good to knowFrequently asked questions
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