Basic Darkness Energy
Quick take
- One of five Hyper Rares in Shrouded Fable and one of two gold energies
- Required for a complete Shrouded Fable master set
- No illustrator credit, the art is a gold-etched Darkness type symbol
- Doubles as a playable card, so deck builders keep demand steady
Collector's readWhat it means for your master set
Set landscapeWhere this card sits in Shrouded Fable
VariantsCard variants
Holofoil 98/64 · $58.20 — 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 gold energy that finishes the Shrouded Fable set
Shrouded Fable was a special September 2024 set built around Pecharunt and the Loyal Three, heavy on dark-type cards. It capped its checklist with five Hyper Rares, and two of them were gold-etched basic energies. This is the Darkness one, numbered 98.
“One of five Hyper Rares in Shrouded Fable and one of two gold energies”
It matters for one simple reason. If you are building the full set, you have to own it. Hyper Rares are the secret-numbered cards that sit past the visible set total, so a complete master set is not done until 98 and 99 are both in the binder. The Darkness energy is usually the one people grab first because it is the cheaper of the two and easy to find loose.
Gold energies also have a following of their own. Players slot them into real decks to make a build look sharp, and that keeps a floor of demand under them that a pure collector chase card does not always have.
By the numbersMarket analysis
This sits at the lower end of the Shrouded Fable Hyper Rare row. The gold Pecharunt ex is the set's headline gold card and trades above it. Among the two gold energies, Darkness tends to carry a small premium over the Metal version.
It has tracked the broader Shrouded Fable market since the 2024 release, easing off the launch spike and settling into a stable collector-and-player price. No sharp swings. This is the kind of card that drifts rather than spikes.
Treat it as a completion piece, not a growth play. The value is real but modest, and gold energies rarely run the way a gold ex or a Special Illustration Rare can. Buy it because you want the set finished, not because you expect it to climb.
Graded copies carry a premium over raw, but on a card at this value the gap is usually thin once you account for grading cost. PSA 10s move, yet the spread does not justify grading a single mid-value energy unless it rides along with a larger submission.
In Scarlet and Violet sets, any Hyper Rare lands roughly once every 300 to 700 packs, and that figure is the odds for hitting any Hyper Rare at all. Pulling this specific gold Darkness energy runs much longer, since the Hyper Rare slot is shared across all five cards in that tier. For comparison, a Double Rare comes about 1 in 5 packs, an Illustration Rare about 1 in 12, an Ultra Rare about 1 in 15, and a Special Illustration Rare about 1 in 90. The Hyper Rare is the genuinely hard pull of the box. Practically, most collectors buy this one as a single rather than wait on the pull.
Hyper Rare is the rarest standard tier in a Scarlet and Violet set, sitting above Special Illustration Rare. Odds for one specific card in any rarity run much longer than the per-tier rate, because there are several cards in each tier, which is part of why a single Hyper Rare is so much easier to buy than to chase.
ArtworkWhy the art matters
Gold textured energy cards do not carry an illustrator credit. There is no signature in the corner and no name attached to the card. These are produced as a graphic treatment of the existing type symbol rather than original illustration, which is standard across the gold energy line in the Scarlet and Violet era.
The card is a gilded Darkness type symbol on a gold background, with the fine etched foil texture that gives Hyper Rares their diamond-dust shimmer when you tilt them. No Pokemon, no scene, just the type icon rendered in gold. Three gold stars sit in the corner to mark the Hyper Rare rarity.
It uses the gold etched foil pattern, a finely scored holo layer that catches light across the whole face of the card. The texture is the main visual draw since there is no illustration to carry it. Edges and corners show wear easily on gold cards, so condition is worth checking closely.
The gold treatment is what makes a plain resource card collectible. An energy you would otherwise pull from a theme deck becomes a Hyper Rare you have to chase, and that contrast is the whole appeal.
BackgroundAbout Basic Darkness Energy
There is no Pokemon on this card. It is a Basic Darkness Energy, one of the core resource cards every dark-type deck runs. The gold version exists because the Scarlet and Violet era turned basic energies into occasional Hyper Rare chase cards, and Shrouded Fable, a heavily dark-themed set, was a natural place to print a gold Darkness energy.
- ›Darkness energy fits the set's Pecharunt and Loyal Three dark-type theme
- ›Gold energies are a recurring favorite for dressing up decks
- ›It is a required slot in the master set
- ›Lower cost than the set's gold Pokemon cards
- ›Shrouded Fable (2024), card 98, as a gold Hyper Rare
- ›Part of the gold basic energy line that runs across multiple Scarlet and Violet sets
As a basic Darkness Energy it is fully playable and functionally identical to any other Darkness energy. Players who own one often run it purely for the look, since the gameplay is the same as a common energy.
Own it wellCollector guide
Gold cards show edge and corner wear fast because the gilded surface chips and whitens at the borders. Check the four corners under light and look for fingerprints on the foil, which mark easily. Pack-fresh corners are the main thing separating a clean copy from an average one.
Skip grading for a binder copy. The value does not support a solo submission once fees and turnaround are factored in. If you pulled a pristine one and are already sending a batch, ride it along. Otherwise keep it raw. Read the grading guide →
Sleeve it and stand it in a binder page or a top loader. Avoid loose stacking with other cards, since the gold foil scratches against rougher card backs. A penny sleeve plus a top loader is plenty for a card at this value. See the storage guide →
Buy it as a single rather than chasing the pull. It is one of the cheaper boxes to check on the Hyper Rare row, so grab a clean raw copy early when you are filling the set. Confirm it is the Darkness 98 and not the Metal 99 before you pay, since listings sometimes mix the two. See the singles buying guide →
For a modern Scarlet and Violet gold card, fakes are far less of a worry than vintage, but a few checks still help. Tilt it and confirm the gold etched texture catches light evenly across the face, confirm the three gold stars and the 098/064 number, and feel for the fine surface texture a flat reprint will not have. If a deal looks too cheap for a Hyper Rare, slow down.
Protect your card
High Chase Score — protect and consider grading. · Amazon affiliate links · Storage guideWord on the streetCommunity sentiment
Collectors treat it as a solid, low-drama completion piece. It does not generate the hype the gold Pecharunt ex does, but people are happy to own a gold energy and it gets steady positive mention as an affordable Hyper Rare.
Most chatter around Shrouded Fable Hyper Rares centers on Pecharunt ex. The gold energies come up mainly in master-set and deck-bling discussions rather than as standalone chase cards.
Good to knowFrequently asked questions
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