Kingdra ex 131
Quick take
- Cover promo of the Shrouded Fable Kingdra ex Special Illustration Collection box
- Full-art Special Illustration treatment under a plain Promo stamp
- Illustrated by akagi, a fan-favorite art piece of the SV era
- Box-tied distribution, not a booster pull
Collector's readWhat it means for your master set
Set landscapeWhere this card sits in Scarlet & Violet Promo Cards
VariantsCard variants
Holofoil 131/193 · $77.59 — 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 box-exclusive cover promo that punches above its rarity stamp
Kingdra ex 131 is the face card of the Shrouded Fable Kingdra ex Special Illustration Collection box from August 2024. It shipped as one of a pair, with a matching Greninja ex collection box released alongside it.
“Cover promo of the Shrouded Fable Kingdra ex Special Illustration Collection box”
The rarity stamp reads Promo, but the card itself is a full-art Special Illustration style piece. That mismatch is why it surprises people. It looks like a giveaway promo on a checklist and behaves like a chase card in the market.
Supply is tied to the box, not to pack odds. You bought the collection to get it, so the population depends on print runs and how many buyers cracked their boxes instead of keeping them sealed.
By the numbersMarket analysis
This sits well above a typical black star promo. For a card that carries only a Promo stamp, it trades like a mid-tier chase, which is unusual and a big part of its reputation. Within the Shrouded Fable promo group it is one of the higher-value entries.
It held interest better than most box promos after release, helped by the art reputation rather than play. Treat it as art-driven and relatively stable rather than a momentum card. Always check the live price on this page before you buy or sell.
Reasonable as a collector hold, not a speculative flip. The value here is the art and the box-tied supply, both of which are slow-moving. Sealed Kingdra ex collection boxes are the more aggressive bet if you want exposure to the product rather than the single.
Clean copies grade well because the card ships in a box rather than getting shuffled in packs. That high gem rate keeps the graded premium modest unless you hit a perfect 10. The premium is real but not dramatic for this one.
This is not a pack pull, so the usual Scarlet and Violet odds do not apply to it directly. For context on the rest of the set, SV boosters run roughly one Double Rare in five packs, an Illustration Rare around one in twelve, an Ultra Rare around one in fifteen, a Special Illustration Rare around one in ninety, and a Hyper Rare somewhere in the one in three hundred to seven hundred range. Because there are many of each rarity per set, the odds for one specific card stretch much longer than that, often into the hundreds of packs for a single SIR. Kingdra ex 131 sidesteps all of it. You got one guaranteed copy in each Kingdra ex Special Illustration Collection box, so supply tracks box print runs and crack rates rather than pull luck.
Compared to a true Special Illustration Rare pulled from packs, this promo is far easier to obtain on purpose. You just buy the box. Compared to a standard black star promo it is much harder to find in volume and far more wanted, because most promos are throwaway inserts and this one is a deliberate chase piece.
ArtworkWhy the art matters
akagi is a Pokemon TCG illustrator active across the Scarlet and Violet era. The signature shows up on a range of full-art and special illustration work, and this Kingdra is frequently named among their best.
Kingdra surges up through a stylized moonlit sea. Curling waves frame the body, with a full moon and a cool blue-and-silver palette giving the scene a calm, nocturnal feel. The water reads as motion rather than backdrop.
Full-bleed Special Illustration style art on promo card stock, finished in the Shrouded Fable silvery parallel holofoil pattern. The framing pushes the art to the card edges, which is what separates it visually from a standard promo.
The art does the work here. A water Pokemon under a full moon is a simple idea, but the composition and the wave motion lift it. Collectors who do not normally chase promos still chase this one.
BackgroundAbout Kingdra ex 131
Kingdra is the final evolution of the Horsea line, evolving from Seadra via trade since Generation 2. It is a Water and Dragon type in the video games, long liked for its design and its rain-team relevance in competitive play. In the TCG it shows up periodically as an ex or holo without ever being a constant headliner, which makes a standout card like this one land harder with fans of the line.
- ›A clean, well-liked dragon-seahorse design with deep fan loyalty
- ›The Horsea evolution line is a nostalgic favorite from Gen 2
- ›Strong art treatment on this specific card
- ›Box product framing that promoted the Kingdra line directly
- ›Cover Pokemon of the Shrouded Fable Kingdra ex Special Illustration Collection box
- ›Paired release with the Greninja ex Special Illustration Collection for the same set
This promo is a collectible first. The Kingdra ex card runs Royal Orders, which pulls Water Pokemon back from the discard onto the bench, and Hydro Pump, which scales with attached Water Energy. The card had some play, but its lasting demand is driven by the art and the box, not tournament results.
Own it wellCollector guide
Box-included cards avoid pack-shuffle wear, so most copies start clean. Watch the corners and the foil surface on the dark blue background, where any scuff or print line shows immediately. Edge whitening is the most common knock on otherwise nice copies.
Worth grading only if you have a genuinely clean copy, given the modest graded premium and the high gem rate on box cards. A raw near-mint copy is the sensible hold for most collectors. Grade the standout copies, keep the rest raw. Read the grading guide →
Sleeve and toploader at minimum, or slab if graded. Keep it out of direct light to protect the blue-and-silver foil, and store flat to avoid the slight bowing that promo stock can pick up. See the storage guide →
Decide whether you want the single or the box. For the master set you only need the single, and a clean raw copy is usually the smart buy. If you also like the Horsea line foils and sealed product, the full Kingdra ex collection box is the better value play. Always compare against the live price shown on this page before committing. See the singles buying guide →
Modern SV-era promos are far less faked than vintage cards, but still check the foil pattern against a known-good Shrouded Fable card, confirm the texture and the crisp print on the bottom text, and be wary of suspiciously cheap listings. For higher-dollar buys, a graded copy removes the guesswork.
Protect your card
High Chase Score — protect and consider grading. · Amazon affiliate links · Storage guideWord on the streetCommunity sentiment
Strongly positive on the art. Collectors repeatedly call this one of akagi's best and a high point of SV-era promo design. A common reaction is surprise that a card carrying only a Promo stamp commands what it does.
Discussion centers on the artwork and the value-versus-rarity gap, with some collectors saying they actively buy copies because it is their favorite art of the era. It is a quietly respected card rather than a hyped one.
Good to knowFrequently asked questions
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