Pokémon · E-Card
Nidoking
Aquapolis · #150 · Rare Secret · 2003
Listings
No active listings
From
—
Market reference
$600.00
TCGPlayer
Current listings on The Game Traders
No active listings for this card right now.
Card facts
Quick reference for collectors and graders.
- Set position
- 150 / 182
- Release year
- 2003
- Rarity
- Rare Secret
- HP
- 100
- Subtype
- Stage 2
- Evolves from
- Nidorino
- Retreat cost
- 3 energy
- Illustrator
- Hironobu Yoshida
- Pokédex #
- 34
- Series
- E-Card
Card analysis
Computed from this card's stats and text — not a reposted price.
- Primary role
- Ability Engine
- Damage efficiency
- 50 damage
- 12.5 per Energy
- Prize liability
- 1 Prize given up
- Single-prize attacker — favourable prize trades
- Setup
- Stage 2
- Needs its evolution line or Rare Candy to set up
Also does
Strategy & play
How Nidoking plays — derived from its stats and the rules of the game, not an opinion.
- Not a main attacker — its job is Ability-based draw/search. Run it as a consistency hub and protect it, because opponents will target the engine.
- Inflicts Poison — guaranteed chip damage every turn between turns (no coin flip). It stacks with your attack math to cross KO thresholds the attack alone misses.
- Needs Grass / Lightning / Fighting Energy to attack — note its own type is Colorless, so build for the attack cost, not the type.
- Colorless type, weak to Grass ×2 — a Grass attacker doing ≥50 effectively one-shots it.
- A single-prize attacker — prize-trade-positive against ex / V decks that give up two at a time.
- Retreat cost 3 — gets stranded Active if gusted; run Switch / Escape Rope or a Float Stone-style Tool.
How to beat Nidoking
- Exploit its Grass weakness — ≥50 damage one-shots it.
- KO it to choke their draw / search engine.
- Gust it before the evolution is set up.
- Trap it Active — 3 retreat means it can’t escape without help.
- On the receiving end of a condition? Retreat, switch, or evolve to wipe it — conditions only stick to the Active.
Budget alternatives
Cheaper cards that fill a similar role in Standard decks. Reference prices — most-played option first.
More by Hironobu Yoshida
This card was illustrated by Hironobu Yoshida.
Building around Nidoking?
Drop it into the deck builder for a live consistency score, synergy suggestions, and Standard legality checks.
About this card
Poké-Body: Crystal Type
Whenever you attach a Grass, Lightning, or Fire basic Energy card from your hand to Nidoking, Nidoking's type (color) becomes the same as that Energy card type until the end of the turn.
GGCPoison Horn — 20
The Defending Pokémon is now Poisoned.
LLFFRolling Thunder — 50
Flip a coin, If heads, this attack does 10 damage to each of your opponent's Benched Pokémon. If tails, this attack does 10 damage to each of your Benched Pokémon. (Don't apply Weakness or Resistance for Benched Pokémon.)
Weakness:G×2
Retreat cost:CCC
Tournament legality
Current legal status across competitive formats.
Pricing reference
Latest snapshot from the upstream catalog. Actual marketplace prices fluctuate by condition, edition, and grade — use this as a reference, not a quote.
TCGPlayer (USD)
Updated 2026/07/05| Variant | Low | Mid | High | Market | Direct Low |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holofoil | $20,000.99 | $20,000.99 | $20,000.99 | $600.00 | — |
Cardmarket (EUR)
Updated 2025/11/18| Variant | Price |
|---|---|
| 1-day average | €360.00 |
| 7-day average | €239.87 |
| 30-day average | €321.57 |
| Low | €65.00 |
| Trend price | €227.92 |
| Low (excellent+) | €275.00 |
| Reverse holo low | €200.00 |
| reverseHoloAvg1 | €300.00 |
| Reverse holo 7-day | €144.71 |
| reverseHoloSell | €300.00 |
| averageSellPrice | €222.71 |
| Reverse holo 30-day | €105.96 |
| Reverse holo trend | €247.81 |
Frequently asked
How can I tell if my Nidoking is real?
Nidoking is not on our list of commonly-counterfeited cards, but counterfeits exist across every set. Check the back-light test (real cards have a black inner layer that blocks light; counterfeits glow through), the rosette dot pattern on the back under magnification, font weight and kerning on the card name, and the holofoil pattern if applicable. For high-value copies we recommend submitting to a professional grader (PSA, BGS, CGC) for tamper-evident authentication.
What is Nidoking worth?
As of the latest data, the current market reference price for Nidoking is $600.00; there are no active listings on The Game Traders right now. Actual value depends on condition, grading, edition and printing variant — graded high-condition copies (PSA 9–10) trade at a substantial premium over raw copies.
What set is Nidoking from?
Nidoking is from the Pokémon set "Aquapolis" in the E-Card series, released in 2003.
What rarity is Nidoking?
Nidoking is a Rare Secret card in the Aquapolis set.
Other Nidoking printings
Same Pokémon card across other sets and rarities.
