Pokémon · Base
Nidoking
Base Set · #11 · Rare Holo · 1999
Base Set holo; counterfeited primarily in 1st Edition.
Listings
No active listings
From
—
Market reference
$38.79
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
- 11 / 102
- Release year
- 1999
- Rarity
- Rare Holo
- HP
- 90
- Subtype
- Stage 2
- Evolves from
- Nidorino
- Retreat cost
- 3 energy
- Illustrator
- Ken Sugimori
- Pokédex #
- 34
- Series
- Base
Card analysis
Computed from this card's stats and text — not a reposted price.
- Primary role
- Status Conditions
- Damage efficiency
- 30 damage
- 10 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.
- 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.
- Its main attack (Thrash) needs 3 Energy — a turn-3 swing on manual attachment — you’ll want Energy acceleration to power it up on time.
- Needs Grass Energy to attack — your line must supply that color.
- Grass type, weak to Psychic ×2 — a Psychic attacker doing ≥45 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 Psychic weakness — ≥45 damage one-shots it.
- 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 Ken Sugimori
This card was illustrated by Ken Sugimori.
Building around Nidoking?
Drop it into the deck builder for a live consistency score, synergy suggestions, and Standard legality checks.
About this card
"Uses its powerful tail in battle to smash, constrict, then break its prey's bones."
GCCThrash — 30+
Flip a coin. If heads, this attack does 30 damage plus 10 more damage; if tails, this attack does 30 damage and Nidoking does 10 damage to itself.
GGGToxic — 20
The Defending Pokémon is now Poisoned. It now takes 20 Poison damage instead of 10 after each player's turn (even if it was already Poisoned).
Weakness:P×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 2026/07/07| Variant | Low | Mid | High | Market | Direct Low |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holofoil | $24.00 | $32.54 | $510.17 | $38.79 | $379.99 |
Cardmarket (EUR)
Updated 2026/07/01| Variant | Price |
|---|---|
| 1-day average | €445.00 |
| 7-day average | €160.70 |
| 30-day average | €108.76 |
| Low | €50.00 |
| Trend price | €136.80 |
| Low (excellent+) | €99.99 |
| averageSellPrice | €197.99 |
Frequently asked
How can I tell if my Nidoking is real?
Nidoking is classified as medium counterfeit risk: Base Set holo; counterfeited primarily in 1st Edition. 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 $38.79; 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 "Base Set" in the Base series, released in 1999.
What rarity is Nidoking?
Nidoking is a Rare Holo card in the Base Set set.
Other Nidoking printings
Same Pokémon card across other sets and rarities.
