Pokémon · Base
Poliwhirl
Base Set · #38 · Uncommon · 1999
Listings
No active listings
From
—
Market reference
$1.66
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
- 38 / 102
- Release year
- 1999
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- HP
- 60
- Subtype
- Stage 1
- Evolves from
- Poliwag
- Evolves to
- Poliwrath, Politoed
- Retreat cost
- 1 energy
- Illustrator
- Ken Sugimori
- Pokédex #
- 61
- Series
- Base
Card analysis
Computed from this card's stats and text — not a reposted price.
- Primary role
- Attacker
- Damage efficiency
- 30 damage
- 10 per Energy
- Prize liability
- 1 Prize given up
- Single-prize attacker — favourable prize trades
- Setup
- Stage 1
- One evolution step from a Basic
Strategy & play
How Poliwhirl plays — derived from its stats and the rules of the game, not an opinion.
- Its main attack (Doubleslap) needs 3 Energy — a turn-3 swing on manual attachment — you’ll want Energy acceleration to power it up on time.
- Needs Water Energy to attack — your line must supply that color.
- Water type, weak to Grass ×2 — a Grass attacker doing ≥30 effectively one-shots it.
- A single-prize attacker — prize-trade-positive against ex / V decks that give up two at a time.
- A Stage 1 — one step up from Poliwag; doesn’t help your opening hand, but quick to set up.
How to beat Poliwhirl
- Exploit its Grass weakness — ≥30 damage one-shots it.
- Gust it before the evolution is set up.
More by Ken Sugimori
This card was illustrated by Ken Sugimori.
Building around Poliwhirl?
Drop it into the deck builder for a live consistency score, synergy suggestions, and Standard legality checks.
About this card
"Capable of living in or out of water. When out of water, it sweats to keep its body slimy."
WWAmnesia
Choose 1 of the Defending Pokémon's attacks. That Pokémon can't use that attack during your opponent's next turn.
WWCDoubleslap — 30×
Flip 2 coins. This attack does 30 damage times the number of heads.
Weakness:G×2
Retreat cost:C
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Normal | $0.20 | $1.00 | $9,999.00 | $1.66 | $0.78 |
Cardmarket (EUR)
Updated 2026/07/01| Variant | Price |
|---|---|
| 1-day average | €3.80 |
| 7-day average | €1.52 |
| 30-day average | €2.37 |
| Low | €0.02 |
| Trend price | €2.07 |
| Low (excellent+) | €0.10 |
| reverseHoloAvg1 | €15.00 |
| Reverse holo 7-day | €22.54 |
| averageSellPrice | €3.33 |
| Reverse holo 30-day | €22.54 |
| Reverse holo trend | €43.68 |
Frequently asked
How can I tell if my Poliwhirl is real?
Poliwhirl 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 Poliwhirl worth?
As of the latest data, the current market reference price for Poliwhirl is $1.66; 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 Poliwhirl from?
Poliwhirl is from the Pokémon set "Base Set" in the Base series, released in 1999.
What rarity is Poliwhirl?
Poliwhirl is a Uncommon card in the Base Set set.
Other Poliwhirl printings
Same Pokémon card across other sets and rarities.
