Pokémon · Base
Zapdos
Base Set · #16 · Rare Holo · 1999
Base Set holo; counterfeited primarily in 1st Edition.
Listings
No active listings
From
—
Market reference
$53.55
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
- 16 / 102
- Release year
- 1999
- Rarity
- Rare Holo
- HP
- 90
- Subtype
- Basic
- Retreat cost
- 3 energy
- Illustrator
- Ken Sugimori
- Pokédex #
- 145
- Series
- Base
Card analysis
Computed from this card's stats and text — not a reposted price.
- Primary role
- Attacker
- Damage efficiency
- 100 damage
- 25 per Energy
- Prize liability
- 1 Prize given up
- Single-prize attacker — favourable prize trades
- Setup
- Basic
- Plays straight down — no evolution needed
Strategy & play
How Zapdos plays — derived from its stats and the rules of the game, not an opinion.
- A Basic — hits the board turn 1 with no evolution tax.
- Its main attack (Thunderbolt) needs 4 Energy — a turn-4 swing on manual attachment — you’ll want Energy acceleration to power it up on time.
- Needs Lightning Energy to attack — your line must supply that color.
- 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 Zapdos
- Trap it Active — 3 retreat means it can’t escape without help.
Competitive performance
From real Standard tournament decks over the last 180 days.
- Meta inclusion
- 0% of decks
- 1.07 copies on average · 14 decks
Plays well with
Cards most often run alongside this one in tournament decks over the last 180 days — ranked by how distinctive the pairing is.
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 Zapdos?
Drop it into the deck builder for a live consistency score, synergy suggestions, and Standard legality checks.
About this card
"A legendary bird Pokémon said to appear from clouds while wielding enormous lightning bolts."
LLLCThunder — 60
Flip a coin. If tails, Zapdos does 30 damage to itself.
LLLLThunderbolt — 100
Discard all Energy cards attached to Zapdos in order to use this attack.
Resistance:F-30
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 | $29.61 | $41.99 | $129.96 | $53.55 | $79.98 |
Cardmarket (EUR)
Updated 2026/07/01| Variant | Price |
|---|---|
| 1-day average | €11.24 |
| 7-day average | €15.90 |
| 30-day average | €32.74 |
| Low | €4.00 |
| Trend price | €21.46 |
| Low (excellent+) | €25.00 |
| reverseHoloAvg1 | €13.17 |
| Reverse holo 7-day | €21.35 |
| averageSellPrice | €38.45 |
| Reverse holo 30-day | €21.65 |
| Reverse holo trend | €16.02 |
Frequently asked
How can I tell if my Zapdos is real?
Zapdos 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 Zapdos worth?
As of the latest data, the current market reference price for Zapdos is $53.55; 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 Zapdos from?
Zapdos is from the Pokémon set "Base Set" in the Base series, released in 1999.
What rarity is Zapdos?
Zapdos is a Rare Holo card in the Base Set set.
Other Zapdos printings
Same Pokémon card across other sets and rarities.
