Pokémon · E-Card
Poliwhirl
Expedition Base Set · #89 · Uncommon · 2002
Listings
No active listings
From
—
Market reference
$21.02
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
- 89 / 165
- Release year
- 2002
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- HP
- 70
- Subtype
- Stage 1
- Evolves from
- Poliwag
- Evolves to
- Poliwrath, Politoed
- Retreat cost
- 1 energy
- Illustrator
- Yuka Morii
- Pokédex #
- 61
- Series
- E-Card
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 1
- One evolution step from a Basic
Also does
Strategy & play
How Poliwhirl plays — derived from its stats and the rules of the game, not an opinion.
- Inflicts Paralysis — the Defending Pokémon can’t attack or retreat for a turn. A reliable one-turn lock; chain it to stall the opponent out.
- Its main attack (Bubblebeam) 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 Lightning ×2 — a Lightning attacker doing ≥35 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 Lightning weakness — ≥35 damage one-shots it.
- Gust it before the evolution is set up.
- 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 Yuka Morii
This card was illustrated by Yuka Morii.
Building around Poliwhirl?
Drop it into the deck builder for a live consistency score, synergy suggestions, and Standard legality checks.
About this card
CCPunch — 20
WCCBubblebeam — 30
Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokémon is now Paralyzed.
Weakness:L×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 2026/07/05| Variant | Low | Mid | High | Market | Direct Low |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Normal | $19.99 | $30.28 | $192.34 | $21.02 | — |
| Reverse Holofoil | $70.00 | $239.99 | $699.90 | $53.93 | — |
Cardmarket (EUR)
Updated 2026/02/01| Variant | Price |
|---|---|
| 1-day average | €0.39 |
| 7-day average | €3.08 |
| 30-day average | €3.82 |
| Low | €0.15 |
| Trend price | €3.56 |
| Low (excellent+) | €2.00 |
| Reverse holo low | €1.20 |
| reverseHoloAvg1 | €2.10 |
| Reverse holo 7-day | €9.48 |
| reverseHoloSell | €9.95 |
| averageSellPrice | €4.68 |
| Reverse holo 30-day | €7.23 |
| Reverse holo trend | €9.13 |
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 $21.02; 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 "Expedition Base Set" in the E-Card series, released in 2002.
What rarity is Poliwhirl?
Poliwhirl is a Uncommon card in the Expedition Base Set set.
Other Poliwhirl printings
Same Pokémon card across other sets and rarities.
