Pokémon · HeartGold & SoulSilver
Nidoking
HS—Triumphant · #6 · Rare Holo · 2010
Listings
No active listings
From
—
Market reference
$12.39
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
- 6 / 103
- Release year
- 2010
- Rarity
- Rare Holo
- HP
- 140
- Subtype
- Stage 2
- Evolves from
- Nidorino
- Retreat cost
- 3 energy
- Illustrator
- match
- Pokédex #
- 34
- Series
- HeartGold & SoulSilver
Card analysis
Computed from this card's stats and text — not a reposted price.
- Primary role
- Status Conditions
- Damage efficiency
- 80 damage
- 20 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 (Venomous Horn) needs 4 Energy — a turn-4 swing on manual attachment — you’ll want Energy acceleration to power it up on time.
- Needs Fighting Energy to attack — your line must supply that color.
- Fighting type, weak to Water ×2 — a Water attacker doing ≥70 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 Water weakness — ≥70 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.
Building around Nidoking?
Drop it into the deck builder for a live consistency score, synergy suggestions, and Standard legality checks.
About this card
"Its tail is thick and powerful. If it binds an enemy, it can render the victim helpless quite easily."
Poké-Body: Pheromone Stamina
Nidoking gets +20 HP for each Nidoqueen you have in play.
FFCCVenomous Horn — 80
The Defending Pokémon is now Poisoned.
Weakness:W×2
Resistance:L-20
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 2026/07/01| Variant | Low | Mid | High | Market | Direct Low |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holofoil | $12.39 | $16.98 | $119.77 | $12.39 | — |
| Reverse Holofoil | $12.00 | $99.99 | $399.90 | $9.56 | — |
Cardmarket (EUR)
Updated 2026/07/01| Variant | Price |
|---|---|
| 1-day average | €7.00 |
| 7-day average | €4.28 |
| 30-day average | €3.02 |
| Low | €0.09 |
| Trend price | €3.53 |
| Low (excellent+) | €0.20 |
| Reverse holo low | €0.50 |
| reverseHoloAvg1 | €3.00 |
| Reverse holo 7-day | €4.18 |
| reverseHoloSell | €4.18 |
| averageSellPrice | €3.47 |
| Reverse holo 30-day | €4.91 |
| Reverse holo trend | €4.51 |
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 $12.39; 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 "HS—Triumphant" in the HeartGold & SoulSilver series, released in 2010.
What rarity is Nidoking?
Nidoking is a Rare Holo card in the HS—Triumphant set.
Other Nidoking printings
Same Pokémon card across other sets and rarities.
