Pokémon · Neo
Dark Ariados
Neo Destiny · #17 · Rare · 2002
Listings
No active listings
From
—
Market reference
$6.06
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
- 17 / 113
- Release year
- 2002
- Rarity
- Rare
- HP
- 60
- Subtype
- Stage 1
- Evolves from
- Spinarak
- Retreat cost
- 2 energy
- Illustrator
- Toshinao Aoki
- Pokédex #
- 168
- Series
- Neo
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 Dark Ariados 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.
- 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 (Poison Bind) 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 Fire ×2 — a Fire 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.
How to beat Dark Ariados
- Exploit its Fire weakness — ≥30 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 Toshinao Aoki
This card was illustrated by Toshinao Aoki.
Building around Dark Ariados?
Drop it into the deck builder for a live consistency score, synergy suggestions, and Standard legality checks.
About this card
"Wherever it goes, it spins a thread that always leads back to its web."
GEntangle
If your opponent has any Benched Pokémon, choose 1 of them and switch it with the Defending Pokémon, then flip a coin. If heads, the new Defending Pokémon is now Paralyzed.
GGGPoison Bind — 30
The Defending Pokémon is now Poisoned. Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokémon can't retreat until the end of your opponent's next turn and if the effect of an attack, Pokémon Power, or Trainer card would change that player's Active Pokémon, that part of the effect does nothing.
Weakness:R×2
Retreat cost:CC
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unlimited | $5.94 | $19.99 | $70.40 | $6.06 | — |
| 1st Edition | $14.99 | $19.63 | $190.00 | $14.71 | — |
Cardmarket (EUR)
Updated 2026/07/01| Variant | Price |
|---|---|
| 1-day average | €4.50 |
| 7-day average | €8.05 |
| 30-day average | €7.84 |
| Low | €0.50 |
| Trend price | €7.14 |
| Low (excellent+) | €3.00 |
| averageSellPrice | €7.39 |
Frequently asked
How can I tell if my Dark Ariados is real?
Dark Ariados 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 Dark Ariados worth?
As of the latest data, the current market reference price for Dark Ariados is $6.06; 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 Dark Ariados from?
Dark Ariados is from the Pokémon set "Neo Destiny" in the Neo series, released in 2002.
What rarity is Dark Ariados?
Dark Ariados is a Rare card in the Neo Destiny set.
Other Dark Ariados printings
Same Pokémon card across other sets and rarities.
