Pokémon · Sun & Moon

Malamar

Sun & Moon

SM Black Star Promos · #SM117 · Promo · 2017

Listings

No active listings

From

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Market reference

$5.42

TCGPlayer

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Current listings on The Game Traders

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Card facts

Quick reference for collectors and graders.

Set position: SM117 / 250
Release year: 2017
Rarity: Promo
HP: 90
Subtype: Stage 1
Evolves from: Inkay
Retreat cost: 2 energy
Illustrator: Shin Nagasawa
Pokédex #: 687
Series: Sun & Moon

Card analysis

Computed from this card's stats and text — not a reposted price.

Primary role: Ability Engine
Damage efficiency: 60 damage; 20 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

AttackerEnergy AccelerationRecovery

Strategy & play

How Malamar plays — derived from its stats and the rules of the game, not an opinion.

Not a main attacker — its job is Ability-based draw/search. Run it as a consistency hub and protect it, because opponents will target the engine.
Needs Psychic Energy to attack — your line must supply that color.
Psychic type, weak to Psychic ×2 — a Psychic attacker doing ≥45 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 Inkay; doesn’t help your opening hand, but quick to set up.

How to beat Malamar

Exploit its Psychic weakness — ≥45 damage one-shots it.
KO it to choke their draw / search engine.
Gust it before the evolution is set up.

Competitive performance

From real Standard tournament decks over the last 180 days.

Meta inclusion: 0% of decks; 1.5 copies on average · 2 decks

Budget alternatives

Cheaper cards that fill a similar role in Standard decks. Reference prices — most-played option first.

Dudunsparce

$0.86 · in 19% of decks

Mega Kangaskhan ex

$0.89 · in 14% of decks

Teal Mask Ogerpon ex

$2.88 · in 9% of decks

N's Zoroark ex

$1.11 · in 7% of decks

More by Shin Nagasawa

This card was illustrated by Shin Nagasawa.

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Building around Malamar?

Drop it into the deck builder for a live consistency score, synergy suggestions, and Standard legality checks.

Open the Deck Builder →

About this card

HP: 90Type:PPsychicSubtype: Stage 1Evolves from: Inkay

"It lures prey close with hypnotic motions, then wraps its tentacles around it before finishing it off with digestive fluids."

Ability: Psychic Recharge

Once during your turn (before your attack), you may attach a Psychic Energy card from your discard pile to 1 of your Benched Pokémon.

PPCPsychic Sphere — 60

Weakness:P×2

Retreat cost:CC

Tournament legality

Current legal status across competitive formats.

expandedLegal

unlimitedLegal

Upcoming events

View calendar →

Tournaments and releases relevant to Malamar or SM Black Star Promos.

tournament

Nightshades Expanded Fun

expanded

Sep 4, 2026

Recent tournament results

View calendar →

Tournaments from the past 30 days where Malamar was legal.

tournament

The Wild Area Expanded #10 - 16 Codes

expanded

last week

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 2026/07/18

Variant	Low	Mid	High	Market	Direct Low
Holofoil	$3.60	$6.88	$35.00	$5.42	$9.99

Cardmarket (EUR)

Updated 2025/11/21

Variant	Price
1-day average	€4.00
7-day average	€8.38
30-day average	€8.77
Low	€4.50
Trend price	€6.49
Low (excellent+)	€4.50
reverseHoloAvg1	€7.95
Reverse holo 7-day	€10.78
averageSellPrice	€9.02
Reverse holo 30-day	€7.54
Reverse holo trend	€8.49

Frequently asked

How can I tell if my Malamar is real?

Malamar 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 Malamar worth?

As of the latest data, the current market reference price for Malamar is $5.42; 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 Malamar from?

Malamar is from the Pokémon set "SM Black Star Promos" in the Sun & Moon series, released in 2017.

What rarity is Malamar?

Malamar is a Promo card in the SM Black Star Promos set.

Malamar in the news

Recent posts from card communities and trading-card press mentioning Malamar.

Mega Malamar is set to make its Pokémon TCG debut

General

Steam News

Mega Malamar is set to make its Pokémon TCG debut

Malamar is an incredibly popular Pokémon, in fact, for a few weeks last year it was maybe the most beloved Pokémon in the world. Well, now Malamar fans can rejoice, because a recent batch of reveals show that Mega Malamar is finally due to make its Pokémon TCG debut in the upcoming Delta Reign...

Jul 4, 2026