Arcanine

Arcanine sits at #18 in XY Evolutions, released in November 2016. XY Evolutions is part of the modern English Pokémon TCG era and uses the standard contemporary card frame and rarity tiers. Illustration by Ken Sugimori. Sugimori is the lead character designer of the Pokémon franchise itself. His TCG illustrations carry a tighter, more on-model feel because they are by the same hand that defined how the Pokémon look in the games. In the games, Arcanine evolves from Growlithe, which makes it a late-stage card in the line.

The flavor text on the card reads: "A Pokémon that is described in Chinese legends. It is said to race at an unbelievable speed." Pokédex entries from this era are short and often quirky, written by the original Japanese localization team for a specific stat-block layout that no longer exists in modern cards.

The fully evolved Growlithe via Fire Stone. Large striped fire-dog silhouette. Designated a "Legendary" Pokémon in lore despite not being a true Legendary in mechanics. Base Set Arcanine is a Rare (non-holo) and one of the more sought-after non-holos in the set. Raw PSA 10s have appreciated notably.

XY Evolutions shipped in standard Holofoil and Reverse Holo prints. No 1st Edition; that convention had been retired years before. The set reuses original Base Set artwork inside modern XY-era card frames, which makes the Evolutions Charizard a popular modern reprint chase despite the small price gap to other 2016 cards.

For graded buyers, modern Rares grade easily but the secondary market for graded modern non-holo Rares is thin. The math rarely justifies submission unless the card is a tournament staple or the Pokémon has independent collector traction.

For raw purchases of this card, verify centering by eye, edge whitening on all four sides, and surface scratches under angled light. Modern Rares are inexpensive in raw and graded condition; submission math rarely works unless the card has independent collector demand.