Blastoise

Blastoise sits at #2 in Celebrations Classic Collection, released in October 2021. Celebrations Classic Collection 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, Blastoise evolves from Wartortle, which makes it a late-stage card in the line.

The flavor text on the card reads: "A brutal Pokémon with pressurized water jets on its shell. They are used for high-speed tackles." 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 water starter. A heavy turtle with water cannons mounted on its shell. A defensive powerhouse in the games and a frequent tournament pick. The water Charizard equivalent. There is also a famous 1999 Galaxy Star Holo Blastoise presentation prototype which is a separate artifact from the standard print and trades for high six figures.

The Celebrations Classic Collection cards shipped only in Holofoil and only inside special 25th anniversary product. Each card preserves the original artwork and set frame from its source, with a holographic anniversary stamp added to the Pokémon artwork.

Modern Commons grade easily and trade thinly in graded condition. Raw pack-fresh copies are the practical buy for set completion. PSA 10 submissions on a Common from a modern set rarely return enough premium over raw to justify the service fee.

Raw copies of this card are inexpensive enough that the grading math rarely justifies submission unless you have a clearly pack-fresh example. For set completionists, picking up a clean raw copy and sleeving it is the practical move.