Dark Wartortle · Legendary Collection, what to know.
About the Dark Wartortle card
Dark Wartortle sits at #39 in Legendary Collection, the twelfth of the Wizards of the Coast print runs. Illustration by Kagemaru Himeno. Himeno is one of the most-recognized vintage TCG illustrators. Her work shows up more in Neo-era and later sets, but earlier appearances carry a small premium with art-focused collectors. In the games, Dark Wartortle evolves from Squirtle, which makes it a late-stage card in the line.
The flavor text on the card reads: "A Pokémon with a negative attitude, it hides in its shell whenever it's in a bad mood—which is often." 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.
Print variants and how to spot them
Legendary Collection shipped in Standard and Reverse Holo prints. The Reverse Holo treatment was new with this set: foil applied to the card background rather than the artwork window. There is no 1st Edition, since Wizards retired the stamp by this point in the production timeline.
Grading and condition
Uncommons grade more forgivingly than Rare Holos but the same centering and edge requirements apply. Raw copies in pack-fresh condition are easy to find. A PSA 10 submission on a clean Uncommon is a low-cost way to learn how the grading process scores Wizards-era cardstock.
If you are buying this card
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.
