Dragonair · Obsidian Flames, what to know.
About the Dragonair card
Dragonair sits at #158 in Obsidian Flames, released in August 2023. Obsidian Flames is part of the modern English Pokémon TCG era and uses the standard contemporary card frame and rarity tiers. Illustration by Misa Tsutsui. In the games, Dragonair evolves from Dratini, which makes it a late-stage card in the line.
The flavor text on the card reads: "They say that if it emits an aura from its whole body, the weather will begin to change instantly." 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.
About Dragonair in the Pokémon world
The middle Dratini stage. Long serpentine body with crystal orbs. Base Set Uncommon. Quietly beautiful art makes it a fan favorite.
Print variants and how to spot them
Obsidian Flames shipped in Holofoil, Reverse Holo, ex, Full Art, Special Illustration, and Hyper Rare. The Charizard ex Special Illustration Rare (#215) is the marquee modern chase from the set and a defining card of the early Scarlet & Violet era.
Grading and condition
Modern Uncommons grade cleanly. The secondary market for graded modern Uncommons is mostly set-completionist driven; standalone demand is thin. Useful as a first grading submission to learn the process.
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.
