Misty's Starmie · Gym Heroes, what to know.
About the Misty's Starmie card
Misty's Starmie sits at #56 in Gym Heroes, the sixth of the Wizards of the Coast print runs. 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, Misty's Starmie evolves from Misty's Staryu, which makes it a late-stage card in the line.
Print variants and how to spot them
Gym Heroes shipped in 1st Edition (stamped) and Unlimited prints. The Gym sets use the trainer-prefix naming convention (Misty's Tentacruel, Blaine's Charizard, Sabrina's Gengar, and so on). No widely-recognized error prints.
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.
