Poliwrath · Skyridge, what to know.
About the Poliwrath card
Poliwrath sits at #26 in Skyridge, the fifteenth of the Wizards of the Coast print runs. Illustration by Naoyo Kimura. In the games, Poliwrath evolves from Poliwhirl, which makes it a late-stage card in the line.
About Poliwrath in the Pokémon world
The Water-Fighting final form of the Poliwag line via Water Stone. Heavy muscled silhouette. Base Set holo Poliwrath is one of the original 16 holos. Quietly traded, with PSA 10 1st Edition appreciating slowly.
Print variants and how to spot them
Skyridge shipped in Standard, Reverse Holo, and Crystal Type prints. Crystal Type cards are rare alternate-art holos with a colorless rainbow holofoil pattern, pulled at significantly lower rates than standard holos. They are the marquee chase for this set.
Grading and condition
For graded buyers, non-holo Rares are less punishing on surface but no easier on centering. PSA 10 populations for Wizards-era Rares are smaller than the Rare Holo populations in some cases because the cards were less protected and more frequently played. Edge whitening from sleeves is the typical grade-cap on raw copies.
If you are buying this card
For raw purchases of this card, verify centering by eye, edge whitening on all four sides, and surface scratches under angled light. Non-holo Rares from the Wizards era are cheap enough that PSA 10 submissions usually do not break the math if you have a clean candidate.
