Raichu · Sword & Shield, what to know.
About the Raichu card
Raichu sits at #66 in Sword & Shield, released in February 2020. Sword & Shield is part of the modern English Pokémon TCG era and uses the standard contemporary card frame and rarity tiers. Illustration by Hasuno. In the games, Raichu evolves from Pikachu, which makes it a late-stage card in the line.
The flavor text on the card reads: "Its long tail serves as a ground to protect itself from its own high-voltage power." 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 Raichu in the Pokémon world
The fully evolved Pikachu. Larger, orange-yellow body, with a long tail. Rare in the wild; usually requires a Thunder Stone evolution. Base Set holo Raichu is one of the famous "where is mine" cards. Its print run had inconsistent centering, and a famously rare prerelease variant exists.
Print variants and how to spot them
Sword & Shield base shipped in Holofoil, Reverse Holo, Full Art (V cards), and Secret Rare. The Secret Rare slot is a numbered card above the standard set total. No 1st Edition; standard modern conventions apply.
Grading and condition
For graded buyers, modern Rares grade easily but the secondary market for graded modern non-holo Rares is thin. The math rarely justifies submission unless the card is a tournament staple or the Pokémon has independent collector traction.
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. Modern Rares are inexpensive in raw and graded condition; submission math rarely works unless the card has independent collector demand.
