Raikou

Raikou sits at #13 in Neo Revelation, the tenth 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.

The flavor text on the card reads: "The rain clouds it carries let it fire thunderbolts at will. They say that it descended with lightning." 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.

An Electric Legendary. One of the three Legendary Beasts of Johto. Neo Revelation holo Raikou is the electric Legendary Beast chase.

Neo Revelation shipped in 1st Edition, Unlimited, and Shining prints. Shining cards are an entirely separate rarity tier above standard holo with an alternate-color holo pattern. Shining cards are pulled at significantly lower rates than standard holos and are a defining feature of the late Neo era.

For graded buyers, the holo window is where most grade points are won or lost. Surface scratches and print misregistration on the foil are common, and centering on Wizards-era holos was inconsistent enough that PSA 10s remain genuinely scarce a quarter century later. The PSA 9 to PSA 10 price gap on this kind of card is wide enough that pre-grading inspection under a loupe is well worth the time.

If you are buying this card, the order of operations is variant first, then condition. Verify the print variant (1st Edition stamp visible, drop shadow on the right edge if Unlimited) before you negotiate on price. For raw purchases above $500, insist on photo or video showing the holo surface under direct light from a 45-degree angle so you can spot hairlines. The "live market price" on this page tracks recent eBay sales, but the actual transaction price will vary by variant, grade, and how recently a comparable sale closed.