Starmie

Starmie sits at #31 in XY Evolutions, released in November 2016. XY Evolutions is part of the modern English Pokémon TCG era and uses the standard contemporary card frame and rarity tiers. Illustration by Keiji Kinebuchi. Kinebuchi contributed a smaller body of Wizards-era cards but is responsible for several memorable holos. His style runs warmer and more textured than the Sugimori work alongside it. In the games, Starmie evolves from Staryu, which makes it a late-stage card in the line.

The flavor text on the card reads: "This Pokémon has a geometric body. Because of its body, the locals suspect that it is an alien creature." 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.

The fully evolved Staryu. Two starfishes stacked, faceted center jewel. Fossil Rare with steady demand.

XY Evolutions shipped in standard Holofoil and Reverse Holo prints. No 1st Edition; that convention had been retired years before. The set reuses original Base Set artwork inside modern XY-era card frames, which makes the Evolutions Charizard a popular modern reprint chase despite the small price gap to other 2016 cards.

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.

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.