Fans of the Pokemon TCG are impressed by a full-art Magikarp card creeping into the top 10 most expensive Pokemon card list for 2023 alongside expected favorites like Pikachu with Felt Hat and Iono.
TCGPlayer is one of the fastest-growing and largest marketplaces in the world right now, so their Pokemon TCG lists are hotly anticipated. Fans were shocked to see the original Charizard on the charts after its rerelease in the Pokemon TCG Classic Collection, as well as rather bizarrely, a Magikarp.
As one Pokemon fan put it, “Obsidian Flames Zard getting outperformed by Paldea Evolved Magikarp is embarrassing.”
Full art Magikarp among most expensive Pokemon TCG cards of 2023
The hapless Water-type Pokemon is known for using its signature 0 damage output move, Splash. Seeing a $50 price tag on it brings back memories of the Pokemon anime when a salesman duped the innocent James into overpaying for one, on several occasions.
However, the fish is back, fresh from the shores of the Paldea Evolved expansion to Scarlet & Violet. The Gyarados pre-evo has intricate details, and, as a full art, is an exceptionally rare pull.
It stands to reason then that the card has been sitting around the $50 mark and hasn’t dipped under $44 since its launch in June 2023.
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Other expensive 2023 cards were missing from this list, as always there are World Championship’s attendee and staff cards like this Beach Resort card going for $1200. They didn’t make it onto this top 10 list, but then again, such cards are prized possessions and are rarely listed for sale.
This Secret Magikarp however, is unplayable except for the most skilled battlers. It is sure to keep appreciating after all the hype for the reprints and new cards dies down.
The number one spot went to the card that caused the most drama in 2023, Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat from a collaboration with the Van Gogh Museum. It certainly lacks the peaceful vibes that Magikarp brings to the table, however, the card will go down in history for the chaos that marred its launch.
At $50, this Magikarp is a bargain – after all, according to the Magikarp salesman in the Generation 1 games, the secret fish sells for 500 PokeDollars.