1st Edition
How to spot it: 1st Edition stamp in the bottom-left of the artwork frame.
First print window; smaller run than Unlimited.
01Card Stats
Stage 2 (evolves from Wartortle)
HP
100
TypeWater
RarityRare Holo
IllustratorKimiya Masago
WeaknessLightning ×2
Retreat●●
SetExpedition Base Set
Released2002
02Editions and Print Runs
Printed in the WotC era when 1st Edition and Unlimited distinctions still applied.
Unlimited
How to spot it: No 1st Edition stamp; standard print frame.
Most common version of this card.
04Variants and Foiling
- Rarity tiers
- Rare Holo
- Foiling
- Holo version with the holo pattern applied to the artwork. Reverse-holo parallel exists with the holo pattern applied to the background.
- Alt art / specials
- No full-art, secret rare, or alternate-art version documented for this print.
05Language and Regional Versions
- English
- Standard English release.
- Japanese
- Released in the equivalent Japanese set.
- European
- Localized European prints exist with translated text.
- Other
- No documented language-exclusive errors or major regional variants.
06Current Market Value
| Holo | ~$197 raw/ungraded — verified against PriceCharting eBay-sold prices (May 2026). PSA 10 gem-mint copies ~$14,762. |
|---|
Verified May 2026 from PriceCharting realized (eBay-sold) data; raw/ungraded headline, graded copies higher. Vintage 2002 Expedition holo; notoriously tough to grade — PSA 10 ~$14,762.
Looking to buy this card?
These links may earn HoloHaul a small commission at no extra cost to you.
07Why Collectors Want It
- Expedition was the first e-Reader set; its dot-code borders chip and whiten easily, so Near Mint raw copies are far scarcer than the print run implies.
- Raw NM copies realize ~$197 (PriceCharting realized eBay-sold, May 2026), but graded gem-mint is extraordinarily scarce — PSA 10 ~$14,762 — because the e-Reader borders rarely survive clean.
- A foundational early-2000s holo for any Blastoise or Kanto Water-starter master set.
- Condition sensitivity means graded gem-mint examples command a steep premium over the raw range.
08Competitive Playability
Tier: None
Stage 2 Blastoise with 100 HP; top attack around 40 damage. Functions as an evolution-chain piece rather than a tournament attacker.
09Card Moves and Abilities
Ability: Jet Stream
Once during your turn (before your attack), if Blastoise is your Active Pokémon, you may flip a coin. If heads, discard an Energy card attached to Blastoise, if any. Then, if there are any Energy cards attached to the Defending Pokémon, choose 1 of them and discard it. This power can't be used if Blastoise is affected by a Special Condition.
Energy Cannon
Does 40 damage plus 10 more damage for each Energy attached to Blastoise but not used to pay for this attack's Energy Cost. You can't add more than 20 damage in this way.
- Weakness
- Lightning ×2
- Retreat cost
- 2
10Grading and Population
PSA 10 estimate: WotC-era Blastoise PSA 10 populations vary; small numbers across most sets.
Expedition's e-Reader borders are downgrade-prone (edge whitening, centering), so gem-mint examples are scarce and trade far above the ~$197 raw NM figure — PSA 10 ~$14,762 (PriceCharting realized, May 2026).
Other graders: BGS and CGC also grade vintage Pokemon; PSA dominates secondary-market liquidity.