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 1 (evolves from Pikachu)
HP
70
TypeLightning
RarityRare Secret
IllustratorMitsuhiro Arita
WeaknessFighting ×2
Retreat●
SetTeam Rocket
Released2000
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 Secret
- Foiling
- Holo version with the holo pattern applied to the artwork.
- Alt art / specials
- Secret rare (numbered beyond the printed set total) — the chase variant of this set.
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 | 1st Edition ~$189 raw · PSA 10 ~$7,403; Unlimited ~$89 · PSA 10 ~$3,210 (PriceCharting realized, May 2026) |
|---|
Dark Raichu — the first Secret Rare ever printed in the Pokémon TCG (#83 in an 82-card set).
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07Why Collectors Want It
- A landmark of TCG history: Team Rocket (2000) was printed with 82 cards, but Dark Raichu was slipped in as #83 — the original "secret" card that launched the secret-rare tradition.
- Part of Team Rocket’s "Dark Pokémon" theme; its lore and first-of-its-kind status make it one of the most storied commons-set chase cards in the hobby.
- A clear edition split: 1st Edition copies have realized around $189 raw, with Unlimited around $89.
- A must-have for Team Rocket set builders and anyone collecting Pokémon TCG "firsts".
08Competitive Playability
Tier: None
Stage 1 Raichu with 70 HP; top attack around 30 damage. Functions as an evolution-chain piece rather than a tournament attacker.
09Card Moves and Abilities
Surprise Thunder
Flip a coin. If heads, flip another coin. If the second coin is heads, this attack does 20 damage to each of your opponent's Benched Pokémon. If the second coin is tails, this attack does 10 damage to each of your opponent's Benched Pokémon. (Don't apply Weakness and Resistance for Benched Pokémon.)
- Weakness
- Fighting ×2
- Retreat cost
- 1
10Grading and Population
PSA 10 estimate: WotC-era Raichu PSA 10 populations vary; small numbers across most sets.
Despite a modest raw price, PSA 10 copies are a serious chase thanks to thin gem-mint populations: 1st Edition has realized roughly $7,403 and Unlimited ~$3,210 (PriceCharting realized, May 2026). The dark, busy holo foil makes high grades genuinely difficult.
Other graders: BGS and CGC also grade vintage Pokemon; PSA dominates secondary-market liquidity.