Digital Vault Wiki

Image courtesy of TCGdex.net

Overview

The card presentation centers on Armaldo, a Fighting-type Pokémon from the Sandstorm expansion (set code ex2). As a Stage 2 evolution, it forms part of the fossil lineage in the Hoenn-era TCG ecosystem, evolving from Anorith. Armaldo is captured with a keen attention to the era’s mechanical design motifs—incorporating a robust armor plating and predatory posture that aligns with its archetypal fossil lineage. In this release, Armaldo is featured with a rare foil treatment, highlighting its status within the set and its appeal to collectors who pursued holo and reverse-holo variants.

From a gameplay perspective, Armaldo embodies a balance between raw offense and field-control potential. Its notable ability, Primal Veil, falls under the Poké-BODY category and interacts with the broader rules of the EX-era game design, where certain defensive and strategic constraints shaped deck construction. The card’s combination of HP, attack power, and the supporting ability positions it as a mid-to-late game finisher in the archetypes that relied on evolution lines and field presence rather than raw speed.

Card Information

Name: Armaldo
Set: Sandstorm (ex2)
Card Number: ex2-1
Rarity: Rare
Illustrator: Mitsuhiro Arita
HP: 120
Type: Fighting
Stage: Stage 2
Evolves From: Anorith
Weakness: Grass ×2
Attacks: Blade Arms — Cost: Fighting, Fighting, Colorless; Damage: 60
Poké-BODY: Primal Veil — As long as Armaldo is your Active Pokémon, each player can't play any Supporter cards.
Variants: Normal, Holo, Reverse (not First Edition; no WPromo)
Dex Number: 348
Legal formats: Standard: Not legal; Expanded: Not legal
Official card count (set): 100 cards (official), 100 total
Set symbol: Sandstorm symbol (ex2)
Set logo: https://assets.tcgdex.net/en/ex/ex2/logo
Image reference: https://assets.tcgdex.net/en/ex/ex2/1

Gameplay and Strategy

Armaldo’s Primal Veil ability provides a distinctive field-control dynamic. By preventing both players from playing any Supporter cards while Armaldo remains your Active Pokémon, the card temporarily restricts one of the most versatile and consistent sources of card draw, search effects, and strategic acceleration that players typically rely on. In practice, this makes Armaldo situationally powerful in matches where the opponent’s deck is heavily built around Supporter-driven plays, or where a stall-and-outlast approach can be leveraged.

Blade Arms offers a solid attack for a Stage 2 in the Sandstorm era, dealing 60 damage for the cost of two Fighting-type energies and one Colorless. In the context of the EX-era TCG, this amount was generally competitive for a Stage 2 attacker with a robust HP pool, providing a reliable option to pressure the opponent between evolutions and other active threats.

Strategic considerations for employing Armaldo often center on the following themes:

Evolutive stability: As a Stage 2 that evolves from Anorith, Armaldo relies on a clear evolution path. Decks that can reliably stage 2 into Armaldo while maintaining board presence are well-positioned to leverage its high HP and the disruptive potential of Primal Veil.
Primal Veil can slow an opponent’s game plan by denying key Supporter-based plays, potentially widening the gap between resources as the match advances. This is particularly effective against draw-heavy or search-reliant strategies that rely on Supporter cards for tempo.
The Grass-type weakness makes Armaldo vulnerable to common Grass threats in its era, shaping matchup considerations and necessitating protection from or mitigation against opposing Grass attackers.
Since Poké-Powers and Poké-Bodies were commonly paired with item cards in many Sandstorm-era decks, Armaldo’s presence often encouraged deck builds that focused on item-driven consistency and fossil-activation strategies while keeping Supporter cards off the table for the duration of Armaldo’s activity.

In contemporary retrospectives, Armaldo ex2-1 is viewed as a representative example of how the EX-era mechanics encouraged creative control-oriented play. While not legal in Standard or Expanded formats, its design showcases the balance between a strong defensive ability and straightforward offensive output, highlighting the design philosophy of early 2000s Pokémon TCG sets where fossil-based evolution lines were celebrated for their thematic resonance and strategic depth.

Collector and Market Information

Armaldo from the Sandstorm set is categorized as Rare, with holo and reverse-holo variants validating its collectibility beyond the standard non-foil version. The presence of multiple variants (normal, holo, and reverse) typically enhances its appeal to collectors who pursue finish variants alongside condition-conscious grading. The card’s non-First Edition status and the era’s overall print characteristics influence its market trajectory within vintage card collecting circles.

Pricing data provides a snapshot of its market presence as of late 2025. Market pricing reflects a blend of hobbyist demand for vintage EX-era cards and the broader interest in fossil-themed Pokémon from the Hoenn region. The two primary contemporary marketplaces tracked are CardMarket (EUR) and TCGPlayer (USD):

Average price around €6.72; low price near €0.50; price trends and averages show variability across holo and non-holo copies. The data tracked includes contemporary sales across holo and reverse variants.
TCGPlayer (USD): For holofoil copies, low price around $7.68; mid around $10.36; high near $19.99; market price around $11.91; reverse-holofoil ranges show similar activity with slightly different low/high values (low around $9.98, mid around $10.27, high around $14.99).

Prices fluctuate with the card’s condition, variant ( holo vs. reverse holo vs. normal ), and overall vintage market trends. As with many older EX-era cards, Armaldo ex2-1 can command a premium in well-preserved holo conditions, while lower-condition and common variants tend to align with lower market values. Collectors and traders often consider these factors when evaluating a purchase or sale, particularly in the context of multi-variant Sandstorm sets and the broader Hoenn fossil lineup.

Art and Lore

The artwork for Armaldo is credited to Mitsuhiro Arita, a prolific illustrator whose work spans numerous early Pokémon TCG sets. Arita’s style in the Sandstorm era often emphasized bold linework and a sense of armored silhouette, fitting Armaldo’s fossilized armor plating and predatory stance. The Sandstorm set itself leaned into a desert-adjacent aesthetic, with many Pokémon depicted in arid or rugged environments that complemented the EX era’s adventurous spirit.

In terms of in-world lore, Armaldo is a fossil Pokémon, representing an ancient lineage with armored exoskeleton and formidable claws adapted for aquatic or semi-terrestrial habitats. While the TCG card narrative does not typically provide extensive backstory within gameplay, the illustration and the card’s Fossil-derived lineage align with the broader Hoenn region’s fossil themes and the ongoing emphasis on prehistoric Pokémon evolving into powerful battlefield presences.

Trivia

Armaldo ex2-1 is part of the Sandstorm expansion, a landmark set within the EX-era of the Pokémon TCG that emphasized evolving fossil Pokémon and early stage dynamics for heavier hitters.
The Primal Veil Poké-BODY is a defining mechanic for Armaldo, effectively neutralizing Supporter-based strategies while Armaldo remains active. This interaction demonstrates how the EX-era introduced more nuanced battlefield control through Pokémon abilities.
Armaldo’s attack, Blade Arms, provides a respectable 60 damage for a Stage 2 Pokémon of its time, aligning with the set’s tier of mid-to-late-game attackers.
The card exists in multiple finishes (normal, holo, reverse holo), reflecting the set’s emphasis on rare and visually distinctive foil treatments that appeal to collectors.

📘 Armaldo — Pokémon TCG