Digital Vault Wiki

Azumarill ex card art from Team Rocket Returns

Image courtesy of TCGdex.net

Overview

Azumarill is a Water-type Pokémon card featured in the Team Rocket Returns expansion, designated with the collector catalog number ex7-1. This Card is part of the era when the Pokémon Trading Card Game employed Poke-Powers that could influence the course of a game beyond simple attack damage. The card presents a balanced profile for a Stage 1 evolution: it evolves from Marill, possesses 80 Hit Points, and relies on a combination of an evolving order-based power and a damage-dealing attack that scales with energy commitment. The presence of multiple print variants—normal, holofoil, and reverse holofoil—reflects the card’s collectible appeal, while its rarity designation as Rare marks it as a sought-after piece for both players and collectors. The artwork is credited to Sumiyoshi Kizuki, capturing Azumarill in a watery, energetic pose consistent with the Water-type aesthetic.

Card Information

Name: Azumarill
Pokémon type: Water
Stage: Stage 1 (evolves from Marill)
HP: 80
Dex entires: National Dex #184
Illustrator: Sumiyoshi Kizuki
Rarity: Rare
Set: Team Rocket Returns (ex7)
Card number: ex7-1
Legal formats: Standard and Expanded listings for modern play are not indicated as legal for this specific card; the card is part of an older generation and may not be legal in current standard or expanded rotations.
Variants: Normal, Holo, Reverse Holo; first edition not produced for this card in the examined release; holo variant exists as part of the same print run.
Evolves from: Marill
Weakness: Lightning (×2)
Illustration credits: Sumiyoshi Kizuki
Attacks: Water Punch
Abilities: Froth (Poke-Power)

Attacks and Abilities

Froth (Poke-Power): Once during your turn, when you play Azumarill from your hand to evolve one of your Active Pokémon, you may use this power. Each Defending Pokémon is now Paralyzed.
Water Punch — Cost: Water, Colorless
Effect: Flip a coin for each Water Energy attached to Azumarill. This attack does 20 damage plus 20 more damage for each heads.
Base damage: 20, with additional 20 per successful heads in coin flips

Gameplay and Strategy

In the context of its era, Azumarill leverages a two-pronged approach: disruption via Froth and scalable offense with Water Punch. The Froth Poke-Power triggers at the moment Azumarill is evolved from Marill, potentially paralyzing the Defending Pokémon and thereby hindering the opponent’s ability to attack or retreat in the subsequent turns. This effect complements a strategy that aims to stall or slow the opponent while preparing for more consistent damage output from Water Punch.

Water Punch offers a variable damage profile that is highly dependent on the amount of Water Energy attached to Azumarill. The attack scales with energy commitment and the outcome of coin flips, making it a card whose effectiveness increases with energy acceleration and favorable flips. In practical play, players may pair Azumarill with energy acceleration or card draw strategies that maximize Water Energy on the Active Azumarill or other Water-types to exploit the potential for higher damage from Water Punch. However, this dynamic also introduces variance via the coin-flip mechanic, which can create swings in damage from game to game.

Azumarill’s Lightning-type weakness (×2) presents a clear tactical consideration in deck matchups. In formats where Lightning-type rivals are prevalent, Azumarill could be at a disadvantage unless backed by protective or supportive tactics—such as retreat options, healing, or other disruption that reduces the opponent’s ability to quickly capitalize on the weakness. The card’s Stage 1 status means it relies on an established Marill as its pre-evolution, fitting into sequences that emphasize timely evolution to maximize Froth’s paralysis benefit while building toward larger damage outputs from Water Punch as energy is amassed.

Overall, Azumarill from Team Rocket Returns embodies an archetype typical of its era: a Pokémon that blends a tactical effect upon evolution with an energy-dependent attack that can deliver respectable damage with the right conditions. In a broader deck, it can serve as a midgame stabilizer—slowing the opponent with Froth to buy turns while the player sets up for stronger late-game pressure through Water Punch.

Collector and Market Information

The card designates Azumarill as Rare within the Team Rocket Returns set, a factor that often correlates with enhanced collector interest and diversified print variants. The set information indicates a total of 111 cards across 109 official entries, reflecting the usual distribution patterns of the era where limited holo and reverse holo versions were distributed alongside standard prints.

Pricing and Market Data

Market pricing reflects the relative desirability of holo and non-holo variants. As of the latest data, Cardmarket records indicate a general average price around 9.19 EUR for non-holo copies, with a broad low bound around 1 EUR and an upward trajectory indicated by a trend score near 10.75. Holofoil variants command higher values, with holo averages significantly above non-holo, and a typical range extending from the low-teens to the high-twenties EUR, depending on condition and market activity. The holo print shows a notable premium, consistent with collector demand for holographic cards from older sets.

On the U.S.-based marketplace, TCGPlayer provides a parallel view in USD terms. For the standard non-holo print, prices center around a low of approximately 7.60 USD, with mid and high values clustered near 7.60 USD and small variances depending on condition and seller inventory. Holofoil copies show stronger pricing dynamics, with low prices around 17.85 USD and mid values near 21.54 USD, climbing to higher price points (up to about 49.99 USD) for near-mint or better copies. Reverse holo versions—when available—tend to command even higher price levels, with observed ranges from the mid- to high-40s USD and peaks around 65 USD in exceptional condition. Market data is updated periodically, reflecting ongoing demand and collector interest for Team Rocket Returns holographic cards.

For collectors, these figures illustrate the typical dichotomy between non-foil and foil variants from this era, where holo and reverse holo versions generally carry premium values. Grading services (e.g., PSA, CGC) can influence purchase decisions, as higher grades on older holo cards often yield stronger resale potential. It is important to consult current listings and grading specifics when assessing value, as market dynamics can shift over time due to print runs, reissues, and broader collecting trends.

Art and Lore

The illustration for this Azumarill is credited to Sumiyoshi Kizuki, an artist whose work appears on multiple Pokémon TCG entries from the era. The artwork typically emphasizes clear character likeness, rounded forms, and a watery setting consistent with Azumarill’s Water typing. While the card’s lore is not expanded through extensive in-universe text on the card itself, its placement within Team Rocket Returns situates it within a historic phase of the Pokémon TCG when holographic variants and Poke-Powers were central to gameplay experiences. The Team Rocket Returns set, as a whole, is associated with a mid-2000s aesthetic and design language that favorably highlighted Water- and Psychic-type Pokémon with distinct archetypes and play patterns that are remembered by long-time players and collectors.

From an art historical perspective, Kizuki’s work for this card aligns with a period in which the Pokémon TCG balanced character portrayal with energetic action scenes. Azumarill’s portrayal as a playful, aquatic creature aligns with its Pokémon personality as depicted in the broader franchise, reinforcing thematic consistency between the card and the creature’s in-game identity.

Trivia

This Azumarill card is one of several print variants within Team Rocket Returns, featuring normal, holo, and reverse holo versions, with no first edition release documented for ex7-1 in the referenced data.
The card’s Poke-Power Froth reflects a mechanic common to the earlier generation of Pokémon TCGs, where evolving a Pokémon could trigger an effect that directly influences status conditions on the Defending Pokémon.
Water Punch’s damage is explicitly tied to the number of Water Energies attached to Azumarill. This creates a damage output that scales with energy investment and coin-flip outcomes, a hallmark of the variability seen in many older energy-based attacks.
Azumarill’s weakness to Lightning exceeds standard emotional expectations for Water-types in some sets, which informs deck-building choices when this card is considered for use in historical formats or for collection curation within a broader water-focused portfolio.
The Team Rocket Returns set includes a mixture of mechanic-forward cards and visually distinctive art, contributing to its continued interest among collectors who focus on early 2000s Pokémon TCG design and print history.

📘 Azumarill — Pokémon TCG Card Profile