📘 Bagon — Pokémon TCG

Category: Pokemon TCG · Created: · Updated:

Bagon card art from EX trainer Kit Latias

Image courtesy of TCGdex.net

Overview

The subject described here is a basic Pokémon card from a historical release tied to the EX trainer Kit featuring Latias. As a basic Colorless-type Pokémon with a modest 40 hit points, the card exemplifies the early approach to card design within trainer kits that paired diverse Pokémon with a mix of typical Attack options. The card’s existence within the EX trainer Kit set highlights how promotional and instructional releases contributed to teaching players the mechanics of energy costs, attacking choices, and stage progression within the broader Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) ecosystem.

While not a centerpiece in contemporary competitive play due to its limited HP, non-typical rarity, and the fact that its listed legality does not align with current standard or expanded formats, the card remains a valuable data point for collectors and historians. It reflects Ken Sugimori’s illustrated lineage on basic Pokémon from that era and showcases how early kits integrated Pokémon across different evolutionary lines to illustrate deck-building concepts and energy-management fundamentals.

In terms of contextual significance, the card’s set and variant information—along with its illustrated presentation by Ken Sugimori—contribute to a broader understanding of how Latias-themed trainer kits served as both instructional tools and collectible releases. The existence of holo, reverse-holo, and normal variants within the same card identity emphasizes the collectible strategy of providing multiple foil appearances for fans and completists alike, even when the card’s official rarity is listed as none.

Card Information

  • Category / Pokémon name: Pokémon – Bagon
  • Dex / Local identifiers: DexId 371; LocalId 1
  • Set: EX trainer Kit (Latias) — Card set ID tk-ex-latia
  • Rarity: None
  • HP: 40
  • Types: Colorless
  • Stage: Basic
  • Illustrator: Ken Sugimori
  • Attacks:
    • Headbutt — Colorless
    • Damage: 10
    • Flare — Fire + Colorless
    • Damage: 20
  • Retreat Cost: 1
  • Evolution: Evolution line — Bagon → Shelgon → Salamence
  • Variant availability: Normal, Reverse, and Holo variants listed in the data
  • Legal formats: Standard: Not legal; Expanded: Not legal
  • Pricing (TCGPlayer data):
    • Low: $0.05
    • Mid: $0.26
    • High: $3.32
    • Market: $0.29
    • Direct Low Price: Not listed
    • Last updated: 2025-10-31
  • Notes on variants: The card supports normal, reverse, and holo presentations, which is consistent with the typical packaging of early trainer-kit releases providing multiple foil treatments.

Gameplay and Strategy

From a historical gameplay perspective, this Bagon card embodies the archetype of a low-HP basic Pokémon with modest offensive options. Its two-attacks profile—Headbutt (10 damage) and Flare (20 damage) with a Fire/Colorless cost—highlights several strategic considerations that were common in early sets and trainer kits:

  • Resource management: The retreat cost of 1 and the Colorless/Fire energy costs for its attacks underscore the balance between energy attachment pace and attack output. In decks designed to maximize energy efficiency, players would weigh whether committing a Fire energy to the Flare strike yields favorable momentum given the Pokemon’s fragile 40 HP.
  • Colorless versatility: Being Colorless allows a broader set of energy acceleration tools to support the card, particularly in decks that leverage diverse energy sources. However, the limited HP constrains the card’s staying power in battle, making it more of a tempo or early-game asset than a late-game finisher in most formats modern players would recognize.
  • Evolutionary framing: Although this basic Bagon is not typically a centerpiece in aggressive evolutions, its presence within the Latias-themed trainer kit provides a teaching example for progression. Players could envision an eventual evolution into Shelgon and Salamence, illustrating how early-stage Pokémon can contribute to a broader strategy when supported by subsequent draws and energy availability.
  • Format relevance: The card’s data indicates it is not legal in Standard or Expanded formats. In historical play, such cards often appeared in theme decks or introductory sets that prioritized learning the game over high-tier competition. As a result, this Bagon is of particular interest to collectors and researchers studying the transition of card design philosophies across eras.

Overall, the card functions as a learning tool within the EX trainer Kit context, demonstrating basic attack costs and the concept of evolution even when not optimized for modern tournament play. For newer players or collectors revisiting older kits, it provides insight into how early game mechanics were presented and taught in a structured, kit-based release format.

Collector and Market Information

The card’s rarity is listed as None, which typically indicates that its collector value arises from its inclusion in a specific trainer kit rather than from a standalone rare print. Its presence in holo, reverse holo, and normal variants further enhances its collectibility, especially for fans of the Latias set or Ken Sugimori’s illustration work. In practice, collectors may seek to complete variant sets or acquire holo versions for display and archival purposes, even when the card’s competitive value is minimal in modern play.

Pricing data from TCgPlayer (as of the latest update) shows a wide disparity between its low and high price points, reflecting how a card can hold minimal market value in typical plays while attaining higher prices in collector markets due to variant availability or condition. The listed figures—low around $0.05, mid around $0.26, high around $3.32, and a market price near $0.29—illustrate this variance. Grading, preservation of holo foils, and the presence of reverse or holo variants can meaningfully affect price, especially for complete sets or high-condition examples. The data also indicates a recent update, highlighting the volatility that can accompany vintage or niche trainer-kit cards in online marketplaces.

Art and Lore

The illustration for this Bagon card is by Ken Sugimori, a longtime contributor to the Pokémon franchise and a defining figure in character and card artwork. Sugimori’s style is characterized by clean lines, expressive character design, and a color palette that emphasizes clarity for card artwork. In the context of a basic Pokémon from a Latias-themed kit, the artwork contributes to a cohesive visual language that matches the aesthetic of other cards in the same release family. While this card is not renowned for a dramatic in-battle effect, its art offers a snapshot of Sugimori’s approach to rendering Bagon’s compact, dragon-like form in a way that remains legible at card scale and appealing to collectors and players alike.

The EX trainer Kit line, including latias-themed sets, was designed to provide practical demonstrations of game concepts and to broaden the palette of Pokémon that players could encounter in kit-based formats. As such, the lore around Bagon in this context is less about in-universe stories and more about its role within the kit’s educational framing and its place in the broader history of set design and game instruction.

Trivia

  • The card exists in multiple variants (normal, reverse, holo) as part of the kit’s presentation options, offering collectors a tangible incentive to pursue complete variant sets.
  • Legal status notes indicate that this specific card is not legal in Standard or Expanded formats, reflecting its origin in a trainer kit rather than a main series expansion that supports modern competitive play.
  • The set designation tk-ex-latia ties the card to a Latias-themed trainer kit, illustrating how promotional releases can cross-connect different Pokémon across generations and formats.
  • The combination of a basic 40 HP with two modest attacks exemplifies the teaching approach of early trainer kits—emphasizing fundamental mechanics over high-damage, high-HP configurations.
  • Pricing variation in TCgPlayer data highlights how variants and condition influence value, even for cards whose in-game utility is limited by modern rules. This makes the card a notable reference point for discussions of market dynamics in trainer-kit collectibles.

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