Digital Vault Wiki

Image courtesy of TCGdex.net

Overview

Bellsprout is a basic Grass-type Pokémon card from the Sword & Shield era, featured in the Battle Styles expansion. With its modest 50 Hit Points and a straightforward attack kit, the card embodies the archetype of early-game Grass Pokémon designed for simple, consistent play. The card’s artwork, illustrated by Sekio, reflects the plant-based creature’s classic design while tying into the broader ecosystem of Grass-type Pokémon available in Battle Styles and its contemporaries. As a Common rarity card, Bellsprout serves as a foundational piece for players constructing budget-friendly decks or for collectors seeking representative staples from the set.

Card Information

Name: Bellsprout
ID: swsh5-1
Category: Pokémon
Set: Battle Styles (swsh5)
- Official card count: 163 / Total 183
- Set logo: logo
- Symbol: symbol
Rarity: Common
Illustrator: Sekio
HP: 50
Type: Grass
Stage: Basic
Attacks:
- Venoshock – Cost: Colorless
- Effect: If your opponent's Active Pokémon is Poisoned, this attack does 40 more damage.
- Damage: 10+
Weaknesses: Fire ×2
Retreat Cost: 1
Dex Number: 69
DexID: 69
Regulation Mark: E
Legal Formats: Expanded (Standard format: not legal at the time of this card’s listing)
Artwork: Sekio

The card’s description notes a folkloric angle: “Its bud looks like a human face. Because of the bud, it is rumored to be a type of legendary mandrake plant.” This flavor text ties Bellsprout to a broader mythos surrounding mandrake-inspired flora in folklore, a concept occasionally echoed in Pokémon media through plant-based creature design and lore connections.

Gameplay and Strategy

In the Battle Styles era, Bellsprout’s practical utility centers on a simple, energy-efficient early-game attacker. The Venoshock attack requires only a single Colorless energy, enabling rapid deployment from a Grass-type or multicolored deck. The attack’s base damage is modest at 10, but its potential to deliver an extra 40 damage if the opposing Active Pokémon is Poisoned provides a conditional spike that players can orchestrate with other poison-inducing cards or status effects available in surrounding archetypes. This makes Bellsprout a candidate for decks that leverage Poison-based strategies or that rely on finding poison enablers in the early game to maximize Venoshock’s impact. Key strategic considerations: - Energy efficiency: Venoshock’s Colorless cost makes Bellsprout accessible in diverse deck builds, particularly those that aim to maximize early pressure with minimal energy investment. - Poison synergy: Bellsprout itself does not impart Poison, but it can be paired with spread or condition-imposing tools to capitalize on the bonus damage when the opponent’s Active is Poisoned. Players often combine with support Pokémon or Trainer cards that apply Poison or maintain Poison conditions on the opponent’s Active Pokémon. - Resource management: As a Basic Pokémon with 50 HP, Bellsprout is susceptible to quick knockouts by many early-game attacks. Its low HP encourages protective play, retreat management, and pairing with benched attackers to maintain board presence. - Evolution trajectory: Bellsprout evolves into Weepinbell, and subsequently into Victreebel. In practice, this line offers potential for gradual power progression within a Grass-focused ladder or mono-G corresponding strategy, with the later stages offering higher HP and more substantial attack options in many Pokémon TCG sets. From a rules perspective, Bellsprout’s presence in Expanded format provides players with a consistent, low-cost opening option, especially in decks that feature basic Grass Pokémon and a mix of support for status effects or energy acceleration. While Bellsprout may not carry the same raw power as more modern Grass attackers, its role as a reliable, accessible starter remains a consideration for deck-building, budget playgroups, and collectible sets that emphasize representative examples of early- to mid-era Pokémon TCG design.

Collector and Market Information

Rarity and print status place Bellsprout swsh5-1 among commonly accessible cards for collectors and players. The card exists in multiple print variants, including standard (non-foil) and reverse-holo forms, but this entry documents the standard version for the Battle Styles set. Market data reflects a wide, low-cost entry point for this card, typical of a common base-level Pokémon from the Battle Styles era.

Pricing data (as of late 2025) illustrate a broad spectrum of value: - Cardmarket (EUR): average around 0.05 EUR; low around 0.02 EUR; holo variants show heightened values (avg holo around 0.24 EUR; low holo around 0.02 EUR; holo price trend around 0.19). - TCGPlayer (USD): normal (non-holo) pricing often ranges with a low around $0.01 and a mid around $0.10, while a high price can reach approximately $1.49 for highly sought or near-mint examples in the direct market. Reverse-holo variants show a wider spread, with low approximately $0.10, mid around $0.25, and notable spikes up to $10 in some listings.

Collectors and players should consider condition, edition (e.g., first edition status), and the presence or absence of holofoil treatment when assessing value. Bellsprout’s status as a common card typically positions it as a low-cost staple or a practical filler card within budget collections, while dedicated collectors may seek pristine copies to round out a Battle Styles set completion. Price trends in the mid-to-lower range may reflect demand tied to playability in Expanded formats rather than collector-driven hype, though condition-dependent premiums can arise for well-preserved examples with strong grading endorsements.

Art and Lore

Sekio’s illustration for Bellsprout emphasizes the plant-based Pokémon’s simple, organic silhouette with a soft, approachable temperament. The art style aligns with the Battle Styles era’s broader aesthetic, balancing clean linework with a gentle color palette that emphasizes the green tones of the Grass Typing. The card’s flavor text references a folklore motif surrounding mandrakes — a legendary plant reputed to bear human-like features. This thematic touch resonates with the Pokémon world’s tradition of blending mythic plant lore with creature design, offering players and collectors a connection to garden folklore as it intersects with pokémonian biology and ecology.

In the broader Pokémon TCG storytelling, Bellsprout and its evolutionary line embody the archetype of rapid growth and vine-based aggression. Though the card itself is modest in its raw statistics, its presence in Battle Styles contributes to the set’s exploration of nature-themed tactics and the interplay between status effects and direct damage. The artwork and flavor text together anchor Bellsprout in a lore space where folklore-inspired flora intersects with modern card mechanics, enriching the card’s identity beyond its numerical values.

Trivia

Bellsprout swsh5-1 appears in the Battle Styles release, adding to the set’s diverse roster of Grass-type options during the Sword & Shield generation.
The card’s illustration is credited to Sekio, a recognized Pokémon TCG artist known for rendering plants and Pokémon with a balanced, approachable style.
The Venoshock attack’s conditional damage mirrors other Poison-synergistic strategies of the era, establishing Bellsprout as a potential starter for poison-oriented decks or as a tempo card within broader Grass builds.
In terms of print history, Bellsprout’s basic stance and non-holo variants reflect the standard common print runs typical of base-level cards designed to support widespread deck construction.
The card’s legend-based flavor text highlights a folkloric angle that resonates with the mystique of mandrake lore, a motif occasionally echoed across Pokémon media and card flavor text for plant-based species.

Bellsprout - Battle Styles 1/163

📘 Bellsprout — Pokémon TCG