Dark Alakazam (Team Rocket 8/82)

Dark Alakazam card art from Team Rocket set

Image courtesy of TCGdex.net

Overview

The Dark Alakazam card represents one of the era-defining "Dark" Pokémon introduced in the Team Rocket expansion. As a Stage 2 Psychic-type Pokémon, it evolves from Kadabra and carries the motif of Team Rocket’s clandestine influence on the Pokémon World. The card is notable for its holo printing and its place within the base set numbering of 8 out of 82 cards in the Team Rocket assortment. Illustrated by Ken Sugimori, Dark Alakazam embodies the early balance of power and manipulation that characterized many Dark-type cards from this era.

In the broader context of the Pokémon Trading Card Game, Dark Alakazam is part of a subset of cards that explored villainous alignment by giving players access to strategic disruption through unique effects. While the card’s raw stats (60 HP and a single notable weakness) reflect its vintage design, its attacks offer tactical flexibility that could influence board position and tempo in the right deck builds.

Card Information

Name: Dark Alakazam
Dex number: 65
Type: Psychic
HP: 60
Evolves from: Kadabra
Stage: Stage 2
Rarity: Rare
Set: Team Rocket (Base5) — Card 8/82
Illustrator: Ken Sugimori
Variants: Normal, Holo, Reverse (First Edition: False)
Attacks:
- Teleport Blast — Cost: Psychic, Psychic, Colorless Effect: You may switch Dark Alakazam with 1 of your Benched Pokémon (Do the damage before switching the Pokémon). Damage: 30
- Mind Shock — Cost: Psychic, Psychic, Psychic Effect: Don't apply Weakness and Resistance for this attack. (Any other effects that would happen after applying Weakness and Resistance still happen.) Damage: 40
Weakness: Psychic ×2
Legal formats: Standard: No; Expanded: No
Updated: 2025-08-16T20:39:55Z

Gameplay and Strategy

Dark Alakazam’s move set reflects a mix of disruption and brute force that was common among late-1990s Psychic-type attackers. The Teleport Blast attack provides a defensive tool to reposition the Pokémon on the board, potentially enabling a strategic retreat or a recalibrated setup for subsequent turns. The damage is modest (30), but the ability to switch to a Benched Pokémon before the attack resolves can allow a player to preserve a prized attacker or to reconfigure the battlefield in response to the opponent’s threats.

Mind Shock stands out for its explicit clause that Weakness and Resistance are not applied to the attack. This means the attack can deal its 40 damage without being mitigated by a Psychic-type’s typical weaknesses, which introduces a الوحا—sorry, the potential for surprising knockouts or pressure on an opponent relying on standard type matchups. It is important to note that this effect is limited to the Mind Shock attack itself; any other effects that would occur after applying Weakness and Resistance still apply as normal.

In practical terms, Dark Alakazam is most effective in a deck that leverages its dual-natured attacks to manage tempo. Teleport Blast can be used to hedge against imminent threats by moving Dark Alakazam off the active spot, while Mind Shock can deliver a consistent amount of damage that bypasses typical weaknesses when a Psychic opponent is on the field. However, with only 60 HP, Dark Alakazam remains vulnerable to fast, high-damage threats, and its Stage 2 status means it depends on Kadabra’s prior evolution to come online.

In era-appropriate synergy, players often paired Dark Alakazam with other Team Rocket or Psychic-focused Pokémon to exploit debuffing effects, bench-healing strategies, or card-drawing engines available in the period. While the card’s direct tools are modest by modern standards, its historical role as a staple of the Team Rocket lineup in the late-1990s meta is recognized by collectors and players studying vintage decks.

Collector and Market Information

Dark Alakazam is categorized as Rare and exists in multiple print variants: Normal, Holo, and Reverse. The Team Rocket set, codified as base5, included a total of 82 base cards, with the holographic honors and the occasional secret variant contributing to an expanded count of 83 in some print runs. Card numbers and distribution reflect the vintage approach to rarity, with holofoil versions widely sought after by collectors.

Market data reflects the card’s enduring appeal in the vintage market. CardMarket (as of 2025) shows a broad average price around €75.49 for non-holo copies, with a low of €10 and a trend indicating variability in price over time. The day-one to day-30 averages also show a range of values, illustrating how collectors value condition and print flavor in this era.

In the TCGPlayer market, holofoil variants command higher prices, with 1st Edition holofoil examples listing a low of about $85, a mid around $140, and a high near $200, with market prices roughly around $141.02 for observed data. Unlimited holofoil copies show lower but still significant value, with low prices near $34.51, mid around $56.60, and highs approaching $79.98, with market price near $56.80. These figures reflect the vintage premium placed on holofoil Team Rocket cards and the enduring appeal of Dark-aligned Pokémon from this era.

The combination of rarity, holo variants, and the card’s place in a landmark expansion contributes to its collector relevance. For grading considerations, the card’s condition, centering, surface wear, and corner integrity are typically the primary factors affecting value, particularly for holofoil prints. As with most vintage Pokémon cards, mint-condition copies with proper seals and accurate prints tend to maintain strong market performance over time.

Art and Lore

The illustration for Dark Alakazam is credited to Ken Sugimori, a foundational figure in the visual development of the Pokémon franchise. Sugimori’s work during the late 1990s is characterized by clean linework, bold silhouettes, and expressive character design that captures the distinctive telepathic motif of Alakazam. In the Team Rocket subset, the Dark-era artwork often conveys a darker, more villainous aesthetic, aligning with the storyline of Team Rocket’s schemes and the broader tension between heroes and the criminal organization within the Pokémon world.

The card's lore sits at the intersection of the companion strategy cards of the era and the broader Team Rocket narrative, which explored themes of corruption, power, and the manipulation of Pokémon for nefarious purposes. Dark Alakazam embodies a conceptual pivot from Kadabra’s more conventional psychic prowess to a shadowed, Team Rocket-flavored interpretation of psychic potential.

Trivia

The card is part of the Team Rocket expansion and is identified as 8/82 in the official set numbering, highlighting its place among the earlier holo cards released in the Team Rocket lineup.
The Mind Shock attack’s ignoring of Weakness and Resistance for its damage is a notable mechanic that distinguishes it from many contemporaries, reflecting the era’s willingness to experiment with how weaknesses interact with certain high-cost Psychic attacks.
Dark Alakazam’s holo variant is among the more collectible prints from Team Rocket due to its rarity and the enduring popularity of Alakazam as a fan-favorite Pokémon in the Psychic archetype.
Illustrator Ken Sugimori contributed to numerous base- and early-set Pokémon cards, making Dark Alakazam part of a wider, influential body of artwork that defined the look of the era.
While not legal in Standard or Expanded formats under modern rules, Dark Alakazam remains a staple for vintage deck-building discussions and collecting circles, with holofoil versions often cited as iconic examples of 1999-era design.

📘 Dark Alakazam (Team Rocket 8/82)