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Electabuzz card art from Best of game set illustrated by Ken Sugimori

Image courtesy of TCGdex.net

Overview

Electabuzz is represented here as a Basic Electric-type Pokémon card from the Best of game set. Illustrated by Ken Sugimori, the card reflects classic early-2-attack design and coin-flip mechanics that were characteristic of many electric-type Pokémon in older formats. The Best of game set presents a compact core of nine cards, including Electabuzz in holo, normal, and reverse variants, with no first-edition print and no promotional distribution indicated in the data. While the card carries no explicit rarity designation within its set, its artwork, move design, and market performance have established Electabuzz as a recognizable piece in both play and collection circles, particularly for fans of Sugimori’s classic art style and the 1990s–2000s-era TCG aesthetic.

Card Information

Name: Electabuzz
Category: Pokémon
Set: Best of game (bog)
Dex ID: 125
Stage: Basic
Rarity: None
Illustrator: Ken Sugimori
Attacks:
- Thundershock — Cost: Lightning; Damage: 10; Effect: Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokémon is now Paralyzed.
- Thunderpunch — Cost: Lightning + Colorless; Damage: 30+; Effect: Flip a coin. If heads, this attack does 30 damage plus 10 more damage; if tails, the attack does 30 damage and Electabuzz does 10 damage to itself.
Evolution: Pre-evolves from Elekid; evolves to Electivire in later sets.
HP: Not listed in the provided data
Legal in formats: Standard: No; Expanded: No
Artwork: Ken Sugimori
Variants: holo, normal, reverse; First Edition: False; WPromo: False
Last Updated: 2025-08-16

Gameplay and Strategy

The Electabuzz card embodies the archetype of early Electric-type basic Pokémon with two straightforward attacks centered on coin-flip randomness. Thundershock provides a reliable opening option that can steadily apply a Paralyzed condition, potentially hindering opposing attackers and creating momentum for a stall-oriented or control-oriented game plan. Thunderpunch, with its 30+ baseline and the coin-flip mechanic, introduces a risk-reward dynamic: coupled with the energy acceleration common to electric decks, it can yield a meaningful damage spike on favorable flips, while a tails result imposes self-damage that must be mitigated through careful energy management and sequencing.

In terms of deck construction and matchups, this Electabuzz card is best considered in the context of its era’s rules and energy requirements. Since both attacks rely on Lightning energy, a deck built around rapid energy attachment and efficient energy acceleration can maximize turn-one or early-game aggression. However, the coin-flip elements introduce volatility—paralysis on Thundershock is valuable, but Thunderpunch’s potential self-damage requires strategic protection through healing or terminator-style finishers. As a Basic Pokémon, Electabuzz also serves as a potential early-game blaster or a pivot piece in broader Electric-type archetypes, depending on the available support in the surrounding set and format.

Given that the card is not listed as legal in the standard or expanded formats in the provided data, players targeting modern competitive play would instead rely on contemporary Electrode, Jolteon, or Luxray options and other modern-energy acceleration strategies. For collectors, the dual nature of holo and non-holo variants within the Best of game set offers a practical lens into how print runs and variant distribution influenced value and desirability in limited print runs.

Collector and Market Information

The Electabuzz card from Best of game is documented with several market indicators that help contextualize its collectibility and value. The standard non-holo and holo variants appear as part of a compact set that includes normal and reverse holo variants, with first edition not indicated and promotional printings not highlighted in the data. The card’s rarity is listed as None, which is relatively uncommon for modern sets but not unusual for smaller or early sets with constrained print runs.

Market data provides a snapshot of price dynamics across different marketplaces. Cardmarket entries show an average price around 24.70 EUR, with a low around 19.99 EUR and a broader trend upward to approximately 29.88 EUR, indicating that even for a no-rarity card in a small set, market interest exists among collectors seeking complete holo/reverse holo collections or Sugimori-illustrated classics. The holo variant shows separate metrics in the data (e.g., holo-specific averages and trends), reflecting typical collector differentiation between holofoil and non-holo copies. TCGPlayer’s reverse-holofoil listing demonstrates a price range from roughly 14.65 USD (low) to 29.99 USD (high), with a market price around 19.99 USD, illustrating cross-market variability and the premium sometimes observed for holo variants in modern markets, even when the set itself is relatively obscure.

As a historical artifact, Electabuzz from this set provides value both in playability (within its era) and in education about how energy-forward mechanics and coin-flip outcomes influenced deck design. For investors and collectors, the data suggests that while rarity may be limited, the presence of holo and reverse holo variants alongside a well-known illustrator can sustain interest and price stabilization over time, particularly among completist collectors and fans of Ken Sugimori’s art.

Art and Lore

The card’s artwork is credited to Ken Sugimori, whose illustrated roster defined the visual language of many early Pokémon cards. Sugimori’s art is recognized for its dynamic character poses, bold color contrasts, and clear readability—qualities that helped establish the iconic look of the Pokémon franchise during the card game’s formative years. The Electabuzz depicted here aligns with Sugimori’s penchant for electric-type energy and character expression, conveying a sense of motion and electricity that resonates with the species’ lore as a creature that thrives near power sources and can cause disruptions in urban areas as described in the Pokémon description text. The in-game flavor text—“Normally found near power plants, it can wander away and cause major blackouts in cities.”—adds a hint of lore continuity, connecting the card’s mechanical identity with the broader Pokémon world’s ecological and urban narratives.

Beyond the card’s literal illustrations, Electabuzz occupies a familiar niche in the broader Electri-type evolutionary line, with Elekid as its pre-evolution and Electivire as its successor in the evolution chain. This lineage situates Electabuzz within a family of high-speed electric attackers, reinforcing the thematic and gameplay continuity across generations of the TCG.

Trivia

The Best of game set presents a compact subset with holo, normal, and reverse variants for Electabuzz, emphasizing card variety within a limited print run.
The card’s rarity is listed as None within the data, which is unusual for many modern sets but aligns with certain smaller or promotional printings from earlier TCG eras.
Two distinct attacks—Thundershock and Thunderpunch—utilize coin-flip outcomes to determine status effects and extra damage, a mechanic that promotes risk assessment and timing considerations in deck play.
The illustration by Ken Sugimori connects this Electabuzz card to the broader legacy of early Pokémon art that defined the look and feel of the franchise’s original trading-card era.

📘 Electabuzz — Pokémon TCG