Please provide the exact Ampharos card (Set Name and Card Number) to generate the precise wiki title, e.g., Ampharos (Team Up 101/181).

Ampharos holo card art from Platinum set (Platinum 1/127)

Image courtesy of TCGdex.net

Overview

The Ampharos card featured here is a holographic illustration from the Platinum expansion (set code pl1), carrying the first card number in that release. As a Stage 2 Lightning-type Pokémon, Ampharos forms part of the evolving Flaaffy line and serves as a mid-to-late-game attacker with a defensive edge via its Poke-BODY. The card occupies a notable place in the Platinum era due to its combination of a damaging, coin-flip-based attack and a disruptive energy-management move that leverages the on-board energy on the field. The rarity of Rare Holo, its early set numbering (1/127), and Atsuko Nishida’s artwork contribute to its status among collectors and players who experienced the Diamond & Pearl generation’s transitional phase in the TCG’s design language.

In terms of design philosophy, this Ampharos blends two core concepts common to its era: a defensive pivot (Damage Bind) that constrains Poké-Powers on damaged Pokémon, and a flexible energy manipulation option (Reflect Energy) that can accelerate bench-based threats or enable strategic energy distribution. The card’s ability to influence the pace and tempo of a game, combined with a respectable HP pool for the period, makes it a useful case study in how Generation IV-era mechanics influenced deck-building choices and prize-line pressure.

Card Information

Name: Ampharos
Set: Platinum (pl1)
Card Number: 1/127
Rarity: Rare Holo
HP: 130
Types: Lightning
Stage: Stage 2
Evolves From: Flaaffy
Dex Number: 181
illustrator: Atsuko Nishida
Attacks:
- Gigavolt — Cost: Lightning, Colorless. Effect: Flip a coin. If heads, this attack does 30 damage plus 30 more damage. If tails, the Defending Pokémon is now Paralyzed. Damage: 30+
- Reflect Energy — Cost: Lightning, Colorless, Colorless. Effect: Move an Energy card attached to Ampharos to 1 of your Benched Pokémon. Damage: 70
Weakness: Fighting (+30)
Resistance: Metal (−20)
Retreat Cost: 2
Legal in Standard: No
Legal in Expanded: No
Updated: 2025-08-16

Gameplay and Strategy

Ampharos combines two core attributes that influence how it is used in a battle deck. The Poke-BODY Damage Bind restricts Poké-Powers for any Pokémon that has damage counters, creating a built-in control element against strategies that rely on such abilities. This can slow down opposing decks that hinge on weaponized powers or energy-dependent effects, effectively turning Ampharos into a tempo play that presses opponents to adapt their approach or pivot to attack-based strategies.

The Gigavolt attack provides a probabilistic damage outcome that scales with the coin flip. On a favorable heads result, the attack delivers a strong 60 total damage potential, potentially threatening moderate-energy defenders, while on tails it imposes Paralyzed on the Defending Pokémon. The randomness of Gigavolt introduces risk-reward considerations, encouraging players to factor coin-flip variance into their late-game planning and prize routing.

Reflect Energy serves as a practical energy-management tool. By moving an Energy card from Ampharos to a benched Pokémon, players can accelerate their threat presence on the bench, enabling other attackers to reach thresholds necessary for more impactful plays. This mechanic supports energy acceleration strategies and can help sustain offensive pressure while Ampharos remains a potent, damage-absorbing target on the field.

From a defensive standpoint, Ampharos’ weakness to Fighting and resistance to Metal shape matchups. In formats where Fighting-types are common, Ampharos may require careful protection or supplementation with healing and protection options. The 130 HP baseline reflects a relatively sturdy midrange model for its era, though modern standards render it comparatively vulnerable to higher-damage hits. The retreat cost of 2 adds a mobility constraint, requiring planning for field position and resource preservation across turns.

In terms of archetypes, Ampharos can slot into Lightning-focused decks that emphasize energy acceleration and board control. Its Damage Bind ability interacts with a wide array of Poké-Powers used by other cards, shaping match outcomes against players who rely on in-play abilities. Because Reflect Energy moves Energy, Ampharos can act as a bridge between on-field pressure and bench-based threats, enabling a strategic pivot when facing aggressive opponents who seek to overwhelm with a single power-turn approach.

Collector and Market Information

The Ampharos card from Platinum is a Rare Holo, with a holofoil treatment that distinguishes it among non-holo equivalents in the same print run. The card’s early numbering (1/127) marks it as the opening card in the standard Platinum set lineup, a factor collectors often consider when assessing set completion and print-run variance. The physical card’s dex entry (181) links it to the broader National Dex catalog, situating it within a familiar lineage for collectors tracking Ampharos across generations.

Market data for the card reflects the era’s variation in pricing between normal and holofoil versions. As of late 2025, pricing sources show:

Cardmarket (Europe): Normal version average around €6.41; low around €0.60; holofoil variant average around €7.98; low around €1.00; price trends show a positive movement for holofoil copies.
TCGplayer (North America): Holofoil copies show a market price around $14.81 with a low of about $12 and a high of $40; reverse-holo copies display a lower market price, with low around $10.59, mid around $13.49, and a peak near $14 in the observed window.

These figures reflect contemporary secondary markets for a card from the Platinum era, with holofoil versions typically commanding higher values than non-holo equivalents, consistent with collector demand for rare holo cards from older sets. The data is time-stamped to late 2025, acknowledging ongoing fluctuations influenced by overall market conditions and card supply.

Art and Lore

The artwork for Ampharos in the Platinum release is rendered by Atsuko Nishida, a prolific illustrator who contributed to many early-2000s Pokémon TCG sets. The Platinum era art often emphasizes dynamic stances and subtle energy effects to convey the creature’s electrical prowess. Ampharos, known in the Pokémon world for its luminescent tail and electric abilities, is depicted to reflect its status as a reliable Electric-type in late-stage evolution, aligning with the card’s emphasis on power and tactical field control.

While the card’s lore within the game’s universe is primarily expressed through its in-game mechanics, the design choices—floaty energy cues, a bold holo pattern, and a prominent Evolution line—underscore the theme of progression and battery-powered resilience that Ampharos embodies in the broader franchise narrative.

Trivia

The card belongs to the Platinum set and is designated as 1/127, indicating its position at the start of the set’s print run.
Damage Bind, the Poke-BODY on this Ampharos, represents one of the era’s design explorations into field-wide mechanics that constrain certain Pokémon abilities when damaged, influencing how players manage damage and timing of attacks.
Reflect Energy creates a straightforward energy-transfer mechanic that can support bench-based attackers, a concept that recurs in various forms across later sets as energy management remains a central mechanic in many strategies.
The combination of a relatively high HP (130) and two distinct attacks—one coin-flip dependent and the other a reliable 70-damage move—offers a balanced profile for mid-game play, reflecting the design goals of the Platinum cycle to provide both durability and utility in a single card.

📘 Please provide the exact Ampharos card (Set Name and Card Number) to generate the precise wiki title, e.g., Ampharos (Team Up 101/181).