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Purrloin card art from BW trainer Kit (Zoroark), holo variant

Image courtesy of TCGdex.net

Overview

This entry documents a Pokémon Card Game card featuring Purrloin, a basic Darkness-type Pokémon included in the BW trainer Kit (Zoroark) release. With a modest 60 hit points and two straightforward attacks, Scratch and Slash, the card reflects the design philosophy of early Black & White-era Pokémon TCGs: compact stat lines and simple resource costs that emphasize rapid setup and early aggression. The BW trainer Kit (Zoroark) set is notable for its focus on a particular evolution line and the production of multiple variants, including normal, reverse holo, and holo prints. Purrloin’s presence in this kit provides players with a familiar Dark-type option for early-game play, budget-conscious decks, and collector interest due to its holo and reverse holo variants.

The flavor text for Purrloin on this card—“Its cute act is a ruse. When victims let down their guard, they find their items taken. It attacks with sharp claws.”—frames the Pokémon’s trickster motif within the broader lore of the Dark-type cohort. While not a centerpiece of competitive Dark-type strategies in modern play, the card remains a reference point for understanding early 2010s TCG design and the distribution of basic Dark-type Pokémon within starter-oriented sets.

Card Information

Name: Purrloin
Set: BW trainer Kit (Zoroark) (set id tk-bw-z)
Illustrator: Kagemaru Himeno
Pokedex Dex ID: 509
HP: 60
Type: Darkness
Stage: Basic
Attacks:
- Scratch — Cost: Colorless; Damage: 10
- Slash — Cost: Colorless, Colorless; Damage: 20
Weakness: Fighting ×2
Resistance: Psychic −20
Retreat Cost: 1
Rarity: None
Variants: Normal, Reverse, and Holo (First Edition: False; Holo: True; Normal: True; Reverse: True; WPromo: False)
Legal in formats: Standard: False; Expanded: False
Description: Its cute act is a ruse. When victims let down their guard, they find their items taken. It attacks with sharp claws.
Card Count (Set): Official: 30; Total: 30
Last Updated: 2025-05-04

The card’s basic nature and modest energy requirements reflect its role as an introductory Dark-type option within the BW trainer Kit. While its HP and damage output are modest compared to later generations, the card serves as a practical example of how early-epoch Pokémon pokemon leveraged Colorless energy costs to enable flexible playstyles.

The set context—BW trainer Kit (Zoroark)—is significant for collectors and players who study how starter and theme decks in the Black & White era were packaged to showcase specific evolutions and type alignments. The presence of Purrloin in holo, reverse holo, and normal variants also signals the common practice of offering multiple print formats within a single release, a pattern that has influenced modern reprint and subset strategies.

Gameplay and Strategy

Purrloin provides a lightweight, early-game option for players assembling a Darkness-themed or budget deck from the BW era onward. With a base HP of 60, the Pokémon is relatively fragile by modern standards, and the two basic attacks—Scratch for 10 damage and Slash for 20 damage—offer only modest offensive upside. The Colorless energy costs on both attacks keep Purrloin accessible in flexible deck builds, enabling players to attach any color energy to make use of its attacks without strict color commitments.

In practice, Purrloin’s utility lies primarily in its role as a non-rotating, early-opening attacker and as a stepping stone to Liepard or other evolutions that may appear in associated print runs or through player imagination in casual play. The 1 Retreat Cost makes it reasonably mobile on the bench, allowing a player to swap into a more robust Darkness-type option as needed. Its Fighting-type weakness (×2) means it remains vulnerable to common early-game attackers from competing decks, reinforcing the need for protective bench management or pairing with support Pokémon that can mitigate risk.

Notable synergies for this card within a BW-era framework include decks that emphasize stacking early damage while leveraging the set’s broader Dark-type strategy. The ease of paying for Colorless attacks means Purrloin can be supported by a variety of energy acceleration or energy-fixing cards that were popular in the era, enabling players to field a predictable opening presence. However, given its modest damage output and HP, Purrloin is typically more of a learning or collection piece than a centerpiece in competitive lists.

From a format perspective, the card’s non-eligibility for Standard and Expanded play further anchors its relevance to older formats or to casual, collection-based play. This status is consistent with many BW-era cards that remain “not legal” in contemporary official formats, preserving historical context while limiting contemporary tournament applicability.

Collector and Market Information

The rarity field for this Purrloin entry is listed as None, which indicates that, within the set distribution, this particular print was not designated a rare or super-rare slot. However, the existence of holo and reverse holo variants within the BW trainer Kit (Zoroark) enhances collector appeal, as holo and reverse holo prints are typically sought after by players and collectors who value distinct artwork finishes.

Pricing and market data for this card are not provided in the card data snippet (noted as cardmarket: None; tcgplayer: None). In practice, prices for BW-era cards—especially those with holo or reverse holo variants—can fluctuate based on condition, variant desirability, and the broader interest in the BW trainer Kit subset. For collectors researching this card, it is advisable to consult updated market listings and graded card databases to gauge current demand, particularly for holo and reverse holo copies.

The BW trainer Kit (Zoroark) release sits within a period of Pokémon TCG history marked by creative starter deck concepts and theme-focused print runs. Collectors often track these sets for their historical significance, as well as for the opportunity to obtain multiple finishes of the same card. The absence of a market listing in the provided data does not preclude current or future liquidity in physical or graded markets; it simply reflects the snapshot of data available in this entry.

Art and Lore

The card’s artwork is illustrated by Kagemaru Himeno, a designer known for contributing several Pokémon TCG pieces across multiple sets. Himeno’s style often emphasizes dynamic character posing and expressive line work, aligning with the mischievous character concept of Purrloin. The description text reinforces the theme of a trickster—a common trait among Dark-type Pokémon in the franchise—where appearances can be misleading and subterfuge can be a strategic element in battles or casual confrontations.

The BW trainer Kit (Zoroark) context complements Purrloin’s lore by situating it within a family of Dark-type representations associated with deception and stealth. While this specific card’s lore is primarily flavor text, the coupling of a cute appearance with a cunning backstory is representative of broader thematic elements in the Pokémon universe, where temperament and strategy often intersect in both the in-game and card-based portrayals.

Trivia

The card exists in three print finishes within the BW trainer Kit (Zoroark): Normal, Reverse, and Holo variants. First Edition printing is listed as False.
Illustrated by Kagemaru Himeno, a known contributor to several BW-era Pokémon TCG artworks.
The card’s legal status indicates it is not allowed in Standard or Expanded formats, reflecting its status as an older-release card from a special starter set rather than a current competitive staple.
The description emphasizes the deceptive nature of Purrloin, a theme that aligns with other Dark-type Pokémon cards that use disguise and predation as part of their lore.
Despite its modest power, the presence of holo and reverse holo variants makes the card appealing to collectors who focus on variant finishes and set completions from the Black & White era.

📘 Purrloin (Pokémon TCG)