Image courtesy of TCGdex.net
Overview
Sewaddle is a Basic Grass-type Pokémon card from the Noble Victories expansion (BW3) of the Pokémon Trading Card Game. Assigned the collector number bw3-1, the card presents Sewaddle as a small, grass-typed inhabitant of forested habitats and a member of the early BW3-era lineup that introduced various Grass-type staples to the format. As a Common rarity card, Sewaddle is commonly found in booster drafts and traditional deck-building contexts, particularly in decks that emphasize low-cost, early-game board presence and the Grass-type strategy that was prevalent during the late Black & White era.
The card depicts Sewaddle at its Basic stage, with a modest 50 HP and a single attack—Leaf Boomerang—that interacts with coin flips to determine damage output. The artwork for this card is illustrated by Mizue, a contributor widely recognized for Pokémon TCG illustrations during this period. Beyond its immediate gameplay utility, Sewaddle also forms part of an established evolutionary chain in the broader Pokémon franchise, evolving into Swadloon and ultimately Leavanny, which helps frame its role within mixed Grass-type decks and evolutionary lines.
Card Information
- Name: Sewaddle
- Set: Noble Victories (BW3)
- Card Number: bw3-1
- Rarity: Common
- Dexterity (Pokédex) ID: 540
- HP: 50
- Types: Grass
- Stage: Basic
- Illustrator: Mizue
- Attacks:
- Leaf Boomerang — Cost: Grass, Colorless; Effect: Flip 2 coins. This attack does 20 damage times the number of heads.
- Weakness: Fire ×2
- Retreat Cost: 1
- Evolution: Evolves to Swadloon, which further evolves to Leavanny (Sewaddle → Swadloon → Leavanny)
- Variants: Normal, Reverse Holo, Holo
- Legal Formats: Expanded playable; Standard not legal at the time of this card’s framing
- Card Image URL: assets.tcgdex.net/en/bw/bw3/1
Gameplay and Strategy
Leaf Boomerang offers a straightforward, coin-flip-driven damage mechanic. The attack requires Grass and Colorless energy and resolves by flipping two coins. It deals 20 damage per head, producing outcomes of 0, 20, or 40 damage depending on the coin results. With Sewaddle’s base 50 HP, the card represents a fragile early-game presence that practitioners often supplement with bench protection or accelerated evolution into Swadloon and Leavanny to access more robust options.
In practical terms, Sewaddle fits best into decks that can capitalize on early board presence and then transition to a more resilient mid-game strategy. Due to its Grass typing, it benefits from Grass energy acceleration and synergy with other Grass-type Pokémon to maximize damage output and board control. However, the reliance on coin flips means that players should consider protective strategies or supporting cards that mitigate the risk of missing damage or applying pressure on Sewaddle before an evolution can secure a more durable threat on the bench.
Deck builders commonly use Sewaddle as a low-cost starter that can advance into Swadloon for improved HP and a more reliable attack profile, with Leavanny providing further evolution-based utility in later turns. This lineage supports a broader Grass-type archetype that emphasizes tempo, bench development, and turn-by-turn resource management. When constructing a format-specific deck, players should account for its weakness to Fire and plan accordingly with supportive energy acceleration and defensive options to maintain board presence.
Collector and Market Information
Sewaddle bears the Common rarity designation, reflecting its relative abundance in booster packs from the Noble Victories expansion. As a BW3 card, it is part of a set that featured a mix of Basic and evolving Grass-type Pokémon integrated into the early-2011 rotation of the Pokémon TCG.
Market data demonstrates a limited but stable price range for non-holo copies and the broader interest in first-stage Grass-type Pokémon from this era. According to CardMarket data updated in late 2025, the average price for non-foil Sewaddle (bw3-1) is approximately 0.33 EUR, with a low around 0.02 EUR and a positive price trend around 0.26. For holo or reverse-holo variants, the market shows higher values on average, with reverse-holo listings reaching mid-to-upper EUR ranges, depending on condition and availability.
TCGPlayer pricing further illustrates the card’s position as an affordable staple in older expansions. The standard non-foil copy has a typical low around 0.14 USD, mid around 0.28 USD, and high around 1.00 USD, with a market price near 0.28 USD. For reverse-holofoil variants, typical pricing shows a low near 0.25 USD, mid around 0.73 USD, and high around 1.49 USD, with market pricing near 0.67 USD. These values reflect the card’s collector value as a basic, early-line Grass-type and its appeal to players and collectors seeking budget-friendly examples from Noble Victories.
Art and Lore
The illustration for Sewaddle (bw3-1) is credited to Mizue, an artist known for contributing to the Pokémon TCG during the Black & White era. The artwork, representative of the NobLe Victories line, captures the small, caterpillar-like creature in a natural setting that emphasizes its Grass-type characteristics. The Mélière of this art style often centers on clean lines, soft shading, and a focus on the creature’s organic serenity within its forested environment, aligning with the broader thematic presentation of Grass-type Pokémon in the early BW3 set.
While Sewaddle’s card art is primarily a visual depiction linked to its evolutionary line, it also sits within a larger narrative ecosystem—Sewaddle evolves into Swadloon and later Leavanny, two Pokémon that are thematically connected through their shared plant-based design and insect-like heritage. This evolution sequence reinforces a lore pattern common to Grass-type lines, where a simple larval form transitions into more functional, battle-ready stages as players advance through the game.
Trivia
- Variants and Production: The bw3-1 Sewaddle card exists in multiple art variants; standard, reverse holo, and holo foils were produced for Noble Victories, reflecting the typical treatment for common cards with optional foil versions.
- Expansion Context: Noble Victories (BW3) marked a transitional year in the Black & White era, introducing a variety of Grass-type and other-typed Pokémon into rotations that emphasized new mechanics and support archetypes for a broader range of deck strategies.
- Legal Formats: While the card’s expanded format status is true, it is not legal in standard formats defined for current play, reflecting its position as an older card in modern meta considerations.
- Evolutionary Significance: Sewaddle’s place in the evolutionary line highlights a common design philosophy—beginning with a modest basic Pokémon that can chain into more powerful forms, enabling players to plan mid-to-late-game transitions safely as the game progresses.
- Collector Demand: As a common early-stage Pokémon from a popular set, Sewaddle maintains steady demand among collectors seeking comprehensive Noble Victories collections and complete database records for the BW3 era.