Team Magma's Numel (Team Magma vs Team Aqua)

Team Magma's Numel card art from Double Crisis

Image courtesy of TCGdex.net

Overview

Team Magma's Numel is a basic Fire-type Pokémon card from the XY-era spin-off expansion Double Crisis, which centers on the fictional confrontations between Team Magma and Team Aqua. Released as part of the dc1 set, this Numel embodies the volcanic, team-focused motif of the era. Represented as a loyal, low-cost Fire-type Basic, the card provides a straightforward offensive option for early-game development and as a candidate for evolving into a more powerful member of the Camerupt family. Its relatively modest 70 HP and a single energy-accelerated attack reflect its role as a bridging creature within decks that aim to establish a fiery board presence while advancing to larger evolutions later in the game.

Double Crisis integrated a thematic pairing of Team Magma and Team Aqua cards, emphasizing antagonistic factions from the Hoenn region’s storyline. Team Magma's Numel aligns with this narrative by offering a basic Fire-type option that can contribute to deck-building narratives around energy management, field control, and the eventual transition to higher-HP evolutions. The artwork and card design reflect the era’s emphasis on clear, compact stats and accessible attacks suitable for both casual play and historical deck-building references.

Card Information

Name: Team Magma's Numel
ID: dc1-1
Dex number: 322
Set: Double Crisis (dc1)
Rarity: Common
HP: 70
Type: Fire
Stage: Basic
Illustrator: Akira Komayama
Evolution: Numel → Camerupt (evolves into Camerupt in the usual evolutionary line)
Attacks: Ember (Cost: Fire, Colorless) — 30 damage; Effect: Discard an Energy attached to this Pokémon.
Weakness: Water ×2
Retreat Cost: 2
Variants: Normal (standard), Reverse, and Holo versions are indicated in the card’s variant data; First Edition not applicable for this printing; No promo variant.
Legal formats: Expanded legal, Standard not legal
Artwork notes: The illustration is credited to Akira Komayama; the card belongs to the themed Double Crisis set that features Team Magma and Team Aqua.
Pricing context: Pricing data is provided by Cardmarket (EUR) and TCGplayer (USD) with recent updates reflecting market trends for this common basic in expanded formats.

Gameplay and Strategy

Ember is a relatively inexpensive attack that can be played early in the game to contribute steady, low-damage pressure while advancing the evolution line toward Camerupt. With a cost of Fire and Colorless, Ember enables flexible energy attachment options, allowing players to pair Numel with a range of Fire-energy supports and energy acceleration cards that were common in older Fire-focused archetypes. The attack’s effect—discard a Fire or non-Fire Energy attached to Numel—serves two practical purposes: it provides an energy-disruption element on your own board to fuel later evolutions or simply to enable cyclical energy management across turns, depending on the surrounding deck design and available trainer cards. In the context of Expanded formats, Numel’s 70 HP places it in a tier of basic Pokémon that typically serves as a bench-stable starter or a bridging card rather than a frontline workhorse. Its weakness to Water ×2 is a standard consideration for Fire-type basics, making careful matchup planning important when facing Water-type decks that leverage direct counters or higher HP floors. The lack of additional utility on Ember means Numel shines when supported by deck strategies that accelerate energy attachment or facilitate rapid evolution into Camerupt, leveraging the Fire-type synergy to maximize the late-game potential of the line. Potential strategies and synergies include: - Early-field presence: Use Numel to establish a basic Fire-type beachead on the bench while applying pressure with other low-cost Fire attackers. - Evolution-based power curve: Plan to evolve into Camerupt as soon as possible to access higher-DPS Fire attacks and stronger HP, aided by typical Evolution-supporting Trainers from the Double Crisis era. - Energy management: Capitalize on the Ember discard to enable energy cycling in conjunction with other energy-retrieval or search cards in the deck, creating a smoother transition to more powerful stage-2 or stage-1 equivalents. - Faction-themed play: In a Team Magma-centered deck, Numel can contribute to a thematic lineup that emphasizes aggression and Volcano-inspired visuals, aligning with the narrative of Team Magma vs Team Aqua. Overall, Team Magma's Numel is best viewed as a foundational piece within a Fire-centric Expanded deck that seeks to accelerate into stronger evolutions and leverage a cohesive Team Magma theme, rather than as a standalone finisher.

Collector and Market Information

As a common rarity basic from Double Crisis, Team Magma's Numel is typically encountered in multiple prints (normal, holo, and reverse holo) across the set’s distribution. The card’s official count for the Double Crisis set is 34 cards, with the card number for this printing identified as dc1-1. The card’s availability in holo form makes it a more desirable option for collectors seeking variant unseen prints or those pursuing holo set completion for the series.

Pricing data provides a snapshot of market demand and condition-related variance. Cardmarket (EUR) pricing as of the latest updates shows an average price around €3.42 for non-holo copies, with a broad low around €0.50 and a positive trend of approximately €4.09 over representative time windows; historical first-hand price data include fluctuations that are typical for common Pokémon cards in expanded formats. For holo versions, Cardmarket pricing data is less consistently published in average terms, but holo variants historically fetch higher prices, with reported low-to-mid ranges that reflect collector interest in variant prints.

TCGplayer (USD) data indicates normal (non-holo) copies typically hover in the low range, with low prices around $0.45, mid prices near $0.63, and highs around $2.00, alongside a market price of about $0.89 at recent close. For reverse holofoil variants, the market sees higher values, with low prices around $1.60, mid around $3.00, and highs up to roughly $4.49, with a market price around $3.50. These figures illustrate the general market dynamics for common cards with holo considerations in the Pokémon TCG marketplace, where the presence of holo and reverse holo variants tends to elevate price points relative to non-holo copies.

Pricing and availability are subject to change with market dynamics, print runs, and rotation considerations. The update timestamps accompanying the data (Cardmarket: 2025-10-31; TCGplayer: 2025-10-31) reflect recent market movements prior to the current reporting window. Collectors and players should consult current marketplace listings for up-to-date valuations and stock levels when considering acquisitions or sales.

Art and Lore

The card art, credited to Akira Komayama, embodies the characteristic visual style of the Double Crisis era—clear, bold Pokémon silhouettes set against a backdrop that evokes the volcanic and geothermal theme associated with Team Magma. Komayama’s rendition emphasizes Numel’s smoldering, ember-ready demeanor, aligning with the faction’s flame-aligned motif in the storyline that contrasts Team Magma and Team Aqua. While the in-game mechanics focus on a simple Ember attack and a straightforward evolution line, the artwork reinforces the broader narrative context in which Team Magma operates within the Hoenn region’s ongoing saga. The Double Crisis set as a whole is noted for its thematic pairing of opposing villain teams, and Team Magma's Numel fits squarely into that concept by providing a tangible basic Pokémon that echoes the team’s volcanic identity.

In terms of lore, Numel is a fire-type Pokémon whose in-world behavior and biology align with the fiery, volcanic aesthetics the Team Magma faction embodies. The card’s inclusion in a Team Magma-centric print reinforces the broader storytelling approach of the card game, where separate factions are represented in parallel print runs that encourage players to build theme decks around rival teams and shared battles. While the card’s strategic value remains grounded in gameplay, its art and thematic placement contribute to the lore surrounding the Team Magma vs Team Aqua dynamic in the Pokémon TCG universe.

Trivia

This printing marks Team Magma's Numel as part of the Double Crisis set, a crossover expansion that highlights Team Magma and Team Aqua’s rivalries within the XY-era TCG line.
The card supports holo, reverse holo, and normal variants, making it a collectible choice for players who pursue variant printing sets within a common Pokémon card.
The Ember attack’s energy-discard effect is a classic mechanic that encourages thoughtful energy management, particularly in decks aiming to evolve into Camerupt or to stage secure early-game pressure.
The card’s legality status notes Expanded is allowed while Standard is not, reflecting rotation and reclassification trends that affect how the card is used in contemporary play.
Illustrator Akira Komayama’s work on this card contributes to a broader visual language used across the Double Crisis set, which is recognized for its bold, thematic artwork aligned with Team Magma’s volcanic identity.

📘 Team Magma's Numel (Team Magma vs Team Aqua)