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Venusaur card art from Pokémon Rumble ru1-1 high-resolution image

Image courtesy of TCGdex.net

Overview

Venusaur is a Grass-type Pokémon card featured in the Pokémon TCG as part of the Pokémon Rumble set, identified by the set code ru1 and card number 1 in that release. The card functions as a Stage 2 evolution, coming after Ivysaur in the evolutive line. With an impressive 140 hit points and a single Grass-type attack, Venusaur embodies the archetype of large, tanky Grass Pokémon from early-set design philosophies. The card’s rarity is listed as None in the provided data, indicating an atypical distribution or an informational placeholder rather than a conventional rarity classification. The card exists in multiple print varieties, including normal, reverse, and holo, but it is not marked as first edition in the available dataset. These characteristics make the card a notable specimen for collectors and researchers studying oddities in set design and rarity labeling within the Pokémon TCG catalog.

The Pokémon TCG context for this Venusaur centers on its lineage and the strategic utility of its Giga Drain attack. While Venusaur’s typical role in the broader Pokémon universe centers on bulk, sustain, and area control, the Base-Rumble era presentation emphasizes a self-healing mechanic tied to the damage dealt on the opponent’s Pokémon. This dynamic reflects an early experimentation with attack-based healing in non-core or spin-off sets, contributing to the richness of the Venusaur family’s card history across different print runs and formats.

Card Information

Name: Venusaur
Pokedex Dex ID: 3
HP: 140
Type: Grass
Stage: Stage 2 (evolves from Ivysaur)
Rarity: None
Set: Pokémon Rumble (ru1)
Illustrator: Not listed in the provided data
Weakness: Fire ×2
Attacks:
- Giga Drain — Cost: Grass, Grass, Colorless, Colorless; Damage: 50
Effect: Remove from Venusaur the number of damage counters equal to the damage you did to the Defending Pokémon.
Variants: Normal, Reverse, and Holo variants are present in the dataset; first edition is not indicated (First Edition: False).
Legal formats (per data): Standard: No; Expanded: No

Gameplay and Strategy

The Giga Drain attack combines a moderate damage output with a healing mechanic that scales with the damage dealt to the Defending Pokémon. Specifically, after striking, Venusaur heals an amount of damage counters equal to the attack’s impact, effectively allowing the player to restore HP equal to the dealt damage as the battle unfolds. This self-healing ability can extend Venusaur’s survivability in longer exchanges, particularly in decks built around high-HP Grass Pokémon and terrain or energy acceleration strategies that maximize the number of turns Venusaur can remain in play.

In format terms, the card’s legality data indicates that it is not recognized as legal in Standard or Expanded play under the provided dataset. For players and collectors evaluating historical collections or casual play with house rules, Venusaur’s Giga Drain can still be considered for drafting themed decks that emphasize sustain. In a broader sense, the card illustrates how early Grass-type designs sought to balance offense with recovery, a motif that appears across various Venusaur prints in different sets.

Strategic considerations for building around this Venusaur include:

The attack requires two Grass Energy and two Colorless, prompting deck builds that efficiently accelerate Grass energy while sustaining Energy attachment for late-game pressure.
The healing effect enables tempo retention, allowing Venusaur to weather multiple aggressive plays by opponents.
Fire-type opponents present a notable threat, given the ×2 multiplier. Protecting Venusaur through healing and resilient draw support is crucial against fire-heavy decks.
The holo and reverse versions often attract collectors, while the standard non-holo printing emphasizes gameplay value and nostalgia in casual play.

Collector and Market Information

The card presents a non-traditional rarity designation in the dataset, listed as None. This can influence how collectors prioritize acquisitions in primary markets and may reflect the set’s printing philosophy or data labeling peculiarities for Pokémon Rumble materials. The card exists in multiple physical variants—normal, reverse, and holo—expanding the potential catalog footprint for collectors who assemble complete print runs or variant sets within the ru1 code.

Pricing data from CardMarket provides a quantitative snapshot of market interest. The average listing price is approximately €52.25, with a low end around €19.99. Market trend indicators show a general uptick of around €32.83 over observed intervals, and short-to-medium-term averages vary: roughly €99 for the 1-day window, €36.23 for 7 days, and €28.71 for 30 days. Notably, holo-variant pricing data are not provided in the supplied dataset, indicating either a lack of consistent holo pricing snapshots or gaps in holo-specific markets for this exact print run. For collectors and investors, these figures illustrate typical volatility in niche or non-core-print sets and highlight the importance of variant condition and printing when assessing value.

Art and Lore

Artistic attribution for this Venusaur card is not specified within the provided data. The Pokémon Rumble set’s art direction often mirrors broader Pokémon TCG aesthetic cues—combining bold, dynamic illustrations with a focus on the character’s iconic features. As a Stage 2 evolution from Ivysaur, Venusaur’s portrayal aligns with the franchise’s long-standing emphasis on bulk and presence in the field, often depicted with a robust, plant-filled silhouette and a commanding stance. The card’s non-core status and the missing illustrator detail limit deeper lore connections within this entry; nevertheless, Venusaur’s evolution line remains a central element of the Grass-type family in the Pokémon universe, reinforcing themes of growth, resilience, and synergy with nature-based energy strategies.

Trivia

The card is associated with the Pokémon Rumble set (ru1), and its card image path indicates it is the first card in that set's release (ru1/1).
Dex ID 3 references Venusaur’s canonical position in the Pokédex, aligning with its place in the Bulbasaur line.
Rarity is listed as None in the provided data, which is atypical for most Pokémon TCG releases and may reflect labeling conventions specific to the ru1 print.
The card has holo, normal, and reverse variants, but not necessarily in first edition form, according to the dataset.
The Giga Drain attack’s self-healing mechanic demonstrates an early approach to balancing offense with recovery in non-core set designs, contributing to the diversity of Venusaur’s card history.

Notes on Data and Sources

All factual details in this article are drawn from the provided card dataset, which includes attributes such as HP, type, stage, evolution line, attacks, weaknesses, and set information. The pricing data reflects CardMarket statistics with the latest available updates, while external article links in the network section provide contextual reading across a spectrum of topics for readers seeking broader market and design discourse. The product_name and product_url references in the data are treated as metadata sources for release context and external shop references rather than as primary card data themselves.

📘 Venusaur (Base Set 15/102)