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Weedle card art from Plasma Freeze BW9 high-resolution image

Image courtesy of TCGdex.net

Overview

Weedle is a basic Grass-type Pokémon card that appears in the Plasma Freeze expansion (BW9) of the Pokémon Trading Card Game. Cataloged as bw9-1, the card reflects Weedle’s role as a staple early-press opponent in many Grass-energy strategies, and it bears the common rarity designation. The artwork, provided by Sumiyoshi Kizuki, adheres to the era’s clean, bold illustrative style typical of Grass-type Pokémon from that generation. While Weedle itself remains a low-HP, early-stage Pokémon, its presence in Plasma Freeze contributes to the broader ecosystem of evolve-or-be-defeated tactics that define many modern TCG decks. The card is one piece of a longer evolution chain—Weedle evolves into Kakuna and ultimately Beedrill—forming a foundational, if often metagame-ambiguous, pathway for players pursuing a mid-to-late-game Beedrill threat.

Card Information

Card name: Weedle
Set: Plasma Freeze
Set abbreviation: BW9
Card number: bw9-1
Rarity: Common
Type: Grass
HP: 50
Stage: Basic
Evolution: Weedle → Kakuna → Beedrill
Attacks: Triple Stab — Cost: Grass; Damage: 10. Effect: Flip 3 coins. This attack does 10 damage times the number of heads.
Weakness: Fire ×2
Retreat cost: 1
Illustrator: Sumiyoshi Kizuki
Variants: Normal, Reverse Holo, Holo
Legal in: Expanded; not legal in Standard
Card value context: Common printing with potential holo and reverse-holo variations, contributing to bulk collection as a budget-friendly Grass-type option in Expanded play.

Gameplay and Strategy

Weedle’s primary functional role in a repertoire of Expanded-format decks is twofold: it fulfills the Basic stage in the Weedle–Kakuna–Beedrill evolution line, and it leverages a high-variance attack mechanism to pressure oppoents while evolving into more potent Beedrill lineages in subsequent turns. The Triple Stab attack demands three coin flips, dealing 10 damage per head. This makes the attack inherently stochastic, capable of delivering as little as 0 damage or as much as 30 damage if all three coins land as heads. In practical terms, Weedle serves as a tempo card early in the game, primarily as a setup piece to accelerate evolution into Kakuna and, ultimately, Beedrill for sustained offensive presence. Because Weedle’s HP is modest (50), it is prone to being knocked out by a single, efficient attack from many opponent Pokémon in Expanded formats. As a result, Weedle is rarely the primary attacker of a winning strategy; rather, it anchors the early game’s evolution curve, enabling a later Beedrill to take over with stronger attacks and better matchups. Its Grass typing can work in tandem with Grass-centered energy acceleration and search-support cards that help to bring Kakuna into play and set up Beedrill’s more impactful threats. Key strategic considerations include: - Evolution timing: Prioritize evolving Weedle to Kakuna on the following turn to unlock Beedrill’s longer-term threat sooner rather than later. - Energy management: The attack’s cost is a single Grass energy, which suits fast, energy-light plays but must be complemented by supportive tools to accelerate Grass-energy attachment or to fetch Weedle from the deck. - Coin-flip variance: The attack’s outcome is highly variable. Decks leveraging this mechanic may pair Weedle with other cards that stabilize or reward coin-flip results to maximize the early-game damage window. - Defensive options: With a retreat cost of 1, Weedle offers reasonable retreat flexibility to re-position into a more favorable board state, should a bench-based Beedrill be part of the player’s plan. Overall, Weedle’s value in a deck is less about raw damage output and more about its role in building a reliable evolution path and providing a springboard for Beedrill’s later stage pressure.

Collector and Market Information

As a Common rarity Grass-type Basic Pokémon from the Plasma Freeze set, Weedle bw9-1 is widely available in multiple print variants, including Normal, Reverse Holo, and Holofoil. The expansion is part of the BW9 lineup, and the BW9 set page indicates a total of 122 cards with Plasma Freeze housing 116 official cards. For collectors, the presence of holo and reverse-holo versions can influence value and desirability, particularly in sealed or completed sets where holo entries are favored for higher display appeal.

Pricing data from major market trackers (as of late 2025) show a broad spectrum of values: - CardMarket (EUR): Normal print averages around €0.14; holo variants average higher (around €0.37) with typical short-term fluctuations reflected by a small trend line. Lower-bound prices typically sit near €0.02 for the standard print, with holo records edging closer to €0.10 or more. - TCGPlayer (USD): Normal print ranges from a low around $0.14 to a mid around $0.25, with market prices often cited near $0.27. Reverse Holo foil examples can command higher prices, recording a high around $7.40 for select listings, and a market price around $1.23 in recent data, illustrating the premium placed on holo/reverse-holo variants within the same card pool. - These figures illustrate a typical low-cost entry point for collectors seeking basic Weedle prints, contrasted with higher-values variants when seeking a holo or reverse-holo presentation in a broader collection. Market activity reflects the broader demand for early-Stage Grass-type Pokémon in Expanded formats and the general collector interest in Plasma Freeze’s print runs. The data also highlight the importance of knowing the variation type when assessing value—normal prints generally carry far lower price points than holo or reverse-holo versions, reflecting collector preference for alternate finishes.

Art and Lore

The Weedle card from Plasma Freeze features illustration by Sumiyoshi Kizuki, an artist credited for numerous Pokémon TCG artworks during the Black & White era. The artwork emphasizes the brisk, insectoid form of Weedle, aligned with the Grass-type color palette and a presentation style consistent with early-stage Pokémon cards of the period. As with many Plant- and Bug-type cards from this era, the image is designed to convey a sense of natural habitat—the micro-ecosystem of the evolving line—while maintaining clear readability for the card’s text in competitive play. The broader lore of Weedle within the Pokémon universe centers on its role as a basic insect Pokémon that evolves into Kakuna and later Beedrill, continuing a lineage celebrated for its speed and sting-focused offense in various game formats.

Trivia

This Weedle print is part of the Plasma Freeze expansion (BW9), rather than a direct remnant of the original Base Set. The BW9 designation places it within the Black & White era of the Pokémon TCG, reflecting a distinct art direction and set mechanics from earlier nostalgia-era releases.
The card exists in multiple finishes—Normal, Reverse Holo, and Holo—each affecting collectibility and market value, especially for holo variants that frequently command premium pricing in collector markets.
Triple Stab’s three-coin-flip mechanic introduces a high-variance damage output, making Weedle an example of how early-stage Pokémon can contribute to deck synergy through probabilistic effects rather than consistent damage alone.
Sumiyoshi Kizuki’s illustration for this Weedle card is part of a broader body of work on the Plasma Freeze set, helping to establish the visual identity of the Grass-type and Bug-type Pokémon within that cycle.

Notes on Card Variants and Printing

Weedle bw9-1 is cataloged with several variants—Normal, Reverse Holo, and Holo—each variant presenting distinct collectible value and visual appeal. The holo version, in particular, is often sought after by players and collectors due to its more visually striking foil finish. The card’s position within an official card count of 116 (out of 122) for the BW9 set confirms its placement within a relatively complete expansion, offering players and collectors an opportunity to complete the plasma-themed cycle within the Black & White era.

References and Context

Data for this entry derives from the card’s official attributes, including its set designation (Plasma Freeze, BW9), card number (bw9-1), HP, attacks, retreat cost, type, and rarity. The pricing and market data reflect contemporary market observations as of late 2025, citing CardMarket and TCGPlayer statistics for both normal and holo/reverse-holo variants. The illustration credit is Sumiyoshi Kizuki, acknowledging the artist’s contribution to this specific printing. The card’s legal status—Expanded legality and non-Standard legality—aligns with the stated formats for this edition.

📘 Weedle (Base Set)