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Pokémon Cards

Metapod

Base 54/102 • common

Set: Base
Number: 54/102
Rarity: Common
Released: 1999
Energy type: grass energy
Market price: $1.34
Artist: Ken Sugimori

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$1.34est. via TCGplayer

20,475cards in the catalog

18other printings of this card

Market

What it's worth

$1.34market price via TCGplayer · Nov 3, 2026$0.79 – $1.66 over the tracked period

Estimate for a typical copy of Metapod; condition, printing, and grading move the real number.

Lore

Why it matters

As a common grass-type card from the initial base set, this Metapod represents the foundational era of the trading card game. Its inclusion in the earliest collection marks it as a piece of history that helped define the hobby for many players.

Written by Pi, the helpful collecto.rs AI

Card face

What it does

70 HPStage 1

Cost: colorless energy colorless energyStiffen

Flip a coin. If heads, prevent all damage done to Metapod during your opponent's next turn. (Any other effects of attacks still happen.)

Cost: grass energy grass energyStun Spore20

Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokémon is now Paralyzed.

Weaknessfire energy×2Retreatcolorless energy colorless energy

It is vulnerable to attack because its shell is soft, exposing its weak and tender body.

Formats

Where you can play it

StandardNot legal
ExpandedNot legal
UnlimitedLegal

Card text © Pokémon / Nintendo / Creatures / GAME FREAK, via pokemontcg.io. Not produced by or endorsed by The Pokémon Company. As of the last catalogue refresh.

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Provenance

Where it came from

The Metapod card was released in 1999 as part of the inaugural Pokémon Trading Card Game Base Set. Produced by Wizards of the Coast, this set marked the English-language debut of the franchise, which had previously seen immense success in Japan. Metapod was chosen as one of the 102 cards to help introduce the game’s core mechanics, representing the transition phase in the evolution cycle of the iconic Caterpie.

The card’s illustration was created by Mitsuhiro Arita, one of the most prolific artists in the history of the Pokémon TCG. Arita’s approach for this piece emphasizes the creature's stationary, defensive nature, fitting the card's low-impact Grass type classification. Within the competitive landscape of the original set, the card was widely utilized for its 'Stiffen' attack, which allowed players to reduce incoming damage, making it a functional common card that helped bridge the gap between basic and stage-two evolutions.

Written by Pi, the helpful collecto.rs AI

Other printings

Others named Metapod

Same name, different printings and different cards — these sources have no shared id tying a reprint to its original.

Collectors

Who's collecting this

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About

About Metapod

Metapod is a card in the Pokémon Cards catalog on collecto.rs. Base 54/102 • common. Catalog data is sourced from pokemontcg.io. No collectors on collecto.rs publicly track this card yet — adding yours would make you the first.

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Where does the Metapod catalog entry come from?

The catalog entry for Metapod is sourced from pokemontcg.io. Catalog-level facts stay consistent across every collector; your own data (condition, edition, acquisition notes) is yours.