Between the two Pokémon TCG Starter Sets that were recently released—ex Starter Set Steven’s Beldum & Metagross ex [SVOD] and ex Starter Set Marnie’s Morpeko & Grimmsnarl ex [SVOM]—by far the more popular was the version featuring Marnie.

To those who knew much about the Pokémon TCG community, this came as little surprise, owing to Marnie’s popularity among the fanbase. The Dark-type specialist has been a major fan favorite not only among the TCG community, but among the Pokémon fandom in general ever since her debut in Gen 8.

Who Is Marnie?

Introduced in the Pokémon Sword and Shield video games, Marnie is the younger sister of Spikemuth Gym Leader Piers. Throughout the course of the game’s main storyline, the protagonist runs into her several times, eventually facing off during the Champion Cup at Wyndon Stadium. Marnie subsequently goes on to take over her brother’s position as one of the Galar region’s eight Gym Leaders.

Marnie belongs to a character archetype known as the “tsundere”—one which is hugely popular among the Pokémon TCG’s primary demographic. The term “tsundere” refers to a female character with a stern exterior but a gentler side which is gradually revealed.

As one might surmise from the title of the aforementioned Starter Set, Marnie’s signature Pokémon is her Morpeko—a Pokémon she first obtained via Piers, who caught it for her when she was just a child. This has in turn elevated the popularity of Morpeko among the Pokémon fanbase; it’s a Pokémon that many “casuals” might otherwise have forgotten about if not for Marnie.

Marnie in the Pokémon TCG

Marnie HR[S1H 072/060](Expansion Pack “Shield”)

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Marnie made her Pokémon TCG debut as a Supporter card in the Pokémon TCG in each of the six V Starter Sets [SA] that served as a “teaser” for the TCG’s eighth generation; however, her more well-known card is the one from Shield [S1H]—part of the dual set which alongside Sword [S1W] officially started Gen 8. It was an instant success—the Super Rare (SR) and Hyper Rare (HR) versions of the card were the most coveted and thus valuable of the entire set. To this day, PSA 10 versions of SR and HR versions of the Marnie card from Shield [S1H] can still fetch prices of well over US$100.

That card went on to be reprinted again and again throughout Gen 8—in total, a whopping 35 iterations of the Marnie card were issued throughout the entirety of the generation. This certainly attracted collectors who were interested in landing a card depicting a highly popular character, and interestingly, unlike what many might have expected, this oversaturation didn’t deflate the original prints’ value.

Other cards released since then which have featured Marnie include Marnie’s Pride, Friends in Galar, and Morpeko V-UNION.

Pokemon Card Game Starter Set ex “Marnie’s Morpeko & Grimmsnarl ex”

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Most recently, Marnie was the featured Trainer of the aforementioned ex Starter Set Marnie’s Morpeko & Grimmsnarl ex [SVOM] which has undoubtedly been selling in impressive numbers since its release in February 2025.

Marnie’s Pride[SI 419/414](Start Deck 100)

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Of these cards, the most valuable is Marnie’s Pride—not surprising given the fact that besides the original Marnie card, Marnie’s Pride is the only one to specifically feature her. The Full Art version from Start Deck 10 [SI], the more sought-after of the card’s two versions, also often breaks the US$100 barrier as far as sale price is concerned.

Marnie in the Pokémon TCG Metagame

Marnie [SA 023/023](Starter Set V “Grass”)

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Following the original Marnie card’s release, it wasn’t just coveted by collectors—players wanted its less expensive, non-Full Art version as well for its high level of gameplay utility. For as long as it was tournament-legal, that card was a staple of various tournament decks.

When played, both players shuffle all cards in hand and then put those cards at the bottom of their respective decks. Once this is done, unless either player didn’t have any cards to shuffle and place at the bottom of the deck, the player draws five cards while the opponent draws four.

By playing this card, the player gets the opportunity to reset a difficult hand; the card also serves to disrupt the setup that the opponent may be in the midst of. Since the player draws more cards than the opponent does when this card is played, it can also help create a resource advantage by functioning as a draw engine. The decks in which this card was most commonly played were the Lugia VSTAR, Arceus VSTAR, and Regigigas decks.

Marnie’s Pokémon in ex Starter Set Marnie’s Morpeko & Grimmsnarl ex [SVOM]

Marnie’s Morpeko [SVOM 020/019](Starter Set ex “Marnie’s Morpeko & Grimmsnarl ex”)

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The highly popular ex Starter Set Marnie’s Morpeko & Grimmsnarl ex [SVOM] spotlights several of Marnie’s Pokémon; the card which is most coveted among these is one of the two titular cards: Marnie’s Morpeko. It’s the only card in the Starter Set with a Full Art illustration; this Full Art version almost immediately saw countless buyers flocking to it following the Starter Set’s release.

Marnie’s Grimmsnarl ex [SVOM 007/019](Starter Set ex “Marnie’s Morpeko & Grimmsnarl ex”)

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Despite not having a Full Art illustration, Marnie’s Grimmsnarl ex—the Starter Set’s second titular card—is an impressive pickup in its own right, especially for a card of the Double Rare (RR) rarity. The card’s illustration shows Marnie’s Grimmsnarl ex unleashing its Shadow Bullet attack; it’s a fitting depiction of the sheer power of the Dark/Fairy-type Pokémon that’s the ace of Marnie’s team.

ex Starter Set Marnie’s Morpeko & Grimmsnarl ex [SVOM] also includes six other Pokémon owned by Marnie: Purrloin and Liepard, Scraggy and Scrafty, and Grimmsnarl ex’s two pre-evolutions Impidimp and Morgrem. Notably absent from the Starter Set is Marnie’s Toxicroak—it’s the only one of Marnie’s Pokémon from the video games that wasn’t included.

Now that we’ve covered everything there is to know about Marnie in the Pokémon TCG, why not consider picking up some of her associated cards and, by doing so, feel like a fully-fledged member of Team Yell (Marnie’s in-universe fan club) yourself?

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