No Level-Grinding Necessary: SNKRDUNK’s Selection of the Pokémon TCG’s Best Magikarp and Gyarados Cards by Generation

2nd May 2025 EDT FEATURES

No Level-Grinding Necessary: SNKRDUNK’s Selection of the Pokémon TCG’s Best Magikarp and Gyarados Cards by Generation

There's no better way to mark Golden Week and Children's Day.

In Japan, the carp is the symbol of Children’s Day. It represents the ideas of resilience and success, especially in relation to the legend of the Dragon Gate. According to the legend, a carp that leaps over the Dragon Gate will turn into a mighty dragon upon landing. For that reason, every year during Golden Week in late April and early May—a week of various holidays capped off by Children’s Day on 5 May—carp-shaped windsocks known as “koinobori” are hung up and flown at residences and other buildings all over Japan.

This same story made its way into the Pokémon franchise in the form of Magikarp and Gyarados; in the video games, the dismally weak Magikarp evolves into the fearsome Gyarados upon reaching level 20. It’s one of the most iconic evolution sequences in Pokémon history not only for the dramatic difference in appearance and power between the two Pokémon, but also for the tedious “grind” needed to evolve Magikarp finally paying off.

This Golden Week, let’s take a look at the Pokémon TCG’s greatest Magikarp and Gyarados cards throughout the generations.

Gen 1: Magikarp (Unnumbered Promotional Cards) (PSA 10 Price: ~US$15,509)

Pokémon TCG Best Magikarp and Gyarados Cards

Magikarp Tamamushi University: Old Back/PROMO[PMCG-P No.129](PMCG-P Promotional cards)

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Starting off our list is one of the most valuable Pokémon TCG cards ever—a promotional Magikarp of which only 1,000 copies were ever released. To obtain a copy of this card, one first had to correctly answer every question on four separate quizzes as part of the Shogakukan Celadon University Campaign: the Entrance Test, Professor Test, Super Professor Test, and Hyper Professor Test. These tests were found in the May 1998, August 1998, October 1998, and December 1998 issues, respectively, of each of the six Shogakukan Learning Magazines; only elementary school students in Japan during the 1998-99 academic year were eligible.

Following the conclusion of the Hyper Professor Test, 1,000 winners from all eligible entrants with correct submissions would be selected via lottery. Though the card would later be reprinted as part of Gen 2 set Pokémon Web, the new print didn’t detract from the original’s value in any way due to the highly exclusive nature of the card as well as the difficulty of obtaining it.

Gen 2: Shining Gyarados (Awakening Legends) (PSA 10 Price: ~US$5,908)

Cal Gyarados : Old Back [neo3 No.130](Pokemon Card neo Expansion Pack “Awakening Legends”)

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Awakening Legends introduced Shiny Pokémon to the Pokémon TCG—and not surprisingly, one of the two Shinies introduced and easily the more expensive depicted the most iconic Shiny of all time: the Shiny Gyarados colloquially referred to as the “Red Gyarados”. Needless to say, the Red Gyarados’ TCG debut lived up to the hype and then some.

The scene depicted in the card’s illustration takes place at the Lake of Rage where Shining Gyarados is shown unleashing a ferocious storm, its eyes glowing red with sheer fury. The holofoil across the illustration enhances the card’s visual impact, making the clouds in the dark sky stand out while at the same time emphasizing the overwhelming power of Shining Gyarados. Finally, the card’s rarity of Shining Holo, new to the TCG at the time of its release, was one specifically introduced for Shiny Pokémon.

Gen 3: Gyarados ☆ δ (Holon Phantom 008/052) (PSA 10 Price: ~US$2,508)

Gyarados Delta Species: 1ED[PCG7 008/052](Expansion Pack “Holon Phantom”)

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The “Red Gyarados” made a return in Gen 3—but this time as a Fire-type Pokémon long before Terastallization was a thing.

The Gyarados ☆ δ card from Holon Phantom was the first-ever type-shifted Pokémon δ to also be a Pokémon ☆—the TCG’s new term for Shiny Pokémon. Coated in flames as it’s shown gearing up to unleash its All-out Blast attack, this Gyarados ☆ δ card has a truly spectacular illustration that remains among the TCG’s most memorable almost two decades later.

This card came in the rarity of Shiny Rare Holo—the rebranded name of Shining Holo. In addition, only three Pokémon ☆ δ cards, including this one, would ever be released. This therefore gives Gyarados ☆ δ a special place in the history of the Pokémon TCG. It’s thus understandable why this card commands the huge price tag that it does.

Gen 4: Gyarados (Pokémon Rumble x Pokémon Card Game 006/016) (PSA 10 Price: ~US$1,500)

Gyarados[Pt-R 006/016](Melee! Pokemon Scramble Pokemon Card Game)

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As cursed as this card’s illustration might look, it’s nonetheless a majorly impressive get for collectors. This card was part of a special 19-card set released in conjunction with 2009 Nintendo Wii video game Pokémon Rumble. All illustrations of Pokémon on the set’s cards were taken directly from Pokémon Rumble—which is why they look the way they do.

It is, in fact, the card’s illustration that’s its main attraction as it’s one of just 19 cards with imagery from Pokémon Rumble ever released; these cards were also only in circulation for a relatively short time. The Pokémon Rumble logo has also been placed on the right side of the card to certify its connections to the WiiWare video game while the card’s illustrator is listed as “Pokémon Rumble”.

Gen 5: Gyarados (EX Battle Boost [EBB] 023/093) (PSA 10 Price: ~US$81)

Gyarados :Mirror :1ED [EBB 023/093](Concept Pack “EX Battle Boost”)

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In the Pokémon TCG’s fifth generation, Magikarp and Gyarados generally took a back seat—there aren’t any obvious standouts. That said, if one had to be chosen, it would have to be the Gyarados card from EX Battle Boost [EBB]. It’s a card highlighted by a simple yet striking illustration that depicts the Water/Flying-type Pokémon underwater and about to attack with Howling Rampage.

Adding to this card’s appeal is the fact that it represents the second part of a two-part illustration. The Magikarp card from the same set has an illustration that depicts Magikarp mid-evolution, eventually turning into the Gyarados shown on this card. This narrative element adds further interest for many, especially since it features perhaps the most dramatic of all Pokémon evolutions.

Gen 6: Gyarados (XY-P Promotional Cards) (PSA 10 Price: ~US$1,915)

Gyarados: PROMO[XY-P](XY-P Promotional cards)

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The original Pokémon Center Hiroshima opened in June 2015 in Sogo Hiroshima where it remained until March 2025 when it was relocated to ekie Hiroshima. In honor of its opening, an in-store Pokémon TCG tournament known as the Gyarados Battle tournament was held on 22-23 August 2015; it was so named because Gyarados was and still is the mascot of Pokémon Center Hiroshima.

This card, a promotional reprint of a card from Bandit Ring [XY7], features a spectacular Full Art illustration depicting Gyarados emerging from the water with tremendous force. The card’s holofoil adds to the illustration’s visual impact by providing a spectrum-like effect to the splash that Gyarados makes as it arises from the water and thus making the imagery look even more life-like. The Pokémon Center Hiroshima logo featuring a Shiny Gyarados and a Pikachu can be seen on the card’s left side.

Gen 7: Magikarp & Wailord GX (Tag Bolt [SM9]) (PSA 10 Price: ~US$430)

Magikarp & GX SR: SA[SM9 099/095](Expansion Pack “Tag Bolt”)

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Magikarp & Wailord GX is one of the best-known TAG TEAM GX cards—and for good reason. For one thing, the card’s cartoonish Full Art illustration gives this card a whimsical, light-hearted feel that contrasts this card to those of most other TAG TEAM GX cards. Depicting Wailord catapulting Magikarp skyward with the water arising from its blowhole, this Super Rare (SR) card is one of the most coveted cards of not only Tag Bolt [SM9], but the seventh Pokémon TCG generation as a whole.

Further elevating this card’s profile was its role in one of the most memorable finishes to a tournament game ever. In the quarterfinals of the 2019 Greensboro Regionals, Azul Garcia Griego used Magikarp & Wailord GX’s Towering Splash GX attack to overturn a 5-0 Prize deficit in one turn to claim six Prize cards all at once, defeat Alex Schemanske, and advance to the semifinals. To this day, this is regarded as one of the greatest plays in Pokémon TCG tournament history.

Gen 8: Gyarados VMAX (Blue Sky Stream [S7R]) (PSA 10 Price: ~US$49)

Gyarados VMAX HR[S7R 081/067](Expansion Pack”Blue Sky Stream”)

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While Gen 8, like Gen 5, didn’t see much in the way of standout Magikarp and Gyarados cards, one which deserves mention is the Hyper Rare (HR) Gyarados VMAX card from Blue Sky Stream [S7R]. Featuring the Dynamaxed version of Gyarados, this card comes in the rainbow holofoil that typifies many cards of the HR rarity.

This card is the rarer of the two versions of Gyarados VMAX in Blue Sky Stream [S7R]; the other came in the rarity of Triple Rare (RRR). It’s also the only Pokémon TCG card to ever feature Gyarados in its Dynamaxed form, further driving up general interest in the card.

Gen 9: Magikarp (Triplet Beat [SV1a]) (PSA 10 Price: ~US$125)

Magikarp AR[SV1a 080/073](Scarlet & Violet Enhanced Expansion Pack “Triplet Beat”)

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This is perhaps the card which had the most unexpected rise to its status as a modern-day Pokémon TCG icon—not least because of its rarity of Art Rare (AR) which is only the TCG’s fourth-highest rarity. Yet, this Magikarp card’s value continued to climb well after those of the Special Art Rare (SAR) cards from Triplet Beat [SV1a] had plateaued.

This card features a stunning illustration with an art style giving off pseudo-cosmic vibes; it depicts Magikarp climbing a waterfall on its quest to evolve into Gyarados. This latter idea is conveyed by the Gyarados head in the top-right corner of the card—it isn’t actually a Gyarados head, but the projection of one to represent the reward that awaits Magikarp at the top of the waterfall. Notably, the Gyarados head was a late addition to the card as was revealed by an exhibit at the 2025 Pokémon Europe International Championships (EUIC).

Now that you’ve seen this selection of cards, why not go even further and browse our complete selection of Magikarp and Gyarados cards? They’re not just great collectibles—the story behind the Pokémon they depict is one that should resonate with anyone, not just Pokémon fans.

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