{"id":438591,"date":"2025-04-08T15:15:49","date_gmt":"2025-04-08T07:15:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/?p=438591"},"modified":"2025-04-08T15:15:49","modified_gmt":"2025-04-08T07:15:49","slug":"the-power-of-the-marnie-pokemon-card-spikemuths-dark-ace-in-the-tcg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/2025\/04\/08\/the-power-of-the-marnie-pokemon-card-spikemuths-dark-ace-in-the-tcg\/","title":{"rendered":"The Power of the Marnie Pok\u00e9mon Card: Spikemuth’s Dark Ace in the TCG"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Between the two Pok\u00e9mon TCG Starter Sets that were recently released\u2014ex Starter Set Steven\u2019s Beldum & Metagross ex [SVOD] and ex Starter Set Marnie\u2019s Morpeko & Grimmsnarl ex [SVOM]\u2014by far the more popular was the version featuring Marnie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To those who knew much about the Pok\u00e9mon TCG community, this came as little surprise, owing to Marnie\u2019s popularity among the fanbase. The Dark-type specialist has been a major fan favorite not only among the TCG community, but among the Pok\u00e9mon fandom in general ever since her debut in Gen 8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Who Is Marnie?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"The<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Introduced in the Pok\u00e9mon Sword and Shield video games, Marnie is the younger sister of Spikemuth Gym Leader Piers. Throughout the course of the game\u2019s 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\u2019s position as one of the Galar region\u2019s eight Gym Leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marnie belongs to a character archetype known as the \u201ctsundere\u201d\u2014one which is hugely popular among the Pok\u00e9mon TCG\u2019s primary demographic. The term \u201ctsundere\u201d refers to a female character with a stern exterior but a gentler side which is gradually revealed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pok\u00e9mon<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As one might surmise from the title of the aforementioned Starter Set, Marnie\u2019s signature Pok\u00e9mon is her Morpeko\u2014a Pok\u00e9mon 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 Pok\u00e9mon fanbase; it\u2019s a Pok\u00e9mon that many \u201ccasuals\u201d might otherwise have forgotten about if not for Marnie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Marnie in the Pok\u00e9mon TCG<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Pok\u00e9mon<\/figure>
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Marnie HR[S1H 072\/060](Expansion Pack “Shield”)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Marnie made her Pok\u00e9mon TCG debut as a Supporter card in the Pok\u00e9mon TCG in each of the six V Starter Sets [SA] that served as a \u201cteaser\u201d for the TCG\u2019s eighth generation; however, her more well-known card is the one from Shield [S1H]\u2014part of the dual set which alongside Sword [S1W] officially started Gen 8. It was an instant success\u2014the Super Rare (SR)<\/a> and Hyper Rare (HR<\/a>) 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That card went on to be reprinted again and again throughout Gen 8\u2014in 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\u2019t deflate the original prints\u2019 value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other cards released since then which have featured Marnie include Marnie\u2019s Pride<\/a>, Friends in Galar<\/a>, and Morpeko V-UNION<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pok\u00e9mon<\/figure>
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Pokemon Card Game Starter Set ex “Marnie’s Morpeko & Grimmsnarl ex”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Most recently, Marnie was the featured Trainer of the aforementioned ex Starter Set Marnie\u2019s Morpeko & Grimmsnarl ex [SVOM] which has undoubtedly been selling in impressive numbers since its release in February 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pok\u00e9mon<\/figure>
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Marnie\u2019s Pride[SI 419\/414](Start Deck 100)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Of these cards, the most valuable is Marnie\u2019s Pride\u2014not surprising given the fact that besides the original Marnie card, Marnie\u2019s 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\u2019s two versions, also often breaks the US$100 barrier as far as sale price is concerned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Marnie in the Pok\u00e9mon TCG Metagame<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Pok\u00e9mon<\/figure>
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Marnie [SA 023\/023](Starter Set V “Grass”)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Following the original Marnie card\u2019s release, it wasn\u2019t just coveted by collectors\u2014players 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019t have any cards to shuffle and place at the bottom of the deck, the player draws five cards while the opponent draws four.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Marnie\u2019s Pok\u00e9mon in ex Starter Set Marnie\u2019s Morpeko & Grimmsnarl ex [SVOM]<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Pok\u00e9mon<\/figure>
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Marnie’s Morpeko [SVOM 020\/019](Starter Set ex “Marnie’s Morpeko & Grimmsnarl ex”)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The highly popular ex Starter Set Marnie\u2019s Morpeko & Grimmsnarl ex [SVOM] spotlights several of Marnie\u2019s Pok\u00e9mon; the card which is most coveted among these is one of the two titular cards: Marnie\u2019s Morpeko. It\u2019s 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\u2019s release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pok\u00e9mon<\/figure>
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Marnie’s Grimmsnarl ex [SVOM 007\/019](Starter Set ex “Marnie’s Morpeko & Grimmsnarl ex”)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Despite not having a Full Art illustration, Marnie\u2019s Grimmsnarl ex\u2014the Starter Set\u2019s second titular card\u2014is an impressive pickup in its own right, especially for a card of the Double Rare (RR) rarity. The card\u2019s illustration shows Marnie\u2019s Grimmsnarl ex unleashing its Shadow Bullet attack; it\u2019s a fitting depiction of the sheer power of the Dark\/Fairy-type Pok\u00e9mon that\u2019s the ace of Marnie\u2019s team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ex Starter Set Marnie\u2019s Morpeko & Grimmsnarl ex [SVOM] also includes six other Pok\u00e9mon owned by Marnie: Purrloin<\/a> and Liepard<\/a>, Scraggy<\/a> and Scrafty<\/a>, and Grimmsnarl ex\u2019s two pre-evolutions Impidimp<\/a> and Morgrem<\/a>. Notably absent from the Starter Set is Marnie\u2019s Toxicroak\u2014it\u2019s the only one of Marnie\u2019s Pok\u00e9mon from the video games that wasn\u2019t included.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now that we’ve covered everything there is to know about Marnie in the Pok\u00e9mon TCG, why not consider picking up some of her associated cards<\/a> and, by doing so, feel like a fully-fledged member of Team Yell (Marnie’s in-universe fan club) yourself?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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