RarePokémon

Dark Explorers·Black & White series·#29

Empoleon #29

🔥 Hot Move

Empoleon is card #29 from Dark Explorers, a Rare Pokémon card currently trading near $10.57 for its Reverse Holofoil printing.

Market value

$10.57

Cardmarket (EUR)

€1.24

Print variants

7d trend

▲ 21.6%

Buy on TCGplayer from $4.30 eBay Cardmarket eBay sold prices

Trade this card

Price alert

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By CardLedger Research · Market data updated October 26, 2026 · Prices from TCGplayer & Cardmarket

If you sell Empoleon #29 today, you'd net about

$10.57after fees · best route: Direct

Direct $10.57Cardmarket $9.69Whatnot $9.12TCGplayer $8.92eBay $8.87

Sell on Cardmarket Model your exact net →

Net estimates use each marketplace's default seller tier and typical shipping — fees vary by category, account status and payment method, so confirm current rates before selling.

Sell or hold?▲ 21.6%

Market heating up ▲

Demand for Empoleon #29 rose this week. If you're cashing out, this is a strong window; holders can wait for more upside.

Empoleon at a glance

From Dark Explorers (Black & White), released 2012.
Rarity: Rare.
Trades around $10.57 on TCGplayer.
7-day average €2.14; 30-day average €1.76.
Cardmarket values it at €1.24 (EUR).

Market prices

Empoleon price by printing

Live TCGplayer and Cardmarket values for Empoleon #29.

TCGplayer prices, updated 2026/10/26.

Reverse Holofoiltop

$10.57

TCGplayer market

Low: $5.19
Mid: $18.46
High: —

Holofoil

$6.18

TCGplayer market

Low: $4.30
Mid: $5.99
High: —

Cardmarket pricing (EUR)

Trend price

€1.24

Avg sold

€1.53

Lowest NM

€0.10

7-day avg

€2.14

30-day avg

€1.76

Cardmarket data updated 2026/10/26.

Verify the card image and live listings on TCGplayer, Cardmarket or eBay.

Deal check

Is this Empoleon a good deal?

Put any asking price against today's live market value for Empoleon #29.

Asking price

Enter what a seller is asking for Empoleon #29. We compare it to today's live market value.

Live market value$10.57

Enter an asking price to see whether it's a steal, a fair price, or overpriced versus the $10.57 market value.

Overview

About Empoleon #29

Empoleon is the #29 of 108 card in Dark Explorers, a modern-era set released in 2012 as part of the Black & White series. The card carries 140 HP and Water typing, with a Stage 2 designation.

Naoki Saito illustrated this card. Its Reverse Holofoil printing is priced near $10.57, with listings from $5.19 to —.

Card facts

Set: Dark Explorers
Series: Black & White
Number: #29 / 108
Rarity: Rare
Illustrator: Naoki Saito
HP: 140
Type: Water
Subtype: Stage 2
Evolves from: Prinplup
Released: 2012/05/09

Card text

Empoleon attacks, abilities & battle stats

Printed card text and battle statistics for Empoleon #29 — the playability layer behind the price.

Ability

Diving Draw

Once during your turn (before your attack), you may discard a card from your hand. If you do, draw 2 cards.

Water

Attack Command

Does 10 damage times the number of Pokémon in play (both yours and your opponent's).

Battle stats

Weakness: Lightning ×2
Retreat cost: Colorless · Colorless
Ability: Diving Draw
Attacks: 1

Market analysis

Empoleon price analysis

What drives the current market value of Empoleon #29.

There are 2 tracked printings here — Reverse Holofoil at $10.57, Holofoil at $6.18.

$10.57 gives Empoleon real margin potential, so buy near the low end and sell toward the mid.

In the $10.57 band, condition and variant selection create meaningful price differences.

Cardmarket values Empoleon at a trend of €1.24, an average sold price of €1.53 and a near-mint floor of €0.10.

Price trend

Empoleon price history & movement

2026-10-13 · $10.57▲ 0% since 2026-10-132026-10-26 · $10.57

Momentum reads heating up — a 7-day average of €2.14 against a 30-day average of €1.76 (+21.6%).

Single-day average: €0.60; Cardmarket trend price €1.24.

Across 5 recorded days the price spanned $10.57–$10.57. The most recent snapshot of $10.57 sits 100% up that range.

Daily moves average a volatility of 0%, and the largest peak-to-trough drawdown recorded is 0%.

Cardmarket averages

1-day avg€0.60

7-day avg€2.14

30-day avg€1.76

Trend price€1.24

Price fingerprint

Built from CardLedger's own daily snapshots · 5 days tracked · latest October 26, 2026

Prices as of October 26, 2026

Since October 21, 2026:→ — (0.0%)

All-time high

$10.57

October 13, 2026

All-time low

$10.57

October 13, 2026

Off all-time high

-0%

13 days since high

Since first snapshot

0.0%

October 13, 2026

Max drawdown

-0%

peak-to-trough

Daily volatility

st. dev of daily moves

Current value

$10.57

latest snapshot

Position in recorded range

100%

low $10.57high $10.57

Real recorded values from our daily TCGplayer snapshots — not estimates or back-filled history. Methodology

Sell this card

How much would you net selling Empoleon?

Model the real take-home on a [object Object] sale across eBay, TCGplayer, Cardmarket and direct — fees and shipping included.

On a $10.57 sale, the take-home differs by platform: about $8.87 via eBay's default tier, $8.92 on TCGplayer, $9.69 on Cardmarket, $9.12 on Whatnot and $10.57 selling directly — a $1.70 spread after fees and typical shipping.

With this much value in the fee gap, platform choice materially changes your return. Model your exact shipping in the tool below.

Your sale

Sale price

Pre-filled with the current TCGplayer market for Empoleon #29.

Your shipping cost

Weight · 1 oz

I offer free shipping

Best net payout$10.57

Spread across platforms$1.70

Platform	Account	Fees	Eff. fee	You net
eBay	No Store	$1.70	16.1%	$8.87	Sell on eBay →
TCGplayer	Standard Seller	$1.65	15.6%	$8.92	Sell on TCGplayer →
Cardmarket / Local Shop	Private Seller	$0.88	8.3%	$9.69	Sell on Cardmarket →
Direct Sale (Social / Shows)best	Cash / In Person	—	0.0%	$10.57	Sell in person
Whatnot	Standard (8% + 2.9% + $0.30)	$1.45	13.7%	$9.12	Sell on Whatnot →

Modelled on each marketplace's default seller tier with your shipping input. Net payout = sale price − selling fees − outbound shipping. Fee figures are estimates (last reviewed October 15, 2026) and vary by category, account status and payment method — confirm current rates with the marketplace. Open the full seller fee calculator to model account tiers and buyer-paid shipping.

Grading ROI

Should you grade Empoleon?

Model the break-even and PSA 9 vs PSA 10 profit on grading Empoleon #29 against today's raw market value.

Grading plan

Raw purchase price

Pre-filled with the live market value for Empoleon #29.

Grading service tier

Shipping & insurance

Both-way postage plus declared-value insurance.

Marketplace fee · 13%

Estimated graded values below are a transparent starting point based on the raw price band — edit them with real graded comps before deciding.

PSA 9 value

PSA 10 value

Chance of PSA 9 · 55%

Chance of PSA 10 · 30%

Should you grade this?

Not worth grading

At $10.57 raw and $40.00 all-in grading cost, a PSA 10 nets — versus selling raw, a PSA 9 nets —. You need a graded sale of $56.55 to break even on grading.

At your stated grade odds the expected profit is — (-50.3% return on cost basis).

Net selling raw

$9.20

Net as PSA 9

—

[object Object] vs raw

Net as PSA 10

—

[object Object] vs raw

Break-even sale

$56.55

Expected value

—

Expected profit

—

-50.3% ROI

Grading costs, turnaround and grade outcomes vary by service and card. The estimated PSA 9 and PSA 10 values are heuristics, not predictions — always sanity-check against recent graded sold listings before committing. This is a modelling tool, not financial advice.

Set context

Empoleon within Dark Explorers

Empoleon ranks #42 of 57 tracked Dark Explorers cards by market value, against a set median of $29.46.

It sits in the top 28% of the checklist on price.

The set's top card is Gardevoir (#109), valued at $946.33.

Rank in set

#42

of 57 tracked

Set median

$29.46

Rarity

Rare

Series

Black & White

Full Dark Explorers report →

Value drivers

What makes Empoleon valuable

Modern-era (2012) cards are widely collected, so condition and rarity drive the spread between copies.
Naoki Saito illustrated this card, which adds appeal for artist-focused collectors.
With steady supply, Empoleon is inexpensive to enter and easy to move in bulk.
Rare is a common-to-mid rarity, so value depends more on condition, variant and playability than on scarcity alone.
As a Water-type Pokémon card, Empoleon is sought by players and collectors alike.

Buying notes

Buying & selling Empoleon

If you are buying to resell, model marketplace fees first — the $10.57 value is pre-fee, and the seller-fee calculator shows the net take-home per platform.
Check sold listings rather than asking prices — the Reverse Holofoil market of $10.57 reflects actual transactions on TCGplayer.
For Empoleon, confirm the exact print variant before buying: Reverse Holofoil, Holofoil prices differ, and listings often mix them.
Centring and surface condition matter most on Rare cards; a clean copy of Empoleon can realise well above the $5.19 low end.
Bulk lots of Empoleon can hide condition issues; inspect edges and holo surfaces before paying near the — high.

FAQ

Empoleon value questions

What is the value of Empoleon?

Empoleon trades near $10.57 on TCGplayer (Reverse Holofoil), ranging $5.19–—; Cardmarket shows €1.24.

Will Empoleon hold its value?

As a modern-era Rare card it is trending up in the short term (21.6% on the 7-day vs 30-day average). Value will track playability and collector demand.

What rarity is Empoleon?

Empoleon is a Rare card from Dark Explorers (Black & White series, 2012). It sits in a common-to-mid rarity tier, so condition and variant matter more than raw scarcity.

Does Empoleon have multiple printings?

TCGplayer tracks 2 printings: Reverse Holofoil ($10.57), Holofoil ($6.18). Prices differ between variants, so always confirm which one you own or are buying.

Where can I buy or sell Empoleon?

The main marketplaces are TCGplayer (USD), Cardmarket (EUR) and eBay. Current TCGplayer market is $10.57. When selling, compare net proceeds after fees — eBay and TCGplayer typically charge 9–13%, while direct sales carry lower or no fees.

Why does Empoleon cost what it does?

Four factors dominate: the Rare rarity tier, the modern-era Black & White set pedigree, playability (Pokémon, Water), and condition. Artwork by Naoki Saito also matters to collector demand.

Cross-set tracker