Collector’s Guide: Ekans (Team Rocket, Base Set 5 #56)

Quick Facts

• Pokémon: Ekans
• HP: 50
• Type: Grass
• Stage: Basic
• Rarity: Common
• Illustrator: Ken Sugimori
• Set: Team Rocket (Base Set 5)
• Card Number: 56
• Legality: unknown

This Ekans card features two attacks: Bite, dealing 10 damage for one Colorless energy, and Poison Sting, which deals 20 damage for two Grass energies and may Poison the Defending Pokémon on a coin flip. It has a retreat cost of 1 and a weakness to Psychic (×2). The card’s flavor text describes Ekans as a carnivore that swallows prey whole, favoring Pidgeys and Spearows.

Key Printings

This exact printing is from the Team Rocket expansion, identified by the set code “base5” and card number 56. It is a Basic Pokémon card with no evolutions or abilities. The illustrator is Ken Sugimori, a prominent artist for early Pokémon TCG cards.

Variants & Identifiers

• Set Name: Team Rocket
• Set Code: base5
• Card Number: 56
• Rarity: Common
• Type: Grass
• Stage: Basic
• Illustrator: Ken Sugimori
• Print Variants: None reported for this exact printing
• Regulation Mark: None

Care & Storage Tips

To preserve the condition of this common Ekans card, store it in a protective sleeve away from direct sunlight and moisture. Avoid bending or scratching the card surface. Given its age and collectible value, keeping it in a top-loader or binder with acid-free pages is recommended.

Set-by-Set Micro-summaries

Team Rocket (Base Set 5)

This set introduced darker-themed Pokémon and featured the villainous Team Rocket. Ekans appears here as a Grass-type Basic Pokémon with simple but effective attacks. The card is not legal in Standard, Expanded, or Unlimited formats, with its legality status currently unknown.