Wartortle #171 Value

Name: Wartortle #171 — 151
Brand: Pokémon

151 · Card 171/207 · Illustration rare · 2023

Wartortle #171 is one of those illustration rares that stops you mid-scroll, Mitsuhiro Arita's artwork giving this classic starter a softer, more painterly feel than you're used to seeing. It comes from the Scarlet & Violet 151 set, released in 2023, a set that leaned hard into nostalgia by revisiting the original 151 Pokemon with this kind of special art treatment. If you're trying to pin down Wartortle value right now, a raw copy sits at $57, which feels about right for an illustration rare with this kind of collector demand behind it.

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Market value & price

Raw / Ungraded

$57

Grade 9

$75

PSA 10

$399

PSA 10 is 7.0× the raw price

Value by grade

Where it drops

Pulled 200+× on PackSpy across Courtyard, Collector Crypt, Mnstr · biggest hit $740.

Found in packs: Pokémon Starter Pack · Pokémon Pro Pack · Elite Pokémon Gacha Pack · Legendary Pokémon Gacha Pack · Pokémon Platinum (Spicy) …

Want to pull Wartortle?

Rip a live pack on the sites that drop cards like this:

Rip on Courtyard →Rip on Collector Crypt →Rip on Monster (MNSTR) →Rip on Packs.com →

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PriceCharting history ↗eBay sold listings ↗PSA price guide ↗

Card details

Set: 151
Card number: 171 of 207
Rarity: Illustration rare
Type: Water
HP: 100
Stage: Stage1
Weakness: Lightning ×2
Retreat cost: 2
Illustrator: Mitsuhiro Arita
Released: 2023

Attacks

Free Diving
Water
Put up to 3 Basic {W} Energy cards from your discard pile into your hand.
Spinning Attack50
Water · Water

Wartortle — collector's take

Is Wartortle worth grading?

So is Wartortle worth grading? Here's the honest math: a raw copy runs $57, a Grade 9 comes in at $75, and a PSA 10 jumps all the way to $399, which works out to roughly 7.0 times the raw price. That's a real gap, and it's tempting. But gem mint is called gem mint for a reason, corners, edges and centering all have to line up just right, and plenty of nice-looking copies come back as a 9 instead of a 10. Add in grading fees and turnaround time, and you're taking on genuine risk for that multiplier. If you've got a clean copy and you're patient, it can pay off. If you're on the fence, it's fine to just enjoy the raw card and let someone else take that gamble.

How rare is it?

We don't have official population figures to point to here, but illustration rares as a category are built to feel scarce, they're pulled far less often than standard rares in a set, which is exactly why they carry a premium even in raw form. That scarcity is part of what pushes a PSA 10 up to $399 while the raw card sits at $57, the jump reflects how few copies survive the pack-to-slab journey in top condition. When a card's rarity tier is this tight, condition does a lot of the talking on price.

Where to pull it

This is where PackSpy's tracking actually earns its keep. We've recorded Wartortle pulled 200 or more times across sites like collector-crypt, courtyard and mnstr, so it's not some mythical chase card, it does show up if you're opening in the right places. It's turned up in the Water Pack, the Elite Pokemon Gacha Pack, the Pokemon Starter Pack, the Pokemon Master Pack and the Pokemon Basic Pack, and one lucky pull was recorded at $740. That said, opening packs is still a gamble, most rips don't come close to that number, so treat any pull as a bonus rather than an expectation.

Questions people ask

How much is Wartortle worth?

A raw, ungraded Wartortle #171 is valued at $57. Graded copies climb from there, with a Grade 9 at $75 and a PSA 10 reaching $399, so condition makes a real difference to what it's worth.

Is Wartortle worth grading?

It can be, given a PSA 10 sells for about 7.0 times the raw price of $57. Just know that gem mint copies are hard to land, and grading takes time and money, so it's worth it mainly if your copy is already sharp.

What set is Wartortle from?

Wartortle #171 comes from the Scarlet & Violet 151 set, released in 2023. It's an illustration rare featuring artwork by Mitsuhiro Arita, part of what made that set such a hit with collectors chasing the original 151.