How Cramorant V Fits in Pokémon TCG Lore

In TCG ·

Cramorant V card art from Sword & Shield (swsh1-155)

Image courtesy of TCGdex.net

Charting Cramorant V's Place in the Pokémon TCG Universe

In the ever-expanding tapestry of the Pokémon Trading Card Game, Cramorant V stands out as a flavorful bridge between deck-building discipline and narrative whimsy. This basic Colorless V from the Sword & Shield era carries not just a stat line, but a design philosophy: resilience meets resourcefulness. With a stout 200 HP, Cramorant V is built to weather early-game trades while you sculpt your hand with Beak Catch, a move that mirrors the bird’s real-world predation instincts in a playful, tactical way. The card’s holo rarity adds a dash of spectacle to the table, a reminder that story and strategy can coexist in a single perched moment of play. ⚡🔥

A Snapshot of the Card

  • Name: Cramorant V
  • Type: Colorless
  • Stage: Basic
  • HP: 200
  • Attacks:
    • Beak Catch — Colorless: Search your deck for up to 2 cards and put them into your hand. Then, shuffle your deck.
    • Spit Shot — Colorless, Colorless, Colorless: Discard all Energy from this Pokémon. This attack does 160 damage to 1 of your opponent's Pokémon. (Don't apply Weakness and Resistance for Benched Pokémon.)
  • Weakness: Lightning ×2
  • Resistance: Fighting -30
  • Retreat: 1
  • Illustrator: aky CG Works
  • Set: Sword & Shield (swsh1)
  • Rarity: holo Rare V
  • Regulation Mark: D
  • Legal formats: Expanded (Standard: not legal as of the latest notes)

As a strategy-focused card, Cramorant V embodies a classic V-card stylistic approach: high HP, a consistent draw engine, and a big payoff with the right timing. The Beak Catch ability is the kind of utility that separates a casual table-scatter of cards from a well-tuned toolbox. It invites you to plan several turns ahead—what two key pieces might you fetch now to unlock a sequence later? The Spit Shot attack, meanwhile, delivers real damage potential (160) but asks you to pay the energy tax by discarding all Energy from Cramorant V. That trade-off is a narrative-in-flash moment: the bird gives you power, then hastens its own energy-dependent reckoning. 🎴🎨

Gameplay and Deck-Building Philosophy

In practical terms, the Beak Catch ability makes Cramorant V an excellent anchor for a deck that values consistency and acceleration. Because you can search your deck for up to two cards, you can pair Cramorant V with searchers like Quick Ball or Professor's Research-style tools (depending on the exact legal setup of your format) to assemble a hand that includes a needed Supporter, a defensive Pokémon, or a pivotal energy card. The two-card fetch is generous enough to enable “net gains” even when your opening draws are modest, and the fact that you attach the retrieved cards to your hand rather than the bench opens room for agile, on-the-fly decision-making as the game develops. Spit Shot’s 3-Colorless cost demands careful energy accounting. You want to ensure that you can attach enough energy for the long haul, or you’ll waste the card’s tempo by burning through Energy that you may need later in the match. The requirement to discard all Energy from Cramorant V also means you’ll need a backup energy plan—either a steady trickle of attachments, a temporary reset of energy with a Switch-like effect, or supplementary powers from other team members that can maintain pressure even after you spend your energy supply. The power spike is real, but it’s balanced by the energy economy, which invites flexible, multi-Pokemon approaches rather than a single-linear cascade. ⚡💎 From a lore-tinged lens, Cramorant’s two-pronged approach—snatch-and-store (Beak Catch) and rapid expulsion (Spit Shot)—echoes the bird’s iconic beachside persona. The card’s Colorless identity lets you weave in a wide variety of color-energy strategies without locking you into a single type. It’s the kind of design that feels both story-forward and mechanically satisfying, as if you’re guiding a peckish predator through a high-stakes game of fetch.

Lore Threads: Cramorant in the Pokémon Universe

Beyond the tabletop, Cramorant has long been celebrated as a clever seabird who can appear unexpectedly with a beak full of prey. The TCG version translates that essence into a playable narrative: a creature who gathers resources when they matter most, then unleashes a decisive strike when the timing is right. The illustrator, aky CG Works, brings the bird to life with a bright, glossy charisma that mirrors the holo foil’s shimmer in a way that fans find memorable—like a splash of sunlight catching the ocean. This synergy of art, strategy, and story is part of what makes the Sword & Shield era so beloved by collectors and players alike. 🪶🎨

Collector’s Insight and Market Vibe

For collectors, Cramorant V sits in a space where holo rares offer a blend of playability and display value. The card’s Expanded legality keeps it relevant for players who favor older formats, while its standard absence keeps demand more niche but steady for those who chase specific sets or evolves. Pricing data paints a nuanced picture: CardMarket’s holo and non-holo markets show a typical spread, with non-holo price data clustering around €0.45–€1.04 on average, and holo variants trending higher as a reflection of their collectible allure. The holo data hints at a stronger upward pull over time, with “trend-holo” indicators suggesting occasional spikes as players long for gleaming finishes in their binders. On TCGPlayer, non-holo examples sit near $0.40–$1.00 in typical listings, while high-end holo copies can touch the $9.95 mark in some listings—a reminder that market curiosity can outpace mass demand for coveted holo rares. In short: Cramorant V remains an affordable, aspirational centerpiece for those building a versatile V-based deck, with the holo variant offering a potential bonus of display-worthy shine. 💎🔥

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And for readers who enjoy widening the conversation into broader networked pages, explore these related pieces from the Digital Vault blog while you stock up on your next decks and display setups. ⚡🎴

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