Unpacking Grubbin Rarity: Pokémon TCG Distribution Insights

In TCG ·

Grubbin card art from Fusion Strike, illustrated by Asako Ito

Image courtesy of TCGdex.net

Rarity Distribution Analytics for Grubbin

Grubbin, a humble Basic Grass Pokémon from the Fusion Strike expansion, sits among the most revealing examples of rarity distribution in the Pokémon TCG. Its Common rarity and straightforward stats make it a prime candidate for examining how a pack-opening experience translates into real-world demand. The Fusion Strike set, cataloged as swsh8, officially includes 264 cards (with a grand total of 284 when you count all variants and printings). Grubbin’s presence in this ecosystem offers a useful lens on how commons find homes in deck-building, collections, and market ecosystems across Expanded formats.

In the physical product ecosystem, Grubbin is often found in standard non-holo printings as well as reverse-holo variants. The card’s layout—Grass type, 70 HP, and a two-attack repertoire—offers a compact, repeatable engine for early-game setup. The combination of a fast Energize-like utility and a cost-efficient 50-damage Surprise Attack makes Grubbin a steady, if modest, contributor to momentum in many Fusion Strike-themed decks. The card’s genesis in the broader evolution line—Grubbin evolving into Charjabug and then Vikavolt—adds a longer-term strategic arc for players and collectors who map out stall-and-accelerate play patterns from a common starting point.

Card snapshot: what this Grubbin brings to the table

  • Category: Pokémon
  • Name: Grubbin (swsh8-18)
  • Rarity: Common
  • Type: Grass
  • HP: 70
  • Stage: Basic
  • Attacks:
    • Energize — Colorless energy cost; effect: Attach a {L} Energy card from your discard pile to this Pokémon.
    • Surprise Attack — Colorless x3; 50 damage; effect: Flip a coin. If tails, this attack does nothing.
  • Retreat: 2
  • Illustrator: Asako Ito
  • Set: Fusion Strike
  • Evolution: Evolves to Charjabug
  • Regulation: Expanded legality; Standard play not currently listed for this individual printing
“It uses its big jaws to dig nests into the forest floor, and it loves to feed on sweet tree sap.”

That flavor text gives Grubbin more than just a cute aside; it helps painters and compilers alike understand why this little Pokémon remains a familiar sight in forested niches of many decks. From a collector’s perspective, Asako Ito’s crisp line work and the Fusion Strike palette invite appreciation for the card’s art in both normal and reverse-foil contexts, and the absence of a holo variant on some prints keeps the focus on the creature’s behavior and evolutionary promise rather than on flashy foil shimmers alone.

Distribution dynamics: how common cards find value in the wild

Even though Grubbin is a Common, its market and play value don’t disappear with rarity. The data around pricing reveals a nuanced picture. CardMarket figures show a broad spread for Grubbin’s non-foil printing, with an average around 0.05 EUR, a low near 0.02 EUR, and a gentle upward trend around 0.03 EUR in short windows. Holo opportunities—while not the primary focus for a common card in many printings—tend to carry higher value, with holo-ish derivatives showing an average closer to 0.10 EUR and occasional spikes toward 0.13 EUR in short-term windows. The “reverse holo” variant tracks similarly but with a noticeable premium in collector interest when foil aesthetics are involved.

TCGPlayer’s current snapshot adds another layer: for the standard, non-foil printing, prices tend to float around a mid-price of about 0.10 USD, with lows near 0.01 USD and occasional highs around 4.99 USD in the rarest, direct-seller opportunities. The reverse holo (where applicable) sits higher—mid-price near 0.24 USD, with market prices around 0.23 USD in many markets, and an occasional reach toward 4.99 USD in peak circumstances. For a Pokémon with a print count in the Fusion Strike window like Grubbin, these figures reflect steady demand from casual collectors, players chasing board-ready energies, and newer players who are assembling complete battlestation staples on a budget. The cadence of pricing signals a healthy, accessible entry point that does not aggressively inflate the card’s real-world value, but still rewards attentive buyers who time openings and openings’ repeats.

From a strategic standpoint, the Energize and Surprise Attack combination can help a player accelerate early game tempo, especially in decks that leverage the Fusion Strike engine to accelerate energy recycling and bench pressure. The economic signal here is straightforward: Grubbin’s common status, paired with a robust set of printings, means it’s likely to remain a staple for new players building out basic Grass-type lines, while collectors will appreciate the non-foil and reverse-foil options as a budget-friendly, aesthetically pleasing addition to a binder.

Gameplay implications: building around a dependable starter

In practice, Grubbin shines as a compact engine piece rather than a knockout finisher. Its 70 HP makes it a glass cannon when faced with more aggressive attackers, so players typically leverage the Energize ability to keep a steady trickle of energy into play—though here the symbol {L} energy for the discard-pile attachment is a reminder to verify print nuances in your local collection. The 50-damage counter from Surprise Attack is respectable for a first-turn or early-mid-game threat, especially if you can cushion it with additional draw power and evolving lines. The retreat cost of 2 keeps Grubbin from sprinting across the board when you want to preserve your momentum for Charjabug’s development or Vikavolt’s assault later in the game.

Deck builders often pair Grubbin with search and draw tools so you can reliably access both the evolution line and the Energize utility. A typical Fusion Strike approach would involve pulling Grubbin into play, using Energize to start stacking energy, then pivoting toward Charjabug for a more durable midgame presence and, eventually, Vikavolt’s ferocious energy dynamics. This layering explains why a card that reads as simple on the surface can become a multiplier for strategic depth when integrated into a broader evolution plan.

Collector’s perspective: value, variants, and the long game

For collectors, Grubbin represents a reliably low-risk purchase that is easy to source in both normal and reverse variants, with the added dimension of market data showing modest but meaningful movement. The Fusion Strike set’s large print run and wide card-count system mean that Grubbin will likely remain abundantly available, which is a comfort for new players and a steady baseline for veteran collectors who want to fill gaps in their binder without overpaying. The artist’s signature, Asako Ito, adds a layer of appeal that collectors appreciate, especially when the reverse-foil offset highlights the card’s clean lines and forest-hued aesthetics. The card’s evolution into Charjabug and then Vikavolt also gives it a narrative that collectors can track across expansions, a storytelling thread that makes even a common card feel part of a larger Pokémon journey.

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