# Charmander #038 — MEP Black Star Promos

## Summary

Charmander is the starter that launched a generation of Fire-type loyalists, and a promo printing means nobody pulled it from a pack: it arrives through events, bundles, or special distribution. Saboteri's name draws illustrator-focused collectors, though demand here comes mostly from the Kanto starter faithful. At a $27 sold median, down 16% over 30 days on 804 copies traded, with only 6 days of inventory on the board, this printing is almost entirely collector premium, since the same card plays for $0.16 out of Ascended Heroes; a CGC 10 brings $102, 3.8 times raw, but a 81% gem rate against $45 of fees makes grading a losing trade.

## Identity

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Set | MEP Black Star Promos |
| Number | 038 |
| Rarity | Promo |
| Era | MEGA |
| Illustrator | Saboteri |
| Release date | 2025-09-26 |
| Image | Unavailable |

## Card details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Card type | POKEMON |
| Stage | Basic |
| HP | 80 |
| Types | Fire |
| Attack: Ember | cost Fire — damage 30 — Discard an Energy from this Pokémon. |
| Weakness | Water x2 |
| Retreat | 2 |
| Regulation mark | J |
| Legal | Standard yes · Expanded yes |
| Pokédex entry | [Charmander #004](https://cardboardalpha.com/pokemon/pokedex/charmander) |
| Finishes | Holo |
| Languages | EN |

## Current stats

- Headline price: **$27.14** (ITEM_MEDIAN; sold median) — as of 2026-10-15T21:38:59.108Z
- Headline basis: PRINTS — The median price of the day’s confirmed prints — copies that actually changed hands.
- 24h change: -1.00% · 7d change: +1.50% — as of 2026-10-15T21:38:59.108Z
- Floor delivered ask: $26.49 — as of 2026-10-15T21:38:59.108Z
- Quant score: 58/100, regime FLOOR_FORMING — as of 2026-10-15T21:38:59.108Z — 8 of 11 inputs · 83% weight · -9% confidence

## Provenance

- Catalog — observed 2025-09-26T00:00:00Z, confidence 98%
- Live ask — observed 2026-10-15T23:55:46.818Z, confidence 90%
- Price statistic — observed 2026-10-15T16:48:58.417Z, confidence 90%
- Confirmed sale — observed 2026-10-15T16:16:42.223Z, confidence 85%
- Inventory count — observed 2026-10-15T16:48:58.414Z, confidence 70%
- Guide price (modelled) — observed 2026-10-15T00:00:00.000Z, confidence 60%
- Population census — observed 2026-10-15T19:43:23.065Z, confidence 60%

## Links

- [View on Cardboard Alpha](https://cardboardalpha.com/pokemon/mep-black-star-promos/charmander-038)
- [JSON snapshot](https://cardboardalpha.com/api/terminal/raw~tcgdex%3Amep-038%3AEN%3AHOLO~NM)