Slowpoke

Slowpoke in the anime: Shellder tails and sacred yawns

The anime has built several episodes around Slowpoke's odd evolution. In "The Evolution Solution," Ash and his friends ask Professor Westwood V why Slowpoke only evolve when a Shellder clamps onto their tails, and a Slowpoke evolves when a Shellder that Jessie caught does exactly that. Azalea Town's residents revere Slowpoke in "A Shadow of a Drought," believing its yawns summon rain, and in "A Crowning Achievement" a Slowpoke named Arthur becomes a Slowking when a Shellder bites its head while it wears a King's Rock. Much later, Goh caught a Slowpoke in "An Evolution in Taste!"

Slowpoke on cards: Fossil to Paldean Fates

Slowpoke's first English card is Fossil #55 (1999), a Common illustrated by Miki Tanaka, who returned two decades later to draw one version of Slowpoke & Psyduck GX. Unified Minds (2019) printed that tag team card in four versions, including a secret rare.

The Scarlet & Violet era gave it an illustration rare in the Scarlet & Violet base set (2023, by Toshinao Aoki) and a shiny rare in Paldean Fates (2024, by Taira Akitsu).

Why collectors care about Slowpoke

Slowpoke's branching evolution gives a collection two directions to grow, into Slowbro or Slowking and their Galarian counterparts, and its cards run through every era from WOTC to Mega Evolution.

Cards to know

• Slowpoke (Fossil #55)

  Slowpoke's first English card, a 1999 Fossil Common illustrated by Miki Tanaka.

• Slowpoke & Psyduck GX (Unified Minds #35)

  The regular print of the 2019 tag team card pairing Slowpoke with Psyduck, illustrated by Mitsuhiro Arita.

• Slowpoke & Psyduck GX (Unified Minds #218)

  An Ultra Rare version of the tag team card by Miki Tanaka, who also drew Slowpoke's first card.

• Slowpoke (Scarlet & Violet #204)

  An illustration rare by Toshinao Aoki from the 2023 set that opened the Scarlet & Violet era.

• Slowpoke (Paldean Fates #116)

  A shiny rare illustrated by Taira Akitsu in 2024.