The Mantle Pokémon: Roggenrola from Violet ex

Our next specimen is a fascinating creature born from the very depths of the Earth: Roggenrola. This common card from the modern set Violet ex showcases the first stage of the Gigalith line, a Pokémon whose biology is a testament to the immense pressures and mineral compositions found deep within the planet’s crust.

Card Details

• Pokémon Name: Roggenrola (ダンゴロ)
• Set: Violet ex (sv1W)
• Year: 2023
• Card Number: 043-066
• Rarity/Edition: Common
• Artist: Anesaki Dynamic
• National Pokédex No.: 0524

Card Text & Attacks

• Type: Fighting
• HP: 80
• Attack 1:
  • Japanese: かたくなる
  • Romaji: Katakunaru
  • English: Harden
  • Cost: [Fighting]
  • Effect: During your opponent’s next turn, this Pokémon doesn’t take damage from attacks that do 40 or less damage.
• Attack 2:
  • Japanese: いわころがり
  • Romaji: Iwa Korogari
  • English: Rollout
  • Cost: [Fighting][Fighting]
  • Damage: 30
• Weakness: Grass x2
• Resistance: None
• Retreat Cost: [Colourless][Colourless]
• Pokédex Entry:
  • Japanese: ６角形の　耳を　持つ。　地中で　圧縮された　体は　鉄に　負けないくらい　硬い。
  • Romaji: Rokkaku-kei no mimi o motsu. Chichū de asshuku sa reta karada wa tetsu ni makenai kurai katai.
  • English: It has hexagonal ears. Its body, compressed underground, is as hard as steel.

Collector’s Notes

This Roggenrola is a Common card from the Japanese set Violet ex (sv1W), one of the flagship releases for the Scarlet & Violet TCG era. The artwork by Anesaki Dynamic has a striking, almost photorealistic quality, placing the Pokémon in a vast, mountainous landscape under a wide-open sky. The art style beautifully emphasizes its nature as a living piece of geology.

Roggenrola is a quintessential Geological Pokémon. It is known as the “Mantle Pokémon,” and its very design is based on a geode, a rock containing a cavity lined with crystals. Its Pokédex entry reinforces this, stating that its body was compressed deep underground to a hardness rivalling steel—a direct reference to the metamorphic processes that create many types of rock. As is standard for Rock-types in the TCG, it is represented by the Fighting type. This card is a perfect foundational specimen for the collection.