The latest arrival at the museum is a true classic and a cornerstone of any geological collection: Rhydon. This uncommon card from the early Sword & Shield era set, Shield, showcases the powerful Drill Pokémon in a dynamic and wonderfully illustrated scene.
Card Details
- Pokémon Name: Rhydon (サイドン)
- Set: Shield (s1H)
- Year: 2019
- Card Number: 029-060
- Rarity/Edition: Uncommon
- Artist: KEIICHIRO ITO
- National Pokédex No.: 112
Card Text & Attacks
- Type: Fighting
- HP: 120
- Evolves From: Rhyhorn
- Attack 1:
- Japanese: つのドリル
- Romaji: Tsuno Doriru
- English: Horn Drill
- Cost: [Fighting][Colourless][Colourless]
- Damage: 50
- Attack 2:
- Japanese: いわなだれ
- Romaji: Iwa Nadare
- English: Rock Slide
- Cost: [Fighting][Fighting][Colourless][Colourless]
- Damage: 100
- Effect: This attack also does 10 damage to 4 of your opponent’s Benched Pokémon. (Don’t apply Weakness and Resistance for Benched Pokémon.)
- Weakness: Grass x2
- Resistance: None
- Retreat Cost: [Colourless][Colourless][Colourless][Colourless]
- Pokédex Entry:
- Japanese: 全身を よろいのような 皮膚で 守っている。２０００度の マグマの 中でも 生きられる。
- Romaji: Zenshin o yoroi no yōna hifu de mamotte iru. 2000-do no maguma no naka demo ikirareru.
- English: Its entire body is protected by armour-like skin. It can even live in magma of 2,000 degrees.
Collector’s Notes
This Rhydon is an Uncommon card from the Japanese set Shield (s1H), one of the very first sets released in the Sword & Shield TCG era. The artwork by KEIICHIRO ITO is fantastic, capturing a powerful yet cheerful-looking Rhydon in a lush, forested environment. The watercolour-like texture and the soft background create a wonderful contrast with Rhydon’s tough, rocky exterior.
As a foundational Geological Pokémon, Rhydon is an essential specimen. In the Pokémon video games, it is a Rock/Ground-type, but the TCG consolidates these categories into the single Fighting type, as shown on the card. Rhydon’s geological connection is explicitly reinforced by its Pokédex entry, which states its hide is so tough it can withstand the heat of magma. This speaks to a creature born from and adapted to the most extreme geothermal environments imaginable, linking it directly to the study of volcanology and the Earth’s mantle.
