After a surprise discovery, we now catalogue a truly special vintage artefact: the mighty Steelix. This is a 1st Edition non-holographic Rare from Neo Genesis, the very first set to introduce Generation II Pokémon to the TCG. As the powerful evolution of Onix, it represents a geological transformation of the highest order.
Card Details
- Pokémon Name: Steelix (ハガネール)
- Set: Gold, Silver, to a New World… (Neo Genesis)
- Year: 1999
- Card Number: No. 208 (from the Pokédex, as vintage cards were not numbered this way)
- Rarity/Edition: Rare (1st Edition)
- Artist: Ken Sugimori
- National Pokédex No.: 208
Card Text & Attacks
- Type: Metal
- HP: 110
- Evolves From: Onix
Attack 1:
- Japanese: たいあたり
- Romaji: Taiatari
- English: Tackle
- Cost: [Colourless][Colourless]
- Damage: 20
Attack 2:
- Japanese: テールクラッシュ
- Romaji: Tēru Kurasshu
- English: Tail Crush
- Cost: [Metal][Colourless][Colourless]
- Damage: 30+
- Effect: Flip a coin. If heads, this attack does 30 damage plus 20 more damage.
- Weakness: Fire
- Resistance: Grass -30
- Retreat Cost: [Colourless][Colourless][Colourless][Colourless]
Pokédex Entry:
- Japanese: 深い地層の下で圧縮された体はダイヤモンドよりもかたいのだ。
- Romaji: Fukai chisō no shita de asshuku sa reta karada wa daiyamondo yori mo katai no da.
- English: Its body, compressed deep under the ground, is harder than any diamond.
Collector’s Notes
This Steelix is a highly desirable piece of Pokémon TCG history. It is a 1st Edition Rare from the Japanese set Gold, Silver, to a New World…, known internationally as Neo Genesis. Released in late 1999, this was the groundbreaking set that introduced the world to Generation II Pokémon and the new Metal and Dark energy types. The “1st Edition” stamp in the corner signifies this card is from the very first print run of this historic set.
The artwork is by the legendary Ken Sugimori, the definitive artist for the original Pokémon generations. His clean, iconic style presents Steelix floating in a dark, subterranean void, perfectly capturing its mysterious and imposing nature. As the first-ever depiction of Steelix in the TCG, this artwork is the foundation for all that followed.
For the Geopik collection, Steelix is a thematic masterpiece. Its lore is a perfect lesson in metamorphic geology. It evolves from Onix only after being subjected to immense pressure and heat deep within the Earth’s crust, transforming its rocky body into a metallic form harder than diamond. This card’s Pokédex entry explicitly states this fact. It is a living example of metamorphosis, transitioning from a “rock” snake to an “iron” snake, making it an essential specimen for any geological Pokémon archive.
While Steelix’s official Steel/Ground typing places it in our ‘Friends of Geopik’ category, it is truly the heart and soul of the ‘Industrial Wing’ theme. Its entire existence is a lesson in metamorphic geology, representing the transformation of common rock into something harder than diamond. It is perhaps the most important ‘thematic colleague’ in the entire collection.
