CARD INFORMATION

SUBTYPES:
- Stage 1
HP: 100
TYPES:
- Water
EVOLVES FROM: Antique Cover Fossil
EVOLVES TO:
- Carracosta
WEAKNESSES:
- TYPE: Lightning
- VALUE: ×2
RETREATCOST:
- Colorless
- Colorless
- Colorless
RETREAT COST: 3
RARITY: Illustration Rare
FLAVOR TEXT: Restored from a fossil, this Pokémon can dive to depths beyond half a mile.
REGULATIONMARK: I

CARD ABILITIES

This card has no abilities

CARD ATTACKS

NAME: Ancient Seaweed
COST:
- Water
ENERGY COST: 1
DAMAGE: 30×
DETAILS: This attack does 30 damage for each Item card in your opponent's discard pile.

NAME: Surf
COST:
- Water
- Colorless
- Colorless
ENERGY COST: 3
DAMAGE: 80
DETAILS:

MARKET PRICES FOR TIRTOUGA 💰

Last updated: 2025/10/12

HIGH	34.99	USD
MID	10.03	USD	TREND
LOW	8.40	USD

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Tirtouga splashes into the TCG scene with an intriguing blend of fossil evolution and discard pile punishment.

This Water-type Stage 1 Pokémon offers a unique attack that scales with your opponent's discarded Items, potentially turning their resource management against them in devastating fashion.

Offensive rating: 7/10

Tirtouga's offensive capabilities revolve around two distinct attacks.

Ancient Seaweed is its standout feature, dealing 30 damage for each Item card in your opponent's discard pile.

Against item-heavy decks, this attack can deliver massive damage for just one Water energy.

However, its effectiveness is entirely dependent on your opponent's play style and the game state.

The secondary Surf attack delivers a consistent but underwhelming 80 damage for three energy, serving as a reliable backup when Ancient Seaweed lacks targets.

The damage-to-energy ratio is poor for Surf, but Ancient Seaweed has explosive potential in the right matchup, creating an interesting but matchup-dependent offensive profile.

Survival rating: 5/10

With 100 HP, Tirtouga sits in a vulnerable middle ground for a Stage 1 Pokémon.

It lacks any inherent defensive abilities or effects that might mitigate damage or prevent knockouts.

The Water typing means it resists Fire attacks, which provides some matchup advantages in certain metas.

However, its Lightning weakness is particularly problematic in formats where Electric-type attackers are prevalent.

Most concerning is Tirtouga's heavy three energy retreat cost, which can leave it stranded in the active position at critical moments.

Without any built-in survival mechanics, Tirtouga relies entirely on its modest HP pool and type matchups to stay in play.

Versatility rating: 6/10

Tirtouga's versatility is perhaps its most interesting aspect.

It functions as both a counter-card against Item-heavy strategies and a Water-type attacker.

The Ancient Seaweed attack creates interesting strategic dynamics where your opponent may need to adjust their Item usage to avoid feeding Tirtouga's damage output.

This creates a unique form of disruption through threat of punishment.

However, Tirtouga's effectiveness is heavily matchup-dependent, as opponents who use few Items or quickly discard their hand limit Tirtouga's impact.

It also requires evolution from Antique Cover Fossil, limiting its splashability.

While it offers a specialized role, its narrow effective range reduces its versatility score.

Speed/Setup rating: 4/10

Tirtouga faces significant setup challenges.

As a Stage 1 that evolves from Antique Cover Fossil, you need to first find and play the Fossil item card, then evolve it on a subsequent turn.

This two-step evolution process makes Tirtouga inherently slower than typical Stage 1 Pokémon.

Additionally, Ancient Seaweed requires your opponent to have already discarded Items to be effective, which may not happen until several turns into the game.

The Surf attack demands three energy attachments, further slowing deployment.

Without any inherent acceleration mechanics or search capabilities, Tirtouga's setup relies on external support.

Its dependence on opponent actions for maximum effectiveness adds another layer of setup unpredictability.

Tirtouga benefits most from cards that accelerate Water energy attachment, fossil support engines, and discard pile manipulation tools.

A robust fossil evolution line helps ensure consistent access to both Tirtouga and its evolution Carracosta.

Item-lock strategies pair well by forcing opponents to discard Items rather than play them.

Perfect Partners examples:

Rare Candy

Bypasses the Tirtouga stage entirely when you have Antique Cover Fossil in play, allowing direct evolution to Carracosta and avoiding the middling stats and high retreat cost of Tirtouga while keeping your fossil evolution strategy intact.

Capacious Bucket

Provides crucial Water energy acceleration by adding two Water energy cards from your deck to your hand, addressing Tirtouga's heavy energy requirements for Surf and ensuring consistent energy attachment each turn.

Penny

Forces your opponent to discard a card from their hand, potentially increasing the Item count in their discard pile to power up Ancient Seaweed while providing additional disruption synergy with Tirtouga's punishment strategy.

Tirtouga occupies a specialized niche in the Pokémon TCG as a reactive punisher that capitalizes on opponent Item usage.

Its Ancient Seaweed attack creates an interesting tension, potentially delivering enormous damage for minimal investment but only when conditions align.

The card shines brightest in metas dominated by Item-heavy strategies, where it can serve as an effective tech option or complementary attacker.

However, its clunky setup requirements, mediocre bulk, and matchup dependency significantly limit its competitive viability.

Players looking to leverage Tirtouga should build around its weaknesses with energy acceleration, mobility support, and consider its evolution Carracosta as the primary endgame.

While not a format-defining powerhouse, Tirtouga offers unique strategic dimensions that reward clever deckbuilding and can punish opponents who fail to respect its scaling potential.