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CARD INFORMATION

  • SUBTYPES:
    • Stage 2
  • HP: 180
  • TYPES:
    • Water
  • EVOLVES FROM: Tirtouga
  • WEAKNESSES:
    • TYPE: Lightning
    • VALUE: ×2
  • RETREATCOST:
    • Colorless
    • Colorless
    • Colorless
  • RETREAT COST: 3
  • RARITY: Rare
  • FLAVOR TEXT: They can live both in the ocean and on land. A slap from one of them is enough to open a hole in the bottom of a tanker.
  • REGULATIONMARK: I

CARD ABILITIES

  • NAME: Mighty Shell
  • DETAILS: Prevent all damage from and effects of attacks done to this Pokémon by your opponent's Pokémon that have any Special Energy attached.
  • TYPE: Ability

CARD ATTACKS

  • NAME: Big Bite
  • COST:
    • Water
    • Colorless
    • Colorless
  • ENERGY COST: 3
  • DAMAGE: 150
  • DETAILS: During your opponent's next turn, the Defending Pokémon can't retreat.

MARKET PRICES FOR CARRACOSTA 💰

Last updated: 2026/02/26
HIGH

3.45

USD
MID

0.10

USDTREND
LOW

0.01

USD

Check the latest prices on:
Tcgplayer
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Carracosta emerges as a formidable Water-type contender in the current meta, showcasing both defensive prowess and considerable offensive output.

This Stage 2 evolution combines a protective ability with a punishing attack that not only deals substantial damage but restricts opponent movement.

For trainers looking to establish board control while maintaining resilience against Special Energy-based decks, Carracosta offers compelling strategic options.




Offensive Score Image Offensive rating: 8/10

Carracosta delivers consistent offensive pressure with its Big Bite attack.

For three energy (one Water, two Colorless), it deals a robust 150 damage - enough to two-hit KO most VSTARs and threaten smaller Pokémon with immediate elimination.

The attack's secondary effect of preventing retreat during the opponent's next turn creates powerful board control opportunities, forcing unfavorable matchups to remain active.

This trap effect generates significant tempo advantage, potentially buying Carracosta additional turns to continue its assault or allowing teammates to set up.

While not the most energy-efficient attacker available, the combination of solid damage output and battlefield control makes Carracosta's offensive capability respectable in the current format.




Survival Score Image Survival rating: 9/10

Carracosta's 180 HP provides reasonable durability for a Stage 2 Pokémon, allowing it to withstand most non-VMAX single attacks.

The real defensive star, however, is its Mighty Shell ability, which grants complete immunity against both damage and effects from attacks used by Pokémon with Special Energy attached.

This creates massive defensive advantages against numerous meta decks relying on Special Energy acceleration.

The protection extends beyond mere damage reduction to include immunity from status conditions and other negative effects.

Its Lightning weakness is somewhat concerning given the presence of Electric types in the competitive landscape, and the heavy three-retreat cost limits mobility when disadvantaged.

Nevertheless, Carracosta's specialized defensive profile makes it exceptionally resilient in specific matchups.




Versatility Score Image Versatility rating: 7/10

Carracosta demonstrates targeted versatility rather than broad adaptability.

Its Mighty Shell ability creates pronounced matchup advantages against decks heavily invested in Special Energy, which represents a significant portion of the current meta.

Against standard Energy decks, however, it loses much of its defensive advantage.

Offensively, Big Bite remains effective regardless of matchup, though the three-energy requirement somewhat limits build flexibility.

Carracosta functions primarily as a tank-attacker hybrid rather than offering multiple tactical roles.

While it can't easily pivot to a support position, it excels at its specialized role of countering Special Energy strategies while maintaining offensive presence.

This targeted strength makes it valuable in the right deck rather than universally applicable.




setup Score Image Speed/Setup rating: 5/10

As a Stage 2 Pokémon, Carracosta faces significant setup challenges.

Evolving from Tirtouga requires navigating a complete three-card evolution chain, introducing consistency issues that can slow down deployment.

The three-energy attack cost further extends the setup timeline, typically requiring at least two turns after evolution to reach attack readiness.

Rare Candy acceleration helps bypass the Tirtouga stage, improving operational speed considerably.

Energy acceleration support from cards like Raihan or Turbo Patch can address the energy requirements.

The heavy retreat cost compounds mobility issues, making switching strategies less fluid if caught in disadvantageous positions.

While not impossible to deploy effectively, Carracosta demands dedicated support cards to overcome its inherent setup limitations.




Carracosta performs optimally with strategic companions that address its setup challenges and capitalize on its strengths.

Energy acceleration partners, evolution support, and complementary type coverage create the foundation for an effective Carracosta-based strategy.

Cards that punish Special Energy further enhance Carracosta's natural advantages, while mobility solutions mitigate its retreat limitations.

Perfect Partners examples:

Essential for accelerating Carracosta to the field by bypassing the Tirtouga stage. This drastically improves setup speed and reduces vulnerability to disruption during the evolution process, addressing Carracostas primary consistency challenge.

Provides critical energy acceleration while simultaneously searching for key cards. When your opponent knocks out one of your Pokémon, Raihan can immediately attach energy to Carracosta and search for crucial support pieces, significantly reducing setup time.

Offers superior search capability for Water Pokémon and Water Energy, improving consistency in finding Carracosta line pieces. The additional Item card search helps secure evolution tools like Rare Candy, creating smoother evolution sequences.




Carracosta stands as a specialized counter-attacker with defined strengths and weaknesses in the current format.

Its Mighty Shell ability creates extraordinary defensive advantages against the numerous Special Energy-dependent decks, while Big Bite delivers consistent damage output with added board control through its retreat-blocking effect.

The primary drawbacks revolve around setup speed and flexibility - as a Stage 2 Pokémon with a three-energy attack cost, Carracosta requires dedicated support to reach its full potential.

With proper team construction focusing on evolution acceleration and energy attachment, Carracosta can serve as either a powerful tech inclusion against Special Energy-heavy metas or a central attacker in Water-focused builds.

While not universally dominant across all matchups, its specialized protective capability combined with solid offensive output creates distinct competitive advantages that reward strategic deck building and calculated deployment timing.



POWER INDEX

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