Houndour 87/147 Pokémon E-Series Aquapolis Raw

Pokémon: Houndour

Series: E-Card Series

Set: Aquapolis

Card Number: 87

Rarity: Common

Condition: N/A

Grade: Raw

Year: 2002

Illustrator: Atsuko Nishida

Type: N/A

The Houndour 87/147 is a Common Darkness-type Basic Pokémon card from the Aquapolis expansion of the E-Card Series, released on January 15, 2003 by Wizards of the Coast and illustrated by Atsuko Nishida, the beloved Japanese artist whose soft, rounded linework and warm color palettes made her illustrations some of the most recognizable and collectible in the entire Pokémon TCG catalog. 

As a 50 HP Pokémon with a Weakness to Fighting-type attacks (×2), a Psychic-type Resistance of −30, and a Retreat Cost of one Colorless Energy, it occupies a deceptively simple but strategically valuable position within the 147-card base checklist. The Aquapolis set was the second and largest main expansion of the E-Card Series, featuring 186 total cards (147 base + 32 H-numbered holographics + 3 Crystal secret rares + 4 alternates) and introducing the Crystal Pokémon mechanic—a type-shifting Poké-Body that changed a card's type based on attached Energy—making it the most ambitious and mechanically complex set in the short-lived e-Reader platform's history. In terms of decks and strategy, Houndour's sole attack, Feint Attack, costs one Darkness and one Colorless Energy, targets any of the opponent's Pokémon, and deals 20 damage that is not affected by Weakness, Resistance, Poké-Powers, Poké-Bodies, or any other effects on that Pokémon. This "ignore everything" damage clause made it a devastating targeted removal tool in 2003-era competitive formats, as it could chip away at high-HP attackers like Rayquaza or Groudon regardless of their defensive setup, and it could also be used to finish off a damaged Pokémon that would otherwise survive a normal attack due to Resistance. In E-Card tournament play, Houndour found utility in Darkness-type and hybrid decks as a cheap, fast bench presence that could apply consistent pressure through its targeted damage while its Psychic Resistance of −30 made it a natural counter to Espeon-heavy and Psychic-type strategies. Its single Colorless Retreat Cost gave it exceptional mobility, and its role as the pre-evolution of Houndoom made it a natural building block in any Darkness evolution line.

Collectors love the Aquapolis Houndour for its unique position as Houndour's first English-language E-Card printing, a milestone that gives it special significance for collectors tracking the species' representation across the franchise's expansion history. Atsuko Nishida's illustration—depicting Houndour in a playful, mid-trot pose with its small, expressive eyes gazing forward and its dark fur rendered in her signature soft, rounded style—captures the raw, mischievous energy of the species in a way that stands out among the more aggressive and dramatic artwork of the set's Holographic Rares like Rayquaza and Groudon. The E-Card format's distinctive Dot Code strip along the bottom edge, designed for scanning with the discontinued Pokémon-e Reader device on a Game Boy Advance, gives the card a genuinely unique physical structure that no other Pokémon TCG printing shares, and the digital layer it was designed for—animated card views, bonus Pokédex lore sourced from Pokémon Crystal, and exclusive in-game mini-games—has since been lost to time, making these cards the sole surviving artifacts of a short-lived but innovative digital platform. As a Common from the largest Pokémon TCG set ever printed, it remains a key single for E-Card set completionists and nostalgic players who remember swiping cards across the e-Reader for bonus content during the early 2000s.

Product Details

Card Number / Rarity:087/147 / Common

Card Type / HP / Stage:Darkness / 50 / Basic

Attack 1:[1D] Feint Attack
Choose 1 of your opponent's Pokémon. This attack does 20 damage to that Pokémon. This attack's damage isn't affected by Weakness, Resistance, Poké-Powers, Poké-Bodies, or any other effects on that Pokémon.

Weakness / Resistance / Retreat Cost:F / P-30 / 1

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