Malamar Pokémon Cards: Best Rarities, Art Cards, and Binder Picks
See why Malamar belongs in every 🌑 Dark & Edgy collection. Card picks, evolution spreads, and display ideas inside.
2025-03-16
Popularity Rank: #493
Fan survey data
Blended rank from two r/pokemon "favourite Pokémon" surveys, weighted 60/40 toward the 2025 results (u/Jawnysparklez; u/mamamia1001 2019).
2025 survey: #545
2019 survey: #323
#493 / 1025
Pokédex details
Height
1.5 m
Weight
47.0 kg
Base EXP
0
Capture rate
80 / 255
Generation
Gen VI
Base happiness
70
Growth rate
Medium
Color
Blue
Shape
Blob
Egg groups
Water1, Water2
Malamar — the quick "why it's beloved" list
The elevator pitch for Malamar: cute, recognizable, and worth a binder slot.
- Cheerful personality in-game — Malamar feels upbeat even before you pick a favourite card.
- A staple in our 🌑 Dark & Edgy crowd — Malamar is one of those picks collectors nod at immediately.
- Malamar has that "favourite since childhood" energy — you don't need lore to explain the appeal.
Pokémon TCG cards
Recent cards featuring Malamar from the Trading Card Game, newest first.
Secluded Springs
Two Diamond
Shrouded Fable
Uncommon
Obsidian Flames
Uncommon
Silver Tempest Trainer Gallery
Trainer Gallery Rare Holo
Lost Origin
Rare
Chilling Reign
Rare
Champion's Path
Uncommon
Rebel Clash
Secret Rare
Rebel Clash
Ultra Rare
Rebel Clash
Holo Rare VMAX
Rebel Clash
Holo Rare V
Hidden Fates Shiny Vault
Rare Shiny
Showing 12 of 22 loaded cards · card data from TCGdex with pokemontcg.io as backup · images via Scrydex when needed
Binder plan: Malamar edition
Spread layout for Malamar, TCG picks to anchor the page, and open artwork you can print for Michi-style scene pockets.
Cards to anchor your spread
TCG picks for collectors — pair these with a printed scene below.
Malamar #SV18 (Hidden Fates Shiny Vault) is a top priority for collectors — the shiny treatment adds a sparkly centrepiece to any Malamar page.
Malamar #119 (Unbroken Bonds) is a promo worth chasing — alternate art that stands out on any Malamar binder page.
Malamar #90 (Burning Shadows) is a promo worth chasing — alternate art that stands out on any Malamar binder page.
Malamar #51 (Forbidden Light) is a promo worth chasing — alternate art that stands out on any Malamar binder page.
Species art references
Character renders for colour matching, pose ideas, and silhouette checks.
Official artwork
Match card holo colours and keep the species silhouette consistent across pockets.
HOME render
Modern pose reference when you want a cleaner, upright character layout.
Dream World vector
Simple line-and-fill shape — handy for tracing pocket placement before you print.
Shiny palette
Alternate colourway for accent pockets or shiny-themed spreads.
Art via PokéAPI/sprites (open source).
Malamar mini binder spread
A seeded two-page 3×3 binder mockup using Malamar chase cards and Michi Method scene art for display planning.
Left page
Hidden Fates Shiny Vault
Rare Shiny
Unbroken Bonds
Rare
Burning Shadows
Rare
Forbidden Light
Rare
Secluded Springs
Two Diamond
Shrouded Fable
Uncommon
Obsidian Flames
Uncommon
Right page
Silver Tempest Trainer Gallery
Trainer Gallery Rare Holo
Lost Origin
Rare
Chilling Reign
Rare
Champion's Path
Uncommon
Rebel Clash
Secret Rare
Rebel Clash
Ultra Rare
Rebel Clash
Holo Rare VMAX
Rebel Clash
Holo Rare V
SM Black Star Promos
Promo
The Michi Method treats your binder like a small gallery: print one scene that spans multiple pockets, then nest your favourite Malamar cards around it. The picks and reference art below are meant for collectors building display spreads — not competitive lists.
Michi Method scene examples
Wide illustrated scenes and promotional art you can print across multiple binder pockets — not cropped card frames.
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Scene art via artofpkm.com — 407818317 305556955774148 5597549830553373766 n
Find more scene art
Curated galleries and search links — we do not hotlink Pinterest or ArtStation results.
Scene references via artofpkm.com. Pokémon and character names are trademarks of Nintendo / Creatures / GAME FREAK.
Additional tips
- Keep a "swap tray" of mid-value Malamar duplicates beside the binder — trades move faster when the page is already curated.
- Lead with your strongest Malamar single, then echo it with a secondary spread featuring Inkay, Absol, and Bisharp so the page reads as a story, not a checklist.
- Try a charcoal, deep plum, and rose pink sleeve story around Malamar's dark-type and psychic-type identity — mat color does more work than people admit in photos.
- Catch rate 80 sits in the middle — you can mix "daily driver" commons with one aspirational SAR without the page feeling lopsided.
Malamar: competitive snapshot
For players and duel-minded collectors — abilities, hallmark moves, and tier shorthand in one place.
Base stats
In-game numbers for Malamar — useful context beside abilities and moves.
HP
86
Attack
92
Defense
88
Sp. Atk
68
Sp. Def
75
Speed
73
Total: 482
Players file Malamar around tier "ZU" while Ability Contrary (Inverts stat changes.) shapes the fantasy — chase art that stages that payoff, not just the highest number on the slab.
- Hidden Ability Infiltrator is the deep-cut hunt — call it out when you sell or trade so buyers know you are curating, not flipping random holos.
- Foul Play — Uses target's Attack stat in damage calculation. — Illustration Rares that stage that motion tend to outperform static portraits.
3D battle sprites
Animated Showdown-style models for Malamar — normal and shiny.
Sprites via Project Pokémon. Pokémon and character names are trademarks of Nintendo / Creatures / GAME FREAK.
Backstory & Lore
A short write-up on Malamar, weaving together Pokédex notes, species lore, and evolution context.
It wields the most compelling hypnotic powers of any Pokémon, and it forces others to do whatever it wants.
It lures its prey close with hypnotic motions, then wraps its tentacles around it before finishing it off with digestive fluids.
Canon tags Malamar as the Overturning Pokémon and known for blue colouration — backgrounds that echo those cues (studio, habitat, or abstract) usually photograph better than random neon gradients.
Collectors still read Inkay and Malamar fastest left-to-right; matching illustration eras across those stages matters more than cramming every rarity onto one page.
In the games, Inkay → Malamar make up this evolution family — a natural arc to echo when you curate cards or binder spreads.
Name in other languages
Common localized names collectors may search for.
German
Calamanero
Spanish
Malamar
French
Sepiatroce
Italian
Malamar
Japanese
カラマネロ
Japanese (Romaji)
Calamanero
Korean
칼라마네로
Chinese (Simplified)
乌贼王
Chinese (Traditional)
烏賊王
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