Image courtesy of TCGdex.net

Seasonal Rhythms and the Pokémon TCG Market: What Makes Mankey Tick

Seasonal trends shape how players, collectors, and investors shop for cards, and the Pokémon TCG market isn’t immune to the calendar’s pull. In the halls of holiday shopping, the heat of the tournament season, and the quiet lull between new set drops, card values drift up and down with a rhythm that seasoned collectors learn to hear. The little Mankey from Great Encounters—dp4-79—illustrated by Ken Sugimori, sits in a compelling orbit around these cycles. It’s a humble Basic Fighting-type with 50 HP, yet its value story is a handy guide to how seasonality interacts with supply, demand, and nostalgia ⚡🔥.

Why do seasonal patterns matter? Because human behavior shifts with the year. Gift-giving spikes single purchases around the holidays; kids and parents alike search for accessible staples that still deliver the thrill of a new collectible. Meanwhile, new set releases and reprint announcements redraw attention across the market, lifting prices for cards that fit into current deck archetypes or bring back fond memories of days spent trading in school hallways. For a card like Mankey, the effect is twofold: as a common, affordable option, it remains a target for budget players and new collectors; as a printed-by-hand artwork with Ken Sugimori’s signature style, it also appeals to nostalgia seekers who chase slightly rarer variants during peak shopping seasons 🎴🎨.

From a market watcher’s perspective, the dp4-79 card’s pricing paints a clear picture of seasonal flow. Cardmarket data (as of late 2025) shows an average price around 0.13 EUR for standard copies, with a low baseline near 0.02 EUR and a modest 30-day trend near 0.15 EUR. That signals a healthy, accessible card that doesn’t surge wildly, but responds to the rhythm of demand. The holo and reverse-holo landscape amplifies activity a bit: non-holo copies typically sit in the low-to-mid range, while reverse-holo variants carry more premium, with low around 1.5 EUR, mid about 2 EUR, and highs that can approach 4.74 EUR in exceptional conditions; market price hovers around 1.99 EUR for reverse holo copies. In USD terms on TCGPlayer, normal copies run from a low around $0.08 to a high around $1.69, with a typical market price near $0.35. Reverse-holofoil examples push higher still, often hitting a mid around $2 and peaking near $4.74. These figures illustrate how a common, older print can still command seasonal attention when collectors chase nostalgia or specific variants 🔥💎.

Spotlight on dp4: Mankey’s stat line, moves, and what they mean in play

• Name & Set: Mankey (dp4-79) — Great Encounters
• Rarity: Common
• Stage: Basic
• HP: 50
• Type: Fighting
• Attacks: Light Punch — 10 (Fighting); Rage — 10+ (Colorless, Colorless) — Does 10 damage plus 10 more damage for each damage counter on Mankey.
• Weakness: Psychic × +10
• Retreat Cost: 1
• Illustrator: Ken Sugimori

In terms of gameplay, Mankey embodies the early-game tempo: a fast, low-cost attacker that can press pressure on an opponent while you set up bigger threats. Rage offers a scaling mechanism—damage increases as Mankey grows more hurt—though the card’s overall durability remains modest with 50 HP. For deck builders, dp4-79 is less about imposing battlefield control and more about establishing early momentum, especially in Fighting-davored lists where multiple quick strikes compound over early turns. Its basic nature and common rarity also make it a friendly on-ramp for new players who want to learn how to balance aggression with resource management 🎮⚡.

Seasonal demand drivers: nostalgia, accessibility, and art

Seasonality nudges the market in predictable ways for a card like Mankey. The card’s long-tail appeal comes from three sources: nostalgia for the Great Encounters era, the accessibility of a common print that new players can acquire without breaking the bank, and the enduring draw of Ken Sugimori’s art. While ultra-rare hollows often steal the spotlight, common cards with a solid art pedigree can experience steady, if modest, appreciation when the market shifts toward budget-friendly staples during holiday shopping or after a lull in new releases. The dp4 print’s combination of a comfortable price floor and a reliable inflection point during holiday sales makes it a microcosm of how seasonal trends shape the broader card market 💎🎴.

Seasonality also interacts with supply. Great Encounters published a fixed set of 106 cards, and dp4-79’s non-holo print remains widely available. When inventory tightens around peak shopping periods, even common cards can see a temporary bump as buyers scoop up affordable staples to complete collections before gifts arrive. Conversely, during off-peak stretches, the same cards drift back toward their baseline prices as demand softens. For collectors who track price momentum, the data from Cardmarket and TCGPlayer provides a useful map of when to strike or hold: if you’re chasing a reverse-holo or a specific variant, winter sales or post-holiday restocks can present unique opportunities 🧭⚡.

For anyone planning a purchase or a sale, the seasonal lens helps explain variability. If you’re building a budget-friendly Fighting deck or curating a nostalgic assortment from the DP era, Mankey dp4-79 offers reliable value that’s unlikely to swing wildly, but can tick upward with a little holiday buzz or a boost in nostalgia-driven buying sprees 🔥🎴.

Looking to pair this card with practical gear? While you plan your collection, consider safeguarding your cards and keeping them pristine with accessories that suit your lifestyle—like the MagSafe card holder case that matches a modern, on-the-go collection mindset. The product link below blends everyday utility with a collector’s passion.

Phone Case with Card Holder – MagSafe Polycarbonate

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