Shuppet Meta Matchups: Deck Statistics in the Current Standard

In TCG ·

Shuppet card art from Power Keepers (ex16)

Image courtesy of TCGdex.net

Shuppet in the Meta: Reading Deck Statistics Across Current Standard-Format Trends

In the world of Pokémon TCG meta analysis, every card tells a story about tempo, risk, and the tiny edges that separate a top-tier deck from a flavorful niche pick. Shuppet, a humble Basic Psychic Pokémon from the Power Keepers set, offers a surprisingly instructive case study for how matchups can swing on a single coin flip and a well-timed disruption. Even though this particular Shuppet (ex16-61) isn’t standard-legal in today’s format, its design and historical performance illuminate broader principles that still matter when we evaluate current meta decks ⚡🎴. Let’s pull back the curtain on its statistics, and translate those lessons into practical insights for players and collectors alike 💎.

Card snapshot: Shuppet (Power Keepers ex16)

  • Name: Shuppet
  • Set: Power Keepers (ex16); Card 61
  • Illustrator: Ken Sugimori
  • HP: 50
  • Type: Psychic
  • Stage: Basic
  • Rarity: Common
  • Attack: Bad Dream — Cost: Psychic; Effect: Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokémon is now Asleep. If tails, the Defending Pokémon is now Confused. Damage: 10
  • Weakness: Darkness ×2
  • Resistance: Fighting −30
  • Legal format notes: Standard: Not Legal; Expanded: Not Legal
  • Market snapshot (contextual): Common in print runs, but the holo variant and pricing reflect collector demand beyond raw rarity.

Visually grounded in Ken Sugimori’s classic art style, Shuppet embodies a nostalgic era where a single attack could cause a cascade of strategic decisions. The artwork’s charm and the creature’s eerie, ghostly silhouette are a reminder of how presentation matters in deck-building and collecting alike 🎨. The card’s low HP and fragile resilience are balanced, on paper, by the reliability of its effect—an always-possible disruptive outcome that can tilt a single exchange in a crowded matchup.

“Shuppet’s strength isn’t raw numbers; it’s the decision space created by a coin flip that can push an opponent into suboptimal plays at critical moments.”

From a meta perspective, Shuppet’s Bad Dream is a window into how early status effects shaped decision trees. While theDefending Pokémon’s status (Asleep or Confused) might not be a guaranteed win condition on its own, it adds a pressure layer—the kind of variable you see in some modern control and stall archetypes, where a small disruption compounds with other effects to create incremental advantage ⚡.

Matchup tendencies and strategic takeaways

  • Against fast, low-HP attackers: Shuppet can be a cheap, disruptive inclusion that buys one extra turn or forces a retreat decision. In modern terms, this mirrors how niche disruption tools can slow down aggressive lines, especially when the opponent expects a straightforward knock-out.
  • Against status-reset and targeted removal: The coin-flip outcome remains a wildcard; if an opponent has ways to clear sleep or confusion quickly, Shuppet’s immediate impact wanes. Decks that rely on quick, predictable exchanges are less susceptible to its tempo shift.
  • Weakness to Darkness ×2: Any heavy Dark-type presence in a meta will naturally pressure Shuppet more. In eras where Dark-types are represented by common attackers, the math tilts away from a pure value proposition for a 50 HP basic.
  • Resistance to Fighting −30: This helps modestly against decks that lean into Fighting-type power. It’s a small counterbalance that can matter in grindy matchups where every point of damage counts.
  • Economics and collectability: The Common rarity keeps entry costs modest, but the holo variant (when found) tends to carry a noticeably higher premium. As a collectible, Shuppet’s value is driven by nostalgia, art, and the broader Power Keepers holo/rare landscape, not just battlefield viability ⚖️.

In practice, modern metagames favor consistency, multi-attribute disruption, and efficient turn threes. Shuppet’s card design teaches a timeless principle: a low-variance, high-uncertainty effect can be a legitimate tempo tool in the right deck, but it rarely anchors a winning strategy on its own. For players studying matchup statistics, it’s a reminder to look beyond raw damage numbers and factor in how coin-flip-driven plays interact with deck rigidity, tech options, and opponent archetypes 🔍.

Market and collectability context

The numbers behind Shuppet’s market presence echo the card’s rarity and-era appeal. CardMarket data shows a non-holo Shuppet common at a low end around EUR 0.02 to 0.30 range depending on condition and market activity, with holo variants trending higher—averages around EUR 2.46 for holo copies in some windows. On TCGPlayer, typical values for the standard non-foil run sit in a similar pocket, with low prices near USD 0.02 and mid to high 0.30–1.99 for uncommons and better-condition copies, while reverse-holo variants can surge to the mid-range of several dollars. For collectors, this helps frame a budget-friendly corner of a nostalgia-focused collection, while also highlighting how rare holo prints become coveted keepsakes among long-time fans 🌟🎴.

For those curious about value trends and long-tail interest, keep an eye on the holo print run and any reprint appearances. Power Keepers remains a beloved set for many collectors, and the Shuppet card art—alongside Sugimori’s signature style—continues to draw attention from fans who relish early-2000s Pokémon aesthetics 🔎💎.

Interpreting matchup statistics through a collector’s lens means recognizing the dual role Shuppet plays: a historical reference point for how status effects were used to shape tempo, and a collectible icon that captures a specific era of card design. Both roles keep this small Psychic Pokémon lively in conversations about metas old and new ⚡🎨.

Phone Case with Card Holder – Impact Resistant Polycarbonate

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