Why Designers Gave Cofagrigus Its Unique Pokémon TCG Stats

In TCG ·

Cofagrigus BW5-52 card art, with a tomb-like coffin figure and a shadowy aura

Image courtesy of TCGdex.net

Inside Cofagrigus: How Its Stats Reflect Its Coffin-Guarding Theme

When designers sat down to shape Cofagrigus for the Dark Explorers era, they faced a delicate balancing act. They wanted a creature whose aesthetics—an ancient coffin-walker from the tombs of Unova—felt accurate to the Pokémon’s lore, while also giving players a distinctive, decision-rich toolkit at the table. The result is a Psychic-type Stage 1 with a generous 100 HP, evolving from Yamask, and sporting two contrasting attacks that invite resourceful play rather than raw power alone. This blend of flavor and function is precisely what makes Cofagrigus stand out in the BW5 lineup.

From a gameplay perspective, Cofagrigus embodies a careful risk-reward proposition. Its {HP} 100 places it in the sturdy mid-range for a Stage 1 from that period, signaling that it can endure a couple of exchanges without being a wall. Yet its real charm lies in the design of its two attacks: Chuck and Lock Up. Chuck, a Colorless-Colorless cost, scales dramatically depending on how many Pokémon Tool cards you discard from your hand. The reward is straightforward on the surface—40 damage for each Tool you discard—but the strategic depth runs deeper. In the hands of a thoughtful player, Chuck becomes a tempo engine, encouraging you to curate a toolbox of Tools with intention rather than simply packing them in as an afterthought. If you’ve built a theme around Tools like Tool Scrappers or Pokémon Tool enhancements, Chuck rewards you for committing to that plan, turning discarded cards into decisive damage. For collectors, the mechanic also echoes Cofagrigus’s lore as a container that manipulates what’s stored inside the coffin—tools become projectiles in this interpretation.

The second strike, Lock Up, costs Psychic-Psychic and delivers 40 damage while denying the Defending Pokémon the ability to retreat on the opponent’s next turn. This is not a flashy finisher, but a strategic constraint that can lock in a favorable streak. In the broader context of the format, the ability to pin opponents in place complements mid-range offense with a defensive edge, especially against decks that rely on retreat to reset their pressure. The synergy between these two attacks demonstrates thoughtful class design: one move leverages resource management, the other adds field control. Together, they encourage players to think in terms of “tempo and containment,” a concept that resonates with the Coffin-wielding theme of Cofagrigus.

  • Type: Psychic — a fitting nod to Cofagrigus’s ethereal, unsettling presence and its focus on manipulation of hidden resources.
  • Stage: Stage 1 — evolving from Yamask, a natural narrative transition that mirrors Cofagrigus’s growth from a wandering mask to a sealed sarcophagus of secrets.
  • HP: 100 — robust enough to weather exchanges without becoming a pure brick, striking a balance between offense and survivability.
  • Attacks:
    • Chuck (Colorless, Colorless): Discard as many Pokémon Tool cards from your hand as you like. This attack does 40 damage times the number discarded.
    • Lock Up (Psychic, Psychic): 40 damage. The Defending Pokémon can’t retreat during your opponent’s next turn.
  • Weakness: Darkness ×2 — a familiar vulnerability within the Dark Explorers era, shaping how Cofagrigus trades in the meta.
  • Retreat: 2 — moderately costly, reinforcing Cofagrigus’s role as a calculated mid-range competitor rather than a pure attacker.
  • Rarity & Set: Rare in the Dark Explorers ( BW5 ) expansion — a set that celebrated the darkness-inflected aesthetic and introduced a variety of Tool-centered strategies.
  • Illustrator: kawayoo — whose art for this card captures the hushed dread and angular elegance of Cofagrigus’s coffin-bound form.

At a design level, the inclusion of a Tool-discarding mechanic in Chuck speaks to a broader philosophy in the period: encourage interactive deck-building choices that reward forethought. Pokémon Tool cards were abundant and influential at the time, and Cofagrigus’s text makes them central to its offensive potential. Rather than simply trash cards for damage, players must decide how many Tools to commit in a given matchup, weighing the immediate payoff against the strategic value of their Tool lineup in future turns. This sort of decision tree is precisely what keeps long, tense games interesting—the very kind of tension that fans remember from the early days of the TCG’s modern era.

From a lore perspective, Cofagrigus evokes ancient tomb guardians who can swallow relics and secrets whole. The design team translated that mythic guardianship into mechanical guardianship: the more Tools you sacrifice, the more you unlock Cofagrigus’s offensive flame. The defensive Lock Up then reinforces the coffin’s imprisoning role. The art by kawayoo complements this narrative, with Coffin-laden silhouettes and an aura of otherworldly energy that feels just as at home on a card table as it does in a mythic tomb.

Collectors note that the card’s rarity is complemented by its holo variants, present in the set’s print lines. In modern markets, the holo versions often fetch modest premiums compared to other, more iconic staples, but the card’s value remains respectable for players who enjoy Tool-focused synergies. Cardmarket and TCGPlayer data (as of late 2025) show modest average prices for non-holo copies, with holo versions pulling higher on average. The market signals stability rather than explosive volatility, likely reflecting Cofagrigus’s niche played-out in a specific tool-centric archetype rather than broad, universal demand. In practice, if you’re building a 2013-era toolbox deck or a Yamask-Cofagrigus tempo engine for fun, this card remains a solid centerpiece for the theme.

Expanding your Cofagrigus experience beyond the card table, many fans appreciate how the set’s design philosophy encouraged players to think in terms of “what if I run with the tools I collect?” The synergy between discard-for-damage and field-control draws a pleasant parallel to the way modern product designers think about function and form together. In real life, whether you’re selecting a tool to extend your strategy or picking a case that protects your prized card collection, understanding the value of modest, well-placed resources can transform both gameplay and collection practices. And speaking of tools and protective gear, take a moment to check out the Neon Slim Phone Case for iPhone 16, a stylish way to keep your devices shielded on your table or in transit—an apt metaphor for the careful protection we give to our favorite TCG artifacts. Neon sleek, Lexan-gloss finish, and a design that stands out as boldly as Cofagrigus’s own aura on the field.

For players who appreciate the wedding of flavor and function, Cofagrigus is a reminder that sometimes the most memorable cards aren’t the ones with the flashiest numbers, but the ones that ask you to think ahead, manage your resources, and read the evolving tempo of the match. Its two attacks—one that rewards deliberate tool management and one that clamps down on retreat—offer a compact blueprint for how a single card can carry a thematic punch while still delivering strategic depth on the playmat. It’s a design that, even years later, resonates with fans who relish clever interactions and the thrill of a well-timed, tool-powered strike. ⚡🔥💎 Neon Slim Phone Case for iPhone 16

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