Dark Assailant [1st Edition] #SDK-015

Dark Assailant [1st Edition] #SDK-015 collector guide

About Dark Assailant

Dark Assailant is a Normal Monster, with flavour text instead of an effect, printed as SDK-015 in Starter Deck: Kaiba (2002) as a Common. It is a Level 4 DARK Zombie monster with 1,200 ATK and 1,200 DEF. Starter Deck: Kaiba was one of the two pre-built decks that launched the English game in 2002, built around Seto Kaiba and his Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Ungraded, this printing ranks 13th of the 110 Starter Deck: Kaiba cards we track. The top card is Blue-Eyes White Dragon at €300.65.

Character and collecting appeal

Zombies are built around the Graveyard, bringing monsters back again and again. Normal Monsters like this one are mostly collected for their art and to complete the set.

Version and identification

This guide covers the 1st Edition printing. The words "1st Edition" are printed below the artwork on the left; copies without them are the Unlimited printing and usually sell for less. Check the code printed below the artwork on the right: it should read SDK-015. The code SDK-015, without a language letter, marks the original North American printing. European English copies have an E in the code, such as SDK-E015, and are priced separately. It is the Common version. Commons have a plain name and no foil. Starter Deck: Kaiba has one other printing of Dark Assailant: SDK-015 (€0.64). Each has its own price, so match the code, edition and rarity exactly.

Price history

Today an ungraded copy of this printing sells for about €6.18, a PSA 9 for €39.23 and a PSA 10 for €359.86. Our monthly prices for it go back to June 2022. Over the last 12 months ungraded copies are up 131%, and down 40% in the last month. Its highest monthly ungraded value was €11.63 in April 2023, 47% above today. PSA 10 copies have moved down 22% over the same 12 months. 1st Edition copies sell for about 9.7× the Unlimited printing (€6.18 against €0.64).

Grading and population

A PSA 10 sells for 58.2× the ungraded price and 9.2× a PSA 9. That gap is big enough that grading a sharp, well-centred copy can pay for itself. Early English Yu-Gi-Oh! cards often have off-centre cuts and wear on the dark brown back borders, which is why high grades are hard to reach.

Investment potential

In its favour: steady demand, with ungraded prices up 131% in a year; a price well below its April 2023 peak, which some collectors see as room to recover; it comes from the 1st Edition run of an early English set, which will never be printed again; an active market (26 recent completed sales), so it is easy to sell. Card prices can fall as well as rise, so this is not financial advice.

Before you buy

Expect to pay around €6.18 for a clean ungraded copy; played copies sell for less, and a PSA 9 costs about €39.23. Ask the seller to show the code SDK-015, the "1st Edition" text and the Common finish clearly in the photos, as listing titles often mix up printings. At this price fakes are worth checking for: genuine cards have a small holographic seal (the Eye of Anubis) in the bottom-right corner, and the font, colours and card back should match a copy you know is genuine. Look up the certificate number of any graded copy on the grading company's website. Cards from 2002 often show white wear on the back edges and corners, so ask for photos of the back before you buy.

Card details and image from YGOPRODeck. Yu-Gi-Oh! is a trademark of Konami; Search Cards is not affiliated with Konami.