Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder
Pokémon is known for its iconic designs.
The tcg is one of the ways that they have managed to portray peeks into the pokémon world.
Today I bring to you, my favorite full art designs of different Pokémon and my reasoning why.
Honorable Mentions: Friend in… (Crown Zenith & Prismatic Evolution)
Each of the three friend cards is a representation of their own generations. “Friends in Sinnoh” encapsulates the wholesome vibe that the trio exudes along with being watched by two long time friends, albeit one of them is quite scary. “Friends in Hisui” does the same work, but makes it effortless from the calm demeanor coming from top down to the playfulness and happiness from the bottom. Lastly, “Friends in Paldea” represents each character as how you met them in game, but makes it work cohesively in a portrait. Excellent art, but they do the same more or less.
10. Alolan Exeggutor ex (Surging Sparks):
Exxegutor is one of those Pokémon that has been divisive since its introduction. You either love him or just outright dislike him. To me he has always been funny looking and that was only amplified by the faces that each of his eggs carry. Yet, once he got his Alolan form it was clear to me that he was always going to be a fun Pokémon. That’s what this card actually does, the blast of color on the Exeggutor from being terrastalized along with the crown bending down his head frames him perfectly. A simple, but fun pokémon.
9.Skuntank V (Silver Tempest):
Skuntank is one of those Pokémon that just never did it for me. Coming from my second introduction to Pokémon I was hoping for cooler designs. Every pokémon is somebody’s favorite, which is why I respect it. In this art we look at a glimpse of the everyday life of the pokémon. An image that could very well come from a documentary where you find out that Skuntanks live underground and take care of their little ones while hoarding berries.
8. Machamp V (Astral Radiance):
How do you portray a pokemon whose strength is supposed to move mountains? Well why else than showing how they mingle around in everyday life alongside humans. We see him in the market of Stow-on-Side. This probably makes her Bea’s Machamp, in this glimpse into the pokémon world we can see how a gym leader knows her pokémon and lets it train while helping out the town they have to take care of. The machamp juggles on all four hands different things. From umbrellas, containers, fruit and even flour. A great art for a peek into the world.
7. Rotom V (Lost origin)
More than one way to include all the different forms that a pokémon has? This card pulled it off in a subtle but natural way. This Rotom lives amongst a lot of discarded electronics which probably loves to inhabit in different ways to either scare passerbys or just to bring to life. It’s the latter that fulfills the subtlety in which to present all of Rotom’s forms. A fridge, fan, heater, mow and washing machine can be seen. Each of these are electric appliances that Rotom utilizes to change types and art styles.
6. Greedent V (Fusion Strike)
I know that I’m not the only one that has a soft spot for the pokémon that are usually forgotten in competitive or through playthroughs. The route 1 rodents and birds don’t usually make it far in teams and are overlooked in teams since HM requirements got changed. Pidgey and its evolutionary line survived this off pure nostalgia. So when I see an art of an early route rodent, nonetheless a full art it makes me happy. Here we see a Greedent being carried by its minions towards their home. It’s the personality shown on each of the pokémon that makes this card amazing.
5. Greninja & Zoroark (Unbroken Bonds) – Vileplume (Cosmic Eclipse)
Two for one I know, but they do showcase a part of the pokémon world I believe should be highlighted more. The first are, shows a Zoroark on a tree in a relaxed position looking into the sky and a Greninja relaxed with an eye open on the world. In the second one Erika is nuzzled up against her Vileplume and both appear to be resting well enough. This peek into the world is one I wish had more spotlight. The calmness that pokémon give to each other and to their humans.
4. Galarian Zapdos (Chilling Reign)
Once again an art that shows the everyday life of the pokémon that it looks to portray. We see a desert valley where the Zapdos clearly has been running along leaving behind a trail of dust. This may be a nod to the Roadrunner from the Looney Toons, The Pokémon also has the whole span of its legs and takes on an aerodynamic posture to make itself faster. All and all, it greatly represents how a new form can also be done great if done with care.
3. Lusamine (Ultra Prism)
The only trainer on my list, since I usually like more Pokémon than trainers, but a card that has done this well (at least for me) deserves to be acknowledged. The image is just Lusamine inside of Nihilego, the final encounter you have against her in the game. The art portrays both the beauty that you have come to expect from Lusamine with the twist of madness you can see in her eyes. The colors do make for a nice show of displacement of the sanity being overtaken by the black.
2. Lugia V (Silver Tempest)
Few are the arts where you can see the full power of the pokémon that are being portrayed. In this case Lugia itself and the storm surrounding him take the centerpiece of the art. You see the clouds being twisted into funnels, the colors of grey and blue being warped into the sky with thunder. Clearly makes a staple of what the power that Lugia can manifest. The sailor being amazed and greyed out in the art is an amazing way to make the message clear.
1. Mewtwo Vstar (Crown Zenith)
I might look biased in this but Mewtwo is probably the coolest pokémon that there is. The design of this card pits two of the most popular pokémon against each other showcasing their power and destroying the scenery around them. Their clash terraforms the earth and makes Pokémon fly away left and right.
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