FINAL RESULTS - E4's Favorite Rayquaza

[inertgeometry]

(admittedly, only with 69 voters…)

• reminder: everyone was allowed to pick up to 5 cards, but I imagine the order would remain roughly similar if everyone was only able to pick one.

• There were quite a few ties, so to make it easier on my sanity, I allocated one place per tie, resulting in a top 15

• tied for 15th place
  2 votes

• tied for 14th place
  4 votes

• 13th place
  6 votes

• tied for 12th place
  7 votes

• tied for 11th place
  8 votes

• tied for 10th place
  9 votes

• 9th place (10 votes)

• tied for 8th place
  12 votes

• 7th place
  13 votes

• tied for 6th place
  17 votes

• 5th place
  18 votes

• 4th place
  19 votes

• 3rd place
  24 votes
  or about 1/3 of participant’s top 5

• 2nd place
  31 votes

• 1st place to nobody’s surprise
  52 votes
  about 3/4 of the participant’s top 5

Second Round - Ranking the Top 25:

• This poll will determine the final ranking among the cards that were voted the most from the previous polls.
  -These all received at least 18 votes to advance.

• Results will be hidden until the poll closes

• This poll will be up for roughly 48 hours and end on Sunday afternoon (US Time)

• Just like with the Umbreon final poll, everyone can select up to 5 cards.

I've heard many of your critiques, so this time, I'm going to try and make it easier to know which cards you're selecting. Let me know if this helps

• Rulers of the Heavens / EX Dragon ex
• 094 PCG-P / EX Deoxys
• Gold Star
• Sky’s Rayquaza
• Play! _'s Rayquaza
• Play! / EX Collector’s Tins Promo ex
• PokePark Blue / EX Emerald holo
• Water/Metal Delta Species
• SP Rayquaza C
• L-P / Call of Legends (Shiny)
• BW5 / Dragons EXalted UR (Shiny)
• BW-P Nobunaga’s Ambition (Shiny AA)
• BW5 / Dragons EXalted EX SR (Full Art)
• BW-P Super Rare Card Set Get (Full Art AA)
• XY-P Illustrator Collection Magazine / Mega Rayquaza Collection Promo
• XY7 / Ancient Origins M EX Gold UR
• XY-P Skytree Town Pokemon Center Tokyo Promo
• Hoopa Movie Promo (Cameo)
• BoXY / Premium Trainer’s Collection Shaymin EX Gold UR (Cameo)
• Shining Legends
• SwSh Promo
• Amazing Rare
• V SR (Special Art)
• VMAX HR (Special Art)
• VMAX CSR/TG (Character Art)

First Poll Info: (While editing and trying to make this part more compact, the poll data was reset. FWIW, there were somewhere between 80-100 votes in each poll with more votes going towards earlier years. The finalists all received at least 18 votes. Ironically, I forgot to screenshot the results just to have receipts in case I messed something up LMAO)

• The first poll is just to help narrow the options down to 25 and will end Friday.
  -The second/final poll will start Friday and end on Sunday for the results.

• There are over 60 unique Rayquaza cards (despite many sharing the same artwork), so I am splitting them up between generations.
  -I have also included a few prominent Cameos

• Please select every card/artwork you feel deserves to be considered for one of the best Rayquaza cards.

• AA means an Alternative Artwork typically used as a promo in a later release. If it is a Special Art, it will say so.

ADV-L

• ex - Rulers of the Heavens/EX Dragon
• ex - Rayquaza Half Deck (RotH/Dragon AA)
• PCG-P/Pop 1
• PCG-P/EX Deoxys
• ex - Rayquaza Starter Deck/EX Deoxys
• ex - Side Deck (Deoxys AA)
• Gold Star
• Sky’s Rayquaza
• Play! _'s Rayquaza
• ex - Play!/Tin Promo
• Pokepark Blue/EX Emerald (holo)
• Pokepark Blue/EX Emerald (non/holo AA)
• Fire Type Delta
• Lightening/Metal Type Delta
• Water/Metal Type Delta
• ex - Lightening Type
• DP5 Cry from the Mysterous/Legends Awakened
• SP C
• SP C Lv.X
• SP C Lv.X AA Tin Promo
• Rayquaza & Deoxys Legend
• Shiny - L-P/Call of Legends
• Non Shiny - Call of Legends
• Jumbo Cameo - Zoroark and Legendary Pokemon

BW-XY

• Shiny UR Dragon Blast/Dragons EXalted
• Non-Shiny Dragon Selection/Dragon Vault (AA)
• Shiny BW-P Nobunaga’s Ambition (AA)
• Non-Shiny EX Battle Boost/Legendary Treasures (AA)
• BW EX - Dragon Blade/Dragons EXalted
• BW EX SR - Dragon Blade/Dragons EXalted (Full Art)
• BW EX SR AA - Super Rare Card Set Get Prize (Full Art)
• BW EX AA - Tin Promo
• Jumbo - Battle Carnival 2012
• XY-P Illustrator Collection/Mega Raquaza Collection
• XY-P EX Normal Type
• XY-P EX Normal Type (Shiny Recolor)
• XY EX Dragon Type - M Rayyquaza Mega Battle Deck/Roaring Skies
• XY EX Dragon Type - CP5/Tin Promo (AA)
• XY M EX Dragon Type - M Rayquaza Mega Battle Deck/Roaring Skies
• XY EX Normal Type - Emerald Break/Roaring Skies
• XY EX Normal Type SR - Emerald Break/Roaring Skies (Full Art)
• XY M EX Normal Type - Emerald Break/Roaring Skies
• XY M EX Normal Type SR - Emerald Break/Roaring Skies (Full Art)
• XY M EX Normal Type UR - Bandit Ring/Ancient Origins (Gold)
• Hoopa Movie Promo (Cameo)
• XY-P - Uniqlo T Shirts/BREAK Starter Pack/Steam Siege Blister Promo
• XY-P Skytree Town Pokemon Center Tokyo Opening Promo (Cracked Ice Shiny)
• Shaymin EX UR Cameo

SM-SWSH

• Rockruff Deck, Battle Boost, Starter Decks / Guardians Rising
• Shining Legends (Shiny)
• GX
• GX SR (Full Art)
• GX HR (Rainbow)
• GX SSR (Shiny Full Art)
• S-P V Starter Sets Purchase/Rebel Clash Blister Promo
• Amazing Rare
• V - Blue Sky Stream/Evolving Skies
• V - Dragon Pokemon V Get Challenge/V Battle Deck (AA)
• V SR - Blue Sky Stream/Evolving Skies (Full Art)
• V SR SA - Blue Sky Stream/Evolving Skies (Special Art)
• VMAX - Blue Sky Stream/Evolving Skies
• VMAX HR - Blue Sky Stream/Evolving Skies (Rainbow)
• VMAX HR SA - Blue Sky Stream/Evolving Skies (Special Art)
• VMAX - VMAX Climax/Crown Zenith (AA #1)
• VMAX CSR/TG - VMAX Climax/Silver Tempest (Character Art)
• VMAX UR/TG - VMAX Climax/Silver Tempest (Gold)
• VMAX - Charizard v Rayquaza Deck/Crown Zenith (AA #2)

[bk2021]

Will the poll reset if you edit the options?

Might be easier to put the number of the card there. Got lost in the EX section since there are so many.

[trainerjack]

Hw many can we choose in each section?

[bk2021]

I think you can choose any amount that you like.

I’m sure people are misunderstanding it though considering the current results.

I mean not even 70% choosing to advance the Gold Star is a bit ridiculous.

[expedition]

Would love to see JP cards whenever possible in the lineup. Some cards definitely benefit from the gray JP border in terms of eye-appeal… EX/ADV-PCG era is by far the strongest here!

[fourthstartcg]

Looking at this, it really strikes me how much Rayquaza arts have gotten worse since BW.

[inertgeometry]

i’m not sure, but it did reset on the first round of umbreon cards when i added an option. i’ll number it for the second round and do a better job next time to try and make it easier to follow

[inertgeometry]

i did this for the umbreon final results and will likely do this for the second round of ray. it just requires more time digging through google images to find images that are straight on and large enough. i did try to pick images of the jp version that shows off the texturing at least somewhat for full arts

[inertgeometry]

vote for any card you feel deserves to be considered. if you’re the number one ray fan and there is no bad art in your eyes, select them all! if you hate ray and think they all suck, idk why you’re here lol

[inertgeometry]

so far there are roughly 10 more votes in the first section than the last lol. i hope people are scrolling down

[c0ll3ct0r]

If I had to choose between EX Dragon and Emerald right now I’m not sure which one I’d pick for my 2nd place. The Fire Delta would’ve looked sick with cosmos.

[expedition]

I legitimately don’t need to see any of those in the last section in the top 25. So I didn’t give a vote there.

[scoots89]

I really enjoy the cards showing Rayquaza twisted and taking up the entire frame. My favorite examples are the Holon Phantoms and Evolving Skies alternate art.

The composition of these cards capture how I imagine the encounter to play out whenever I play the Generation 3 games.

[thsigma]

love all the deltas. I think the Play promo is the best one by far, but I am curious how others think. Even though its had a few alternate art cards, I actually am not a big fan of any of them. I still think we have yet to see an amazing Ray alt art

[expedition]

Did my boy dirty on these (feel free to update):

[inertgeometry]

updated!

[inertgeometry]

i’d love to know why some people feel one of these deserves to be considered, but not the either two. they’re essentially the same art, just from a different PoV lol

[joponnes]

Muk next, muk next!

[lyleberr]

Wow, my privacy has been violated

For me its the perspective. The first pose overall flows with the card art style, the body curves along with the diagonal yellow shine as well as is opposite with the white rings that give the card some symmetry as my mind wants the compare it with a helix structure. It also has the pokemon in the center with relatively equal proportions with a pose of looking at it from afar and it being admired. The background works with it and brings your focus back to the pokemon wherever you look on the card. I also find it funny that the vmax clouds are reminicent of a roman laurel crown.

The third i dislike the most of them because how unproportioned the head is in this perspective. Its body is not centered and while there is some symmetry with the yellow shine following its head direction, its more forced. Its pose is much more “Im coming for specifically you” which doesnt seem like something rayquaza as a pokemon is about, although most of the card arts have that look. Also clearer cloud ring but definitely not an amusing laurel.

The second is a whole different perspective being essentially the inbetween pose from the first and third, as if rayquaza was chilling and noticed someone and then went after them and these cards show some of the frames of that action. The view switches from left side of its body to the right The white rings in the background are more prominent but the head is still a bit unproportional for me which brings my focus too much to the right and leaves an unattended gap in the art on the bottom left quadrant. Its also a bit to “in my face” with its pose trying to intimidate and stare me down, which i dont care for personally

Thats my reason why I didnt choose them all because while I think the first has a nice composition of the pokemon with the background that shows rayquaza well, the other two arent whats going to come to my head when i think “thats clean and well thought out looking card art”.

Tldr: Perspective matters to me

[inertgeometry]

interesting. thank you for elaborating!