What’s your favourite piece of information you’ve seen included on a card? Pokémon or Magic or whatever. Something you’ve found interesting or that has enhanced your ability to simply enjoy the card.
For example, I really love the Length and Weight on Pokémon cards. I was looking at a Base Set Squirtle today and pictured myself booting the 1’ 8” 20 lb. Tiny Turtle Pokémon across my living room floor.
Its the dex entries for me. Ever since i was little id sit and read them over and over again. Felt like i knew them.
The IQ of Alakazam in Base Set always makes me smile.
I always wondered how that would work. 5k is a little absurd haha
The Pokédex entry on this exact Paras:
It’s just so bizarre for a modern Pokédex entry to be this random. You could even say it bugs me.
You ever tried booting a 20lb kettlebell? Not a good time.
I didnt really realize how totally small and portable mareeps are at 2ft length. Thats a small static producing pillow.
The artwork. I don’t look at the attack information. Must be why I collect Japanese
The Dex entries for me definitely make the Pokémon feel almost real, like a real living thing that I might see somewhere out in the world. The Base Set Rattata entry: “Bites anything when it attacks. Small and very quick, it is a common sight in many places.” Reading this gives me a sense that I might actually spot a Rattata while out somewhere, maybe by a garbage bin down a back alleyway or scurrying under cars in a parking lot, fleeing from a Meowth or from a high-flying Pidgeot circling above. I love that.
Also, it really helps I’m sure that Arita did such a stellar job with the artwork on this card, as with many others, especially Base Set, I mean the Dragonair, Magikarp, Abra, the three starters, Pikachu—just insane.
Who did it
Maybe a good steel-toed boot**
“Super rare card; the highest attack & defense card, too difficult to get.”
This card released in 2002 has the attack “Smash Link”. The text references Mewtwo (also in the background) and is believed to be a reference to Super Smash Bros Melee which released near the end of 2001 and was the first appearance of Mewtwo in the franchise.
Still pretty fresh in the world of collecting. I think that after I’ve dipped my mug and drank enough to quench my thirst from the sentimental well that is 1st Edition Base Set I’ll have to delve into Japanese Promos. This one is just phenomenal. The knowledge required behind it to enjoy the card completely is especially sweet. And the rich golden colouring of the Pikachu’s fleece at centre in the frame and nearly matched by that of the border and the rest of the card against the dark metal-grays of the wreckage makes the artwork really pop. And the bewildered look on the Pikachu’s face is great, caught in the middle of this destruction as what appears to be the 046/P Mewtwo unleashes his wrath on what looks to be some sort of Pokémon lab.
Can’t even find this 038 Pikachu raw on eBay. Must be a coveted card.
**I must have been having a day. I found a few copies, and a PSA 10. I’m buying it.
It was also the card that first really drew me into Japanese promos
I also bought a cheap raw copy from Japan off ebay for the Harada event. I didn’t expect it to be so clean but it graded 10
I suppose this is a general answer to the collectable card games I like. Magic: The Gathering has always shown off a high fantasy art style, and I love this and their creation of new and evolving cards. I also like Yu-Gi-Oh for their creation of new cards, but importantly, they often retain some cards with the same, but occasional, new art. The original art often retains the manga art, but some newer cards disappoint me for their CGI appearance. Then, Pokémon, to me, fits in nicely with the TCGs above because while originally in a manga style, we continually see new art, often expressed in unique ways, showing off the individual artist.
I like to collect cards for their artwork. I do not strictly limit myself to a period for any given TCGs sets, but I generally prefer the older sets as I find the art to be less computer-assisted and shows off hand-drawn, often raw talent.
I first interpreted this as “about a card”. I was going to reference that the English Pokemon Rumble cards, even the non-holo ones, are all printed on holographic paper despite only the text showing up holo.
I generally like the more dark and creepy depictions of cards - Gyarados is referenced a couple of times as destroying entire cities in a rage. Drifloon kidnaps children. Some pokemon are dead spirits. Shedinja straight up kills people if someone looks at what’s inside the back of their shell, referencing another card description of it. But Hypno probably takes the cake with it’s creepy card reference. From also kidnapping children and anyone having a good dream, to straight up leading people to Hell. Creepier yet, the grand majority of Hypno’s card arts seem to suggest that Hypno is trying to hypnotize the card holder since it is looking directly at you.
Imagine being woken up in the middle of the night to find a 5’ Hypno, its bare ass gleaming yellow in the moonlight, crawling through your window and falling with a thump into your bedroom and looking round in a panic for its pendulum that you just watched roll beneath your bed.
