The Pokémon community is rather divided on the best designs for these critters. Some prefer the sometimes-questionable sprites of the classic games, while others think that the move to 3D models did the series’ critters the world of good. It’s a matter of taste, in the end.
Meanwhile, in the Pokémon TCG, opinions are mixed too. As with any card game of its type, there are a huge number on offer, boasting a great variety of artistic approaches when it comes to the card art. Some are sleek, perfect and beautiful illustrations, while others… definitely aren’t. Here’s a selection of some of the TCG’s strangest looking cards.
10 Hama-Chan’s Slowking
Now, the ever-derptastic Slowking isn’t a Pokémon that’s ever going to look particularly dignified or sophisticated. That’s the charm of the whole evolution line. Even having said that, though, this card art just might be pushing the boundaries of silliness a shade too far.
Hama-Chan’s Slowking is one of the most brilliantly ridiculous takes on this powerful Psychic/Water creature ever. It’s named after a legendary Japanese comedian, Masatoshi Hamada. He voiced Slowking in Pokémon: The Movie, and his drawing of the critter became this special promotional CoroCoro card from 1999.
9 XY Promo 141 Rayquaza
As fans will know, Rayquaza is one of the most powerful Dragon-types in series history. This formidable Legendary Pokémon boasts more destructive power than all of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s movie characters combined, but the TCG often fails to do it justice. Its long, powerful, serpentine body doesn’t translate very well.
In this XY promo card, it doesn’t look so much terrifying as it does mildly alarmed. Something about that facial expression suggests that it’s just arrived at work and realized that it may have left the water running at home. This probably isn’t what they were going for with this.
8 PokéKyun Collection 14 Gulpin
Gulpin, too, is a Pokémon that’s tough to pull off in the TCG. With its simple, silly design, there aren’t too many ways to do anything new and unique with it. Even so, this card from the PokéKyun Collection (Generations) certainly nailed ‘unique.’
This set was created to mark the 20th anniversary of the series, depicting certain moments in the life of a trainer. One such moment, apparently, is balancing a fork on their nose alongside their beloved Gulpin, because that’s a thing. In lieu of a Pokédex entry, the card reads, “when Mom gets in the kitchen, the happiest things happen. I can feel my mouth watering!”
7 Expedition Gengar
There’s something about this Gengar that just doesn’t quite fit… for a gaseous, spectral, ethereal being, furriness and pot-bellies would seem to be out of the question, but Gengar has no time for your logical complaints. It’s comfortable with the skin it’s in and the bad case of mumps it looks like it has, and it’s rocking it.
While it’s tough to say exactly what’s going on in the background, this vicious Ghost-type is doing a great job of distracting attention away from that. Mostly by looking as though it’s starting to melt a little. It’s a shame, because it’s usually almost impossible to find a fault in this iconic critter’s design.
6 Magikarp & Wailord GX
Of all the Tag Team Pokémon-GX cards, this one has to be the strangest duo. Wailord and Gyarados would be a mighty pairing, two behemoths of the seas waging havoc together, but Wailord and Magikarp? Someone’s looking just a little redundant here, and it’s not the 47’07” whale.
This Regular print of the card probably has the weirdest design, with the Magikarp seemingly about to be swallowed by its partner and not particularly enjoying the prospect. Still, it’s powerful, capable of outputting 180 damage with Super Splash or delivering 100 damage to every Pokémon on the opponent’s bench with Towering Splash-GX.
5 EX Dragon 61 Magnemite
To be fair to this card, Magnemite is a darn tough Pokémon to make particularly powerful looking. It’s only 1’0” and weighs 13.02 lbs, while its design is iconic and beloved but more than a little bland. Even so, this card from the EX Dragon set really takes the concept of doing Magnemite absolutely zero justice to a whole new level.
What’s happened to the teeny Electric-type? Has it been sat on by a careless Steelix? Why are there four of them? The world may never know the answers to these questions, and it’s probably for the best.
4 Base Set 6 Gyarados
Gyarados is another Pokémon whose gigantic, terrifying majesty has proven tough to capture in TCG form. This card, a result of 1999’s Pokémon Snap Best Photo Contest, wasn’t quite the way to go either, but it’s absolutely hilarious.
As you can imagine, this competition resulted in some glorious action shots of iconic critters, but none of them quite top this one. This set is one of the rarest around, not to mention a shoo-in for some of the weirdest too.
3 Pokémon Rumble 8 Zapdos
Back in the days of Generation I, Zapdos was one of the most intimidating Pokémon in the series. One of a select few Legendary Pokémon, it was a formidable opponent that awaited in the depths of the Kanto Power Plant. Times have changed, though, and countless super-strong Legendaries have been added.
According to this card from the Pokémon Rumble set, Zapdos is now seen as nothing more than an electrified Tweety Bird. Rumble’s unique and adorable art style was always going to make for some odd cards, and this might well be the weirdest of all. The Golbat lurking in the background that looks like it’s just swallowed a soccer ball absolutely makes the whole thing.
2 World Of Illusions Promo Zoroark And The Legendary Pokémon
Over the TCG’s long run, many cards have been released that feature multiple Pokémon at once. Zoroark and the Legendary Pokémon is one of the strangest examples of this, a World of Illusions promo card that really makes no sense at all.
As an exclusive Jumbo card, it was never intended to actually be played. This explains its attack Call of Legends, which deals an absurd 1,000 damage as “a fierce battle unfolds between Zoroark and the Legendary Pokémon.” As for the question of why the heck Zoroark thinks it stands a chance against Dialga, Rayquaza and Groudon, that’s a different –and totally inexplicable—question entirely.
1 CoroCoro Promo Imakuni?
Finally, there’s this little doozy. Tomoaki Imakuni is a is musician from Japan who has worked on the soundtrack of the Pokémon anime, and clearly made his mark on the TCG as well. He appears as an opponent in the Game Boy Color’s Pokémon Trading Card Game, with consecutive victories against him earning the player the iconic Imakuni? card.
This Trainer card is completely impractical, inflicting Confusion on the user’s own Active Pokémon. Clearly a joke card in every possible sense, but its peculiar design has made it a TCG legend nonetheless.