Pokémon TCG Pocket: Players' Mixed Feelings on Heartbreaking Art

The Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket's latest expansion, Space Time Smackdown, released on January 30, has stirred significant emotional reactions among fans, particularly due to the artwork on one card. The card in question is the Weavile ex, specifically its 2 Star full art version, which has sparked widespread discussion and dismay. The artwork portrays a group of Weavile lurking in the treetops, claws poised, seemingly preparing to attack an unsuspecting Swinub below. This depiction of predation has left many fans feeling shocked and heartbroken.

The reaction on social media platforms like Reddit has been intense. A post with nearly 10,000 upvotes features the contentious artwork with the caption, "No Swinub, look up! Look up!" This has led to comments such as, "Always got to be one card per set that shows Pokémon in the process of straight up killing each other," and pleas to "Leave the lil guy alone." The scene has prompted fans to reflect on the often overlooked brutal aspects of Pokémon's ecosystem, with one user noting, "The ecology of Pokémon is always so crazy to imagine. Like these are still animals, some smarter than others. Just they have the ability to fire laser beams."

Amidst the concern, some fans are clinging to a hopeful narrative provided by another card's artwork. The full art card of Mamoswine, Swinub's final evolution, shows the mammoth Pokémon gazing upwards, seemingly on guard and protecting a group of Swinub. This has led to optimistic comments like, "Hey, Mamoswine protected his baby. Don't worry. He most definitely saw those Weaviles," and "The Mamoswine alt card already looks above. He saw them. He saw..."

Space Time Smackdown is themed around Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, introducing cards featuring Weavile, Mamoswine, Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, and more. The set contains 207 cards, which is smaller compared to the previous expansion, Genetic Apex, which had 286 cards. However, Space Time Smackdown boasts a higher percentage of rare cards, with 52 alternate art, Star, and Crown rarity cards, as opposed to Genetic Apex's 60.

Creatures Inc., the developer, has not yet addressed the controversy surrounding the Weavile ex card or the recent trading update that was released the day before Space Time Smackdown. The company's social media and the game itself have primarily focused on promoting the new expansion. Additionally, Creatures Inc. did not respond to IGN's request for comment. A "Trade Feature Celebration Gift" was distributed to players, including 500 Trade Tokens and 120 Trade Hourglasses, sufficient to trade a single ex Pokémon, but the developer has remained silent on the fan feedback regarding the controversial card.