Pokémon TCG Pocket: Heartbreaking Art Sparks Love and Hate Among Players

The Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket unveiled its latest expansion, Space Time Smackdown, on January 30, and it has sent shockwaves through the community due to the artwork of one card in particular. The card causing the uproar is Weavile ex, specifically its 2 Star full art variant. In this striking image, a group of Weavile are depicted lurking in the treetops, claws poised, seemingly ready to attack an unsuspecting Swinub below.

The artwork has sparked intense reactions across social media, with a Reddit post titled "No Swinub, look up! Look up!" amassing nearly 10,000 upvotes. "Always got to be one card per set that shows Pokémon in the process of straight up killing each other," one user commented, reflecting the sentiment of many. Another fan pleaded, "Leave the lil guy alone," expressing sympathy for the endangered Swinub.

NO ! SWINUB LOOK UP !! LOOK UP !!
byu/RegularTemporary2707 inPTCGP

The ecological dynamics within the Pokémon universe have also been a topic of discussion. "The ecology of Pokémon is always so crazy to imagine," one fan noted. "Like these are still animals, some smarter than others. Just they have the ability to fire laser beams."

Amidst the controversy, some fans are clinging to hope offered by another card's artwork. The full art Mamoswine card, the final evolution of Swinub, shows the protective mammoth Pokémon looking upwards, safeguarding a group of Swinub. "Hey, Mamoswine protected his baby. Don't worry. He most definitely saw those Weaviles," one hopeful fan stated. Another echoed, "The Mamoswine alt card already looks above. He saw them. He saw..."

Gone, but not forgotten.
byu/AshesMemeFolder inPTCGP

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

Despite the fan outcry, Creatures Inc. has yet to address the controversy surrounding the Weavile ex card. The company's social media and the game itself have focused solely on promoting the Space Time Smackdown expansion, and they have not responded to IGN's request for comment on the issue.

To coincide with the expansion release, players received a "Trade Feature Celebration Gift" containing 500 Trade Tokens and 120 Trade Hourglasses, enough to trade a single ex Pokémon. However, Creatures Inc. has remained silent on the community's concerns about the controversial card.