Pokemon TCG Pocket Players React to New Ho-Oh & Lugia Cards Following Stolen Art Controversy

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The Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket faced some controversy when they introduced two innovative cards in the latest Wisdom of Sea & Sky expansion. Particularly, the depiction of Ho-Oh seemed to be based on pre-existing fan artwork. Following these allegations, Pokemon TCG Pocket responded promptly with a statement and pulled the questionable cards. After a few days displaying “New Art Soon” placeholders, players finally got a glimpse of the new art for both immersive Ho-Oh and Lugia. Reactions to this new artwork have been varied, to put it mildly.

As a dedicated Pokémon TCG enthusiast, I encountered an unforeseen predicament – the Ho-Oh immersive card was unfortunately crafted using inaccurate reference materials. To add to the confusion, even the Lugia card showcased Ho-Oh in its broader artwork. Consequently, both cards were withdrawn from circulation while our team diligently worked on creating new designs, ensuring they weren’t based on fan art. This unexpected hiccup led to a wave of humorous memes as fortunate players discovered blank cards hinting at “New Art Coming Soon.”

However, those days of excitement are now behind us, as the updated images for both Lugia and Ho-Oh have made their grand entrance in Pokémon TCG Pocket.

What do we think about the new art for the immersives?
byu/Garchomp98 inPTCGP

Since the fresh artwork has swapped out the stand-ins, one enthusiast shared their thoughts on the r/PTCGP subreddit. Although many gamers concur that the revamped, original Ho-Oh design is a step up, Lugia doesn’t seem to be doing too great.

Pokemon TCG Pocket Players Slam New Lugia Immersive Card Art

Many players seem to be quite satisfied with the revamped Ho-Oh card, some even preferring it over the initial design. However, the new Lugia card is receiving considerable criticism from fans. The portrayal of Sinnoh’s Legendary Pokémon in this updated version appears rather awkward, with an overemphasis on a forward-leaning chest posture. As one Reddit user humorously commented, “it’s definitely chest day.

In simpler terms, the newly designed Lugia art is being compared to Vegeta transforming into Super Saiyan by some fans, who prefer the original placeholder artwork. Others are puzzled about why the change was made at all, given that the immersive animation showing the old Ho-Oh art was the primary concern, not Lugia itself. However, it’s worth noting that there is a precedent for this design within Pokémon, as Lugia’s card pose resembles Miraidon from Pokemon Scarlet & Violet in its odd battle stance.

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byu/Garchomp98 from discussion
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One enthusiast playfully suggested that perhaps they’ve blundered the original content once more, this time inadvertently displaying a Miradon image rather than the intended Lugia artwork. In truth, it’s challenging to find any fans advocating for the new Lugia card design. Instead, many are expressing their desire to revert back to the previous art, but regrettably, it seems unlikely that this will occur.

It’s clear that many Pokémon TCG players are pleased about how swiftly Pokemon TCG Pocket addressed the error in the Ho-Oh artwork. Although it didn’t lead to the ideal outcome for Lugia, at least the card art no longer references unattributed fan art now.

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2025-08-08 18:55