Hi everyone!
I’ve recently restarted collecting with a small, story-driven approach: instead of chasing expensive cards, I build binder pages around a theme or a story, and every card has to earn its spot by what it tells. I’d love your help (and your knowledge) for my first page. English isn’t my first language, so sorry in advance for any mistakes!
The page: “Burning Flame”
A 12-pocket page about fire: what it creates, what it destroys, and what it brings back. Each card shows a different face of fire: the first spark (Magby), the phoenix (Ho-Oh, Moltres), the volcano (Groudon, Magmortar), the sun (Volcarona)…
Current selection (still evolving):
- Ho-Oh LEGEND (L1 015/070 + 016/070) – the two halves together
- Ho-Oh ex (030/PLAY)
- Moltres (Japanese Vending, holo)
- Latias ex δ (014/068)
- Typhlosion (014/106)
- Magby (e-series 107/128)
- Magmortar (M6 079/076)
- Volcarona (sv11B 104/086)
- Groudon (M6 084/076)
That’s 10 pockets. The last 2 pockets (side by side) are reserved for a printed image that tells one story around the flames, ideally a Pokémon story with a real-world inspiration behind it.
The story I’m exploring for now: the Burned Tower
Lightning strikes Ecruteak’s Brass Tower, it burns, rain puts the fire out, and Ho-Oh revives three nameless Pokémon as Raikou, Entei and Suicune. Leads so far:
- Pokémon Generations, Ep. 6 “The Reawakening”: the tower burning, then the rebirth of the beasts
- Pokémon Adventures, Ch. 152 (Vol. 12): the Burned Tower catches fire again while Jasmine tells the legend
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Official art: unknow for this moment
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A real-world echo (my own hypothesis, NOT confirmed): Kyoto’s Kinkaku-ji, topped by a golden phoenix (hō-ō), burned down in 1950, and the phoenix ornament survived because it had been removed beforehand. Kawabata Ryūshi even painted “Kinkaku on Fire” that same year. I’d like to pair it with the anime tower as a “reality / legend” diptych.
Other fire stories I’ve considered: the Cinnabar volcano battle (anime Ep. 59), the Moltres egg hatching in the lava (Pokémon Snap), and Volcarona replacing the sun when volcanic ash darkened the sky.
What I don’t know yet (any help is welcome!)
- Is there any official artwork showing the Burned Tower on fire, or the Brass Tower before the fire (game art, CoroCoro, guidebooks, Pokémon Center goods, TCG)?
- Where can I find a good-quality version of the HGSS tower art (artbook, guide scan)?
- Does the fire appear in other manga (Golden Boys, Pocket Monsters, Jō’s Big Adventure, others)?
- Has Game Freak ever confirmed a link between the Ecruteak towers and real temples (Kinkaku-ji, Byōdō-in…), or is it only fan speculation?
- Do you know other fire stories in Pokémon with a real-world inspiration (myths, history, places) that could fill the 2 image pockets?
- Card suggestions: red or fire illustrations with a story (phoenixes, volcanoes, the sun, legends). I’m on a budget, so affordable cards and no slabs.
Your turn!
If you know other moments (games, anime, movies, manga) or cards that fit the theme, please share them! I’d love this thread to become a small gallery about fire in Pokémon art and the real-world stories behind it, useful for anyone who loves story-driven cards.
Thanks a lot for reading, and I’ll keep the thread updated with the finished page!