Aquapolis and Skyridge are popular for many seasons (crystal holos, small print runs (rarity), last WOTC sets, etc.), but the reason I truly love these sets is the themes and landscapes seen across the artwork.
I find the regions in these sets so interesting. They depict mysterious, isolated areas within the Pokémon universe, evoking a rich history and mythology.
- The forgotten civilizations’ mystique of the undersea ruins of Aqaupolis
- The temples and ruins with lots of images of the Legendary Birds
- The isolated and tough environments that are completely separated from humans (underground lakes, cave paintings / Ho-oh geoglyphs (Nazca Lines), volcanic lakes). It almost gives off a “survival of the fittest” vibe.
The different environments in these sets completely blend together, and I didn’t realize it until I came across all the Japanese pack art. While the Aquapolis and Skyridge generic artwork on booster packs and booster boxes is fine, it doesn’t hold a candle to the artwork from the Japanese sets (pictures below).
- The Town on No Map (awesome name)
- Wind From The Sea
- Split Earth
- Mysterious Mountains
This led me down a rabbit hole, where I learned as much as I could about the lore of these sets and the areas/landmarks depicted in the artwork. After all these years, I didn’t realize that all the areas in these sets depicted a region specific to the TCG, called the Puzzle Continent (Mysterious Continent). Similar to the Holon region, this has given me a new appreciation for TCG-specific lore. It would have been awesome if they integrated these into the games to explore, but keeping them exclusive to the TCG does make them extra special.
The Japanese pack artwork and images from trainer magazines / CoroCoro give us a lot more insight into this region. Without these, and just having the English sets to go by, we would never have truly learned how these areas connected with one another. Japan always gets the best stuff!
Puzzle Continent
Other Puzzle Continent Photos
Here are photos collected by MechaMew5000 from TCG packaging and Japanese Trainer Magazines that provide more details about the Puzzle Continent.
Town on No Map Photos (Aquapolis)
Credit: MechaMew5000
Wind From The Sea Photos (Aquapolis)
!
Credit: MechaMew5000
Split Earth Photos (Skyridge)
Credit: MechaMew5000
Mysterious Mountains Photos (Skyridge)
Credit: MechaMew5000
Below are some common areas and landmarks seen in the backgrounds across different cards in both Aquapolis and Skyridge. I love seeing these landscapes from different angles across the artwork, which gives more insight into this mysterious region and its different environments.
Aquapolis Artwork Shared Landscapes
Aquapolis Fountain
Aquapolis Lighthouse
Aquapolis Spire Mountain
Aquapolis Tower
Aquapolis Undersea Ruins
Credit: TwentyFour7 Reddit Post
Skyridge Artwork Shared Landscapes
Skyridge Ancient Ruins
Skyridge Ho-Oh Geoglyphs
Skyridge Mirage Oasis
Skyridge Mystery Zone
Skyridge Rock Formation
Skyridge Spiral Mountain
Credit: TwentyFour7 Reddit Post
TLDR: Sets with cool themes and shared landscapes across the artwork are awesome. They don’t make them like they used to.
