If going for that wings closed type of pose, I prefer Shining.
Today I learned 2 things, Arita cannot make a good ho-oh and apart from Arita’s Ho-ohs Ho-oh peaked early.
But Akira Egawa made Ho-oh the legendary bird it is again.
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no
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I have always liked Ho-Oh more than Lugia, but the cards Ho-Oh has gotten are pretty bleak. Only a handful I actually liked. My working theory is that being another Fire/Flying legendary, Moltres has been more popular and works more fitting in cool promos and all the other cards. Movie 2000 didn’t help either, linking the Kanto birds with Lugia and leaving Ho-Oh out of it for the most part.
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I agree. A cool Pokemon that just has not gotten any illustration respect!
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there will never be a better ho-oh art than crystal ho-oh. one of the all-time great tcg artworks
Same. Unseen forces Ho-Oh ex is closest I think.
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Had to vote for Ho-Oh Legend!! For me the most stunning and beautiful artwork in there, probably overlooked a bit because it’s on two cards not one. Closely followed by Neo Rev!
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Don’t really see much difference between the 4 Ho-oh Full arts yet their votes vary wildly.
i decided to use a different approach when breaking down the results due to some of the factors in the end. 
next up will be Espeon!
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It would be interesting to see the best of each of the normal art V/EX/GX/VMAX then pit the best against each other. I’d guess this Ho-oh would be near the top. I think this is the first time a normal one has been in the top 5.
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yeah i wonder how much of that is just because of the rest of the options available and the fact that there is no special art V.
Lugia’s is one of the top contenders alongside ho-oh for the best regular V and placed much lower in its poll
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Such a close finish!
What do people like about the Crystal?
I can’t even tell where its feet are. It looks a mess.
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Ho oh is in the same position as the Pokémon Gold box cover/poker card Ho-oh if it was mirrored and tilted 45*
Beyond that Kusajima’s classic contrast-rich saturated colours really draw out Ho-Oh’s rainbow presence over the barren desert landscape. It soaring above nazca lines is a simplistic tale in ancient worship of a phoenix that is now reborn, and a miracle witnessed by the artist/observer. Sprinkling in the usual Crystal foil glitter (for JP cards) reminds me of Ash’s glimpse of Ho-Oh in the first TV episode. There’s a lot going for it that makes the card feel really special (especially in person)
Just to show the extra concentration of glitter on and radiating from Ho-Oh,
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You’ve put it into words better than I can but thats basically why I love it so much. The vibrant colors and contrast between the orange ground, blue sky and colorful ho oh make the card pop a lot. Its got dynamic posing and good cohesion with the set lore of the nazca lines. The card is as aesthetically pleasing as it is interesting within the context of the set.
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