To be fair, Ho-Oh is in the “wrong” set (not thematically of course.) I know I would’ve shit my pants if the Masago holo was in Neo Genesis, pure sensory overload, I would literally dream of something like that card happening, even more so after realizing that Neo Genesis had no Ho-Oh.
By the time Neo Rev was out the balloon had popped. Pokemon was a pariah, we were all trying to not spend so much money on packs which meant that none of us pulled it, I didn’t even know the holo existed until a year or two after. And that was our experience as the few people who were still in it (and our enthusiasm took a major hit as well,) not the people who jumped back into it 15 years later with oodles of nostalgia for the Lugia but none for the Ho-Oh.
My story of course, but I’ve seen the same story from so many others.
It sounded like I was hating on Typhlosion but I like it better than Charizard tbh. Although I am one of those weirdos that prefers T18 to T17. It’s a rare example of a ‘lazy’ Sugimori composition actually being saved by the non-dynamic background. The dark red/black holo suitably moody and aggressive.
Obviously I’m biased towards Lugia (my favourite Pokemon card of all-time) but I definitely remember it being THE chase card from Neo Genesis. The big bad legendary from Gen 2 straight out of the gates in the first Gen 2 set. More popular than Ho-oh and, as already mentioned, already solidified as a fan-favourite thanks to Pokemon 2000. I totally see that there are some anatomical issues with the art itself but the colours on the holo are excellent, and the Yoshida art itself sort of resembles the Sugimori watercolour finish but better.
Also want to shout out Feraligatr 5/111 as another personal Genesis favourite. This, Lugia, and the two Typhlosions were what I wanted the most.
Having said ALL of that, I voted for Shining Gyarados lol. While Lugia was THE Neo Genesis chase, I feel that Gyarados was the overall chase of the Neo series. I can remember reading a preview of upcoming Japanese cards in a magazine and obsessing over the pictures of Shining Gyarados and Magikarp. These cards looked incredible and their status as secret rares only added to their mystical allure. I knew they’d be so hard to pull (I never managed it) and nobody I knew had them, with others not even believing they existed (remember, the internet was still not mainstream and in everybody’s house so if you didn’t have a magazine or guidebook, the contents of sets were still something of a mystery that you could only solve by constantly ripping packs, and who’d expect there to be numbered cards going beyond the stated ‘final’ number?).
Maybe you could argue that the Destiny Shinings should be bigger chases from the era but Pokemon was dead in the playground at this point and so there was no real hype or interest and it was difficult to get the same buzz for rare chases when there was nobody to share your interest.
Yes, just all around unfortunate timing with Ho-oh’s Neo Rev release and Pokemon’s dwindling popularity. As others have eluded to, Pokemon 2000 was also a huge boon for Lugia’s legendary status.
Ah well, drives the card prices down and makes it easier to obtain a copy.
I like Lugia but think in general that Ho-Oh is a lot more visually interesting. In terms of the TCG, crystal Lugia is the best of all Lugia or Ho-Oh cards.
In general, Lugia gets posed in more derpy looking giant bear hug looking types ways, and Ho-Oh’s classic wings up head down look is much better.
The Ho-Oh art is better but Lugia is a far better holographic card. The Ho‐Oh is way too complex and the holo actually takes away from it. Whereas the Lugia has that wicked mirror holo effect with the three subtle elemental colors that are a reference to the legendary birds and also the attack energy. Overall a far more appealing card when taking it all together.
Yes I did chose Pokémon Silver and SoulSilver why do you ask???
Agreed. My main gripe with Lugia cards is that he’s often put into not super cool looking poses. Crystal Lugia is amazing, an awesome and majestic pose:
Tough choice between Lugia and Shining Gyarados but ultimately voted for Lugia, as a set Neo Genesis hits too hard for me and the movie had so many great things ( especially Lugia’s theme ).
T17 is certainly massive chase card in PSA 10 but in this vote I would’ve preferred it replaced with Neo Discovery Umbreon, this way all 4 sets would’ve been an option.
2024 grail card = What is most expensive
2002 grail card = What players needed and what collectors liked.
And I know 3 out of 4 cards mentioned here didn’t fall into that second group.
Post-2020’s definition of Holy Grail card = What players needed (excellent gameplay value), what collectors liked (sublime artwork) and what investors value (most expensive).
