Sure but you can say that about a lot of main-set holofoil cards. Looking at just the artwork, a lot of them are just a bit plain really. The only ones which stand out to me are the ones where a lot is going on (the Hawaii Lucky Stadium and the boy/girl trophies. From a rarity/significance standpoint my list would be completely different, but from an artwork perspective only a small handful of them appeal to me.
The photo cards are mostly a photo slapped on top of an existing background (stock image in a few cases);
Pikachu looking at some generic object is overused;
Item cards like Master’s Key, Wonder Platinum etc feel like they belong in MTG more than Pokémon.
I like all of those cards for their significance in the hobby, but a lot of them feel like something someone whipped up in 5 minutes without much creative direction.
Exeggutor is Ishihara’s (one of the original game’s programmers and later the creator of the Pokemon TCG) favorite Pokemon. He used it all throughout debugging the original games. Since he oversaw the creation of the TCG and was physically present at the TMB, it’s a fitting Pokemon to be featured.
This tier list looks like the one I agree with the most so far. I REALLY dislike the trophy cards with the kids’ faces on them. It is just creepy to me. The kids don’t look bad or anything, it is really the crossover of the real life pictures and the pokemon aesthetic. Also, the concept of collecting a card with some kid’s face on it (even though they are an adult now) is…strange to me. I don’t judge other people who collect those cards, though.
I mean I think that having the winners faces on the cards is very unique and creative and will certainly be a lifelong memory for them, but I don’t think I’d ever buy one even if I had the means to because I agree it is kinda weird… they’re mad cool though
You’re missing a couple of trophy cards btw… Computer Error; Cynthia’s Feelings; Extra Battle Day full arts; Finalist stamped Tropical cards; Champion stamped DCE and Item cards; etc. (And yes, you could argue those aren’t unique artworks, but the same applies to the Bilingual Exeggutor; the three EX cards; and the Zekrom GX HR.)
Glad I’m not the only one that absolutely hates the ones with the kids’ faces. I find them to look so cheap and tacky with the style and amateur quality of the winner photos themselves.
I’m also not a fan of lazy artwork reuses for trophies, so stuff like boy/girl E-Series medals and Victory Orb with pcg promo Mew photoshopped in are down on the list.
Having a Pikachu greatly improves any card for me, but as I don’t collect trophy cards - my thoughts on them didn’t take into account rarity/significance/value/etc.
Just picked the ones I’d like to have based on the card art and design
I tried to take into account several factors: nature of release, artwork, rarity, prominence, history, my own emotional reaction, and ‘X factor’. I also changed B tier to ‘S- tier’, otherwise my S tier was going to be like 2/3 of the cards listed. It still is tbh.
