I personally don’t dislike many of the stock images used as background for TCG cards, since they barely re-use stock artworks for multiple cards (minus some small exceptions, like these; these; these; etc.). In fact, I think some of them are rather unique, especially now that it’s known where a lot of stock images are from and see those backgrounds without the Pokémon or effects applied to them: Early Sets - From Stock Image to Pokemon Card Background.
I also don’t dislike the Ken Sugimori stock Pokémon itself on TCG cards. (Although I defintely enjoy his full artworks a lot more, like Shining Gyarados; Pokémon Breeder Fields; Town Volunteers; Pokémon Fan Club; Fieldworker; etc. etc.)
Having said that, what I mostly dislike, is how much his stock Pokémon images return on all kind of different products, instead of new unique ones. I collect everything Seviper for example, both TCG and non-TCG, and after a quick count, 228 out of 385 non-TCG Seviper items (excluding about 25-50 items more I have yet to photograph) are using one of the six different stock Ken Sugimori depictions of Seviper, and 47 of those remaining items are figures/plushies.
Don’t get me wrong, I completely understand why they use his stock depictions on a lot of products, but some of my favorite non-TCG Seviper items are those that didn’t use those stock artworks for a reason: they’re unique.
One big example are the Amada Attack stickers: the six yellow outlined stickers, starting from the third row. They’re cool, and some of my favorites because they depicture Seviper in new and unique ways. (The first two rows of Amada stickers, as well as the last two promo Amada stickers, are using the six Ken Sugimori artworks.)
Greetz,
Quuador