Message to mods, feel free to edit this into 2 topics or change the category if it doesn’t meet the standards of the website for article.
TL;DR Team Rocket Returns reverse holos have a different holo pattern, but it can still have swirls. They are rarer than normal. I am trying to see which ones can or can’t have swirls. Examples below.
My friend introduced me to this niche, and he helped me learn. One thing he pointed out, was that the reverse holographic pattern for the ex FireRed & LeafGreen and ex Team Rocket Returns sets could still have swirls in them but they were harder to find. After browsing many copies of these cards, I began to notice a pattern.
Team Rocket Returns reverse holos seem to have some cards where it just might not be possible to find cards with a swirl on them EVER. Over a long enough period, I wanted to wait and see what comes up for sale online, and after over a year of this, I am too impatient to wait any longer and just want to share my findings.
Now the part where I fall short, and beg for your help. If you have spare time and you have any reverse holos, please check them for swirls. Even if its only partially visible, I’m not here to judge if its a “good” swirl, just that there is a visible swirl in the art frame. After slowly finding examples, I do believe it might just be possible for all reverse holos to have a swirl. For now, I simply want to document what has been observed to have a swirl.
Below I will post any examples of each card that has a found a swirl that I have evidence of. Only a few will have no image, but all I can say is “trust me bro”.
example of me using a remoraid holo to discover for the first time that sandslash can have a swirl even though the swirl is not very visible on the sandslash in the image
01 Azumarill
02 Dark Ampharos
03 Dark Crobat
04 Dark Electrode
05 Dark Houndoom
06 Dark Hypno
07 Dark Marowak
09 Dark Slowking
10 Dark Steelix
11 Jumpluff
12 Kingrda
13 Piloswine
14 Togetic
15 Dark Dragonite
16 Dark Muk
17 Dark Raticate
18 Dark Sandslash
19 Dark Tyranitar
21 Delibird
23 Ledian
24 Magby
25 Misdreavus
26 Quagsire
27 Qwilfish
28 Yanma
29 Dark Arbok
30 Dark Ariados
31 Dark Dragonair
34 Dark Golbat
35 Dark Golduck
37 Dark Houndoom
39 Dark Magneton
40 Dark Pupitar
41 Dark Pupitar
42 Dark Weezing
43 Heracross
44 Magmar
45 Mantine
46 Rocket’s Meowth
47 Rocket’s wobbuffet
48 Seadra
49 Skiploom
50 Togepi
51 Cubone
52 Dratini
53 Dratini
54 Drowzee
55 Ekans
56 Grimer
57 Hoppip
58 Horsea
59 Houndour
60 Houndour
61 Koffing
62 Larvitar
63 Larvitar
64 Ledyba
65 Magikarp
66 magnemite
67 Mareep
68 Marill
69 Onix
70 Psyduck
71 Rattata
72 Rattata
73 Remoraid
74 Sandshrew
75 Sentret
76 Slowpoke
77 Slugma
78 Spinarak
80 Voltorb
81 Wooper
82 Zubat
83 Copycat
86 Rocket’s Admin
87 Rocket’s Hideout
90 Rocket’s Tricky Gym
92 Swoop! Teleporter
93 Venture Bomb
94 Dark Metal Energy
95 R Energy
89 Rocket’s Pokeball
08 Dark Octillery
20 Dark Tyranitar
22 Furret
32 Dark Dragonair
33 Dark Flaaffy
36 Dark Gyarados
387 Dark Magcargo
79 Swinub
84 Pokemon Retriever
85 Pow! Hand Extension
88 Rocket’s Mission
91 Surprise! Time Machine
folder with every image example I have. I’ll try to eventually work on direct images in the post
direct download
TL;DR FireRed&LeafGreen reverse holos have a different holo pattern, but it can still have swirls. They are rarer than normal. I am trying to see which ones can or can’t have swirls. Examples below.
The firered/leafgreen set has reverse holographic patterns where they have energy symbols, but it still has swirls, but far less commonly than the regular cosmos holofoil pattern.
Before I get there, I want to note that there are some differences you must know when I did my research. Firstly, I have paid more attention to FR/LG than TRR. Therefore I have a stronger knowledge on this set. Also, there is just simply more cards from this set that cycle and come up for sale. Therefore I have had a larger number of cards to see and notice any patterns emerge.
I’ll make one comment about the set that is also of note. There is a lot of holo bleed on this set, and it can be very heavy. So that is not only an interesting quirk, it can help us see where a swirl might be on a card in the text box area or undernearth an otherwise opaque part of the card.
When discussing with my friend subtle differences between the two sets, we came to an agreement that there is more location variety in team rocket returns, than in FireRed/LeafGreen for swirls. You can just infer this by looking at each list’s “no known swirls” categories. This is an important little detail. FR/LG rare cards have a pokeball shaped windows to the holo pattern for reverse holos on the text box area. It is possible and likely that these cards were printedon their own sheet. Because of this quirk, it could somehow have led to the lack of holo pattern variety. In short, check the pokeball “window” area for swirls.
A detail that is important is to note that any location variation in this set and team rocket returns follows a pattern. The swirl can show up with essentially full range horizontally, however there is almost no variation in vertical height. You can tell this because the swirl is the same swirl, meaning the other symbols around the swirl are the same. You can tell if the card showed up differently on the print sheet if the energy symbols around the swirl are different. And its clear to me, that some cards just hit the right part of the pattern vertically, meanwhile some just don’t show up on the right zone to ever get a swirl.
P.S.
Two other interesting quirks in this set of note. Gastly can have a error, the rarity symbol can sometimes be uncommon instead of common. This happens in both the non-holo and reverse holo. The same is true of magikarp. However I have seen only two examples of magikarp reverse holo with this error. One of which I own! 
And yes, these errors are far more rare than the corrected version. They must have caught the mistake quickly in the factory.
here is a visual explanation of what I mean by swirl range.
An example of me using an existing card to holo match this is how I hope I can empower you to help me on this task.
(The letter ‘p’ denotes that the swirl will be found in the pokeball on rares)
01 Beedrill p
02 Butterfree p
03 Dewgong p
04 Ditto p
05 Exeggutor
06 Kangaskhan
07 Marowak
08 Nidoking
09 Nidoqueen
10 pidgeot
11 Poliwrath p
12 raichu p
13 rapidash p
14 Slowbro p
15 Snorlax
16 Tauros
17 Victreebel p
18 Arcanine p
19 Chansey p
20 Cloyster p
21 Dodrio
22 Dugtrio
23 Farfetch’d
24 Fearow
25 Hypno
26 Kingler
27 magneton
28 Primeape p
29 Scyther p
30 tangela p
31 Charmeleon
35 Ivysaur
37 Lickitung
38 mankey
39 Metapod
44 Persian
45 Pidgeotto
46 Polywhirl
47 Porygon
48 Raticate
52 Wigglytuff
55 Bulbasaur
56 Caterpie
57 Charmander
58 Charmander
59 Clefairy
63 Gastly
64 Growlithe
66 Krabby
68 Magnemite
70 Nidoran girl
71 Nidoran boy
73 Pidgey
76 Ponyta
77 Rattata
78 Seel
79 Shellder
80 Slowpoke
81 Spearow
85 Voltorb
86 Weedle
88 Celio’s Network
89 Energy removal 2(electric energy boogaloo)
90 Energy Switch
92 Great ball
93 Life herb
95 Pokeball
99 Super Scoop Up
102 Switch
103 Multi Energy
32 Drowzee “drowsee”*
33 Exeggcute
34 haunter
36 Kakuna
40 Nidorina
41 Nidorino
42 Onix
43 Parasect
49 Venomoth
50 Wartortle
51 Weepinbell
53 Bellsprout
54 Bulbasaur
60 Cubone
61 Diglett
62 Doduo
65 Jigglypuff**
67 Magikarp
72 Paras
74 Pikachu
75 Poliwag
82 Squirtle
83 Squirtle
84 Venonat
87 Bill’s Maintenance
91 EXP.ALL
94 Mt. Moon
96 PokeDex HANDY909
97 Pokemon Reversal
98 Prof. Oak’s Research
100 VS Seeker
101 Potion
direct download of every image I collected for FR/LG
*“Drowsee” So, this does have a swirl possible, I have one, but its really weak. But it should be possible. I just haven’t found a nice and clear copy. the swirl is right at the bottom of the card, but it seems to ALWAYS be hiding behind drowzees frumpy body every time. I don’t get it.
** Jigglypuff I feel like I saw once, but I think it may be a false memory, as ive not seen one that I can remember for sure and have no image of one.
Edit Log:
2024-12-26T22:07:00Z-Fixed formatting, fixed broken image inserts. Edited posts to be more concise.
