The Pokemon Trading Card Game (TCG) has been experiencing a rather sudden resurgence in popularity over the course of the last year or so. Between the existing popularity of the beloved franchise, and the arrival of new nostalgia-inducing expansions, Pokemon cards have quickly become some of the toughest-to-find it

Totodile is famous in the Pokémon community for its playful, energetic, if not mischievous at times, nature. So this scene capturing one leaping out of a field of flowers over a white fence perfectly encapsulates the "ideal" Totodile that fans all know and love. Just below the crocodile Pokémon's feet is where the original border of the frame was. That means that the majority of the fence line, the meadows, and even the trail are not part of the original artw

Thunder Lance, on the other hand, deals a base damage of 50, and, for every electric energy that has been attached to Raikou, it deals a further 20 damage, all for the cost of 3-colorless energy cards. Used in synergy with Max Elixir, Raikou becomes simply unstoppa

NOTE: "Pokemon V Forces" Tins featuring Galarian Slowbro , Lucario, and Mew V cards, are all releasing on February 19th as well. Each will include 4 booster packs. It's unconfirmed whether any of the booster packs are Shining Fates packs, tho

Fire-types excel at offense and don't have great defense or recovery, making the kind of playstyle required for a successful fire deck obvious. With heavy-hitting yet energy-expensive attacks, players can one or two-shot many opposing Active Pokemon, though this momentum can be difficult to keep

It is difficult to imagine Plusle without an accompanying Minun or vice versa, so the original image of the dynamic duo frolicking through the woods of Hoenn is a great one. But SumiPaints's faithful fulfillment of the details transforms the image from great to splendid. Everything from the extra sunbeams being placed due to the original shaded detail on Plusle to the sense of movement given to us by the painted grass, meant to highlight that the pair is moving at a brisk pace. The skill of an artist is found in many facets and attention to detail is certainly one of t

The final beautiful card to be displayed is arguably the most beautiful one of the set. It is the light and how it is manipulated in the painting that makes this card particularly exceptional. Everything blends gorgeously and in such deep colors, it makes one feel as if the world of Pokémon is a reachable place. Espeon is truly a Pokémon of the morn

Cards with low-energy cost attacks can hinder the adversary while they are trying to set up strategies. Larvesta from the Darkness Ablaze expansion is a decent representation of this, as its Singe attack guarantees a Burn on the foe and only requires one Fire-type energy to play, making it an optimal card to use at the beginning of a bat

While Hypnotoxic Laser poisons the opponent's Active pokémon and possibly also puts it to sleep, Virbank City Gym levies two damage counters on all poisoned pokémon, which in this unfortunate or fortunate circumstance is that of the opponent. Upon the release of these two Trainers, players from all around the world started making space in their decks to incorporate and utilize them in innovative gamepl

Getting a bit lucky and doing this multiple turns in a row can ravage any foe. Though, if luck is not something a trainer wants to rely on, this shellfish Pokemon's Hydrocannon attack can blow adversaries out of the water with a no-downside maximum damage of 70 HP. For high and consistent damage, versatility, as well as longevity, this Blastoise is the Dark Pokemon with the most promise of doom for a player's enem

While some purists may gawk at the idea of slandering an original card's art by trying to paint over and around it, the results for those that are truly great speak for themselves. Each of the cards on this list is always painted with their original pokémon and backgrounds serving as the "canvas" so to speak. SumiPaints builds off of their original imagery, giving us the impression that they have peeled back the layer of stats and rules in order to reveal a larger picture that has always existed beneath the surface. This Vulpix is captured just outside of a forest in what appears to be a blossoming meadow. Possibly, Veridian Forest of Gen I fa

Elite Trainer Boxes, on the other hand, are the Card creme de la creme of special collections, so to speak. These Elite collections generally sell for $40 and contain 8 booster packs, but special expansions' Elite Trainer Boxes boast an impressive 10 packs, along with a promo card, for a slightly higher price of

Furthermore, this attack also deals a damage of 70 to the opponent. It also has a useful primary in Swift, which for the cost of 1-electric guarantees a damage of 30 on the opponent's Active Pokémon since it is unaffected by any resistance or weakn

Jigglypuff, the famous singing-balloon Pokémon from Gen I, enjoys a blissful scene on a windy hillside in this delightful painting. It is quite impressive how this card seems to be barely modified from the original