Pokémon TCG Pocket: Fans' Mixed Feelings on Time Space Showdown Art

The Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket released its latest expansion, Space Time Smackdown, on January 30, and the community has been abuzz with reactions, particularly to the artwork on one card. The Weavile ex card, specifically its 2 Star full art version, has sparked intense discussion and emotional responses among players due to its depiction of a violent scene involving Pokémon.

The artwork shows a group of Weavile lurking in the treetops, poised to attack an unsuspecting Swinub below. This imagery has led to a strong outcry on social media, with a Reddit post titled "NO! SWINUB LOOK UP!! LOOK UP!!" amassing nearly 10,000 upvotes. Fans expressed their dismay and concern, with comments such as "Always got to be one card per set that shows Pokémon in the process of straight up killing each other" and pleas like "Leave the lil guy alone."

NO! SWINUB LOOK UP!! LOOK UP!!
byu/RegularTemporary2707 inPTCGP

The conversation on Reddit also delved into the broader implications of Pokémon's ecology, with one user noting, "The ecology of Pokémon is always so crazy to imagine. Like these are still animals, some smarter than others. Just they have the ability to fire laser beams."

Amid the controversy, some fans are clinging to hope, suggesting that the full art card of Mamoswine, Swinub's final evolution, might offer a more comforting narrative. The card depicts Mamoswine looking upward, seemingly vigilant and protective of a group of Swinub. Fans have interpreted this as a sign that Mamoswine is aware of the threat posed by the Weavile, with comments like "Hey, Mamoswine protected his baby. Don't worry. He most definitely saw those Weaviles" and "The Mamoswine alt card already looks above. He saw them. He saw..."

Gone, but not forgotten.
byu/AshesMemeFolder inPTCGP

Space Time Smackdown is themed around the Pokémon Diamond and Pearl games, featuring iconic Pokémon such as Weavile, Mamoswine, Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina. With a total of 207 cards, it is smaller than the previous set, Genetic Apex, which had 286 cards. However, Space Time Smackdown boasts a higher percentage of rare cards, including 52 alternate art, Star, and Crown rarity cards, compared to Genetic Apex's 60.

Despite the uproar over the Weavile ex card, Creatures Inc. has not issued any statements regarding the controversy. The focus has remained squarely on promoting the new expansion, with no response to IGN's request for comment. Alongside the release, a "Trade Feature Celebration Gift" was distributed, providing players with 500 Trade Tokens and 120 Trade Hourglasses, sufficient for trading a single ex Pokémon, but the developer has otherwise remained silent on fan feedback.