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February has just started and Pokémon fans all over the world are looking forward to another great event in their yearly routine: International Pokémon Day! Although it is not an official holiday (it should be!), the Pokémon Day celebrations were started in 2002 by the Pokémon Company to commemorate the release of the original Pokémon Red and Green games for the Game Boy, and since then they have been held yearly on the 27th of February.
The celebrations usually involve tournaments, parties, dress-up competitions and a lot of official initiatives, releases and announcements regarding the franchise. For example, the first official National Pokémon Day in 2022 featured the release of several Gold and Silver video games, while Pokémon Go was released on that occasion in 2016 to mark Pokémon's 20th anniversary. As part of the celebration for the 25th anniversary in 2021, Pokémon International day featured a massive virtual concert and a wide range of other initiatives. With over 25 years of history, more than a thousand species of Pokémon, and millions of fans all over the globe, there is surely a lot to celebrate every year!
In order to best celebrate the upcoming Pokémon day, I thought of putting together a short list of the cards that I liked the most in 2023. As a big fan of Pokémon the Trading Card game, I love how enjoyable is to play this game with friends and like-minded players. However, what keeps me opening one booster after the other is the Pokémon depicted on the cards. I love how artistic their design can be, the great narrative some cards bring out and, of course, the nostalgia and the emotional connection they have with the fans. That's why the list below is purely based on the cards aesthetics and not on how they play in the game. Obviously, the cards I picked are only based on my personal preference but I hope everyone will find some of their favourite ones in the list below.
#5 Hatterene VMAX (GG47 , Crown Zenith)
The list kick-offs with an amazing dual type Psychic/Fairy Pokémon introduced in Generation VIII: Hatterene Vmax. A full art version of this beautiful Pokémon was included in Crown Zenith and I think it really made justice to such an interesting Pokémon. For those who may not know it, Hatterene is a small humanoid Pokémon with a thin body concealed inside its hair. It's hair is so long that it forms both a sort of a cloak and a large pointy hat just above its head, giving Hatterene a silhouette that clearly resemble a witch.
The art used on this card is great, not only because it is whimsical enough to evoke the fairy nature of this Pokémon, but also because it reminds of the solitary and reclusive nature of Hatterene. In the anime, Hatterene is shown to cause headaches to keep people away from the forest she lives in, and that is also shown on the background of the card. Overall the art on this card reminds a lot of her first appearance in the anime and captures the nature of this beautiful Pokémon. Last but not least, it is also very fitting that this version of Hatterene has the ability “Witch's Domain”, which allows you to move damage counters from your Pokémon to your opponent's active one, and then attack “G-Max smite” that causes confusion on top of a very good 150 damage.
#4 Plusle and Minum (Paradox Rift)
The last expansion of 2023, Paradox Rift, was full of amazing cards and picking just one among them proved to be quite tough. After a lot of thinking, my personal choice goes to Plusle and Minum, the cutest Electric companions a Pokémon trainer can ever wish for. Plusle and Minun debuted in the episode “A Different Kind of Misty!” from the Pokémon Series “Ruby and Sapphire”. Thatcher, the main character of the episode, was actually training them as cheerleaders - exploiting their ability to create sparkly pom-poms by shorting out the electrical current in their palms. In the story, the twin Pokémon's ability to use these pom-pom to cheer on their teammates was key to allow Pikachu to save the day - but I don't want to spoil the full plot too much in case you want to go back and see the episode again.
As you may have spotted, the art of Plusle and Minum from the Paradox Rift set is very well linked to the origin story of these Pokémon's which is always great to see. It's also quite fun how the scene from one card continues on to the other, creating a nice little story. Of course, this approach is not new to Pokémon cards, and I think it was a great choice to make these twin Pokémon's stand out in the set.
This interconnection is also reflected in the ability of these cards to support each other. Minum, in fact, has a support role as it can deal 2 damage to any opponent Pokémon every time an energy card is attached to it (as long as Plusle is in play). Plusle can then go on the offensive with an attack that deals 10 damage for every damage counter on the target Pokémon. Although it may not be as deadly as other card in the set, these two Pokémon's can take an interesting support role in any deck, and they can be quite annoying for all those strategies that rely on constantly searching for energy cards to boost the Pokémon's.
#3 Magikarp (Paldea Evolved)
No Pokemon sets or list can be completed without at least one Magikarp an the Illustration Rare card released in the Paldea Evolved set, deserves definitely the third spot on my list. This fantastic card is full of details and stands out a lot due to the very dark background chosen for it. In fact, the Magikarp in the centre is the only light element of the card, together with the multi-level waterfall just behind it. The background scene is mainly black but filled with tons of landscape details and beautiful flowers, all shaded with shiny rainbow colours to give the card a great whimsical finish. On top of the card, you can also spot a Gyarados, Magikarp evolution, with its characteristic enraged face. Amazing! And it does not surprise that this card has been one of the most expensive of the set since its release considering also that it has been designed by Shinji Kanda that is also responsible for a few among the most expensive recent Pokemon cards.
In terms of gameplay, unfortunately there is not much to say as Magikarp is always Magikarp. This version at least can deal up to 30 damages if you get two heads in a row by flipping a coin. Of course, we all relax much more when Magikarp evolves in Gyarados....
#2 Charmander (Obsidian Flames ETB promo)
It may not come as a surprise that the special illustration rare Charmander from Obsidian Flame Elite trainer Box is in my list. I clearly remember I was not the only one that pre-ordered the box right after we saw the preview of this card, and I am quite happy to report that I managed to pull it from the very first ETB I purchased.
There is so much to love in this card and we can surely start from the star of the show: Charmander angrily peeking outside from the window to Pidgey. Like any bird in the world, this last one comfortably sits on the stool of the window enjoying the nice weather and ignoring the fire Pokémon that stares at him menacingly. Charmander always reminded me more of a cat than a fire breathing Pokémon in this artwork and I think the subtle humour of this picture is part of why we all fell for it.
Aside from the great artwork and the nice choice of colours, Charmander is also a good card to use in any fire-based deck. Its health and attack may not seem too much while in its basic form, but once evolved it stops looking so cute and funny and it becomes the tremendous Fire-breathing Pokémon we all love.
#1 Charmander - Charmeleon and Charizard Ex (Scarlet and Violet 151)
Okay, you may think that I somehow love Charmander evolution line (and you may not be wrong) but it is hard to not put the special Illustration rare Charizard Ex card from Scarlet and Violet 151 on top of my personal list of 2023 best cards. Charizard is not only one the most loved Pokémon in the TCG, but also the final evolution of one of the very first starters Pokémon, making him one of the Pokémon with the highest number of variants in this game. The illustration of this card in particular is quite beautiful as Charizard, for once, is not the centre of the artwork as it is shown flying over a rocky desert at sunset. However, I think the cartoonish design and the pastel tones used strongly emphasize the Pokémon over the environment, making it stand out a lot even if it is quite small compared to the rest of the picture.
The best feature of this card is that it goes along with the other two cards of its evolution line. First, we have a Charmander sitting on a rock at the bottom of a canyon and staring at the sky. Its evolution, Charmeleon, stands higher up in the same canyon just next to a volcano you can see at the bottom of Charizard Ex's card. These related cards can be put together to create an amazing story and an impressive card display. Of course, if you were so lucky you managed to pull out all three of them.
The Cards for You:
If this throwback to Pokémon's 2023 highlights has peaked your trading card interest, check out our full page of Pokémon products here!