Posted in: Card Games, Games, Pokémon TCG, Tabletop | Tagged: pokemon, pokemon cards, pokemon go, Pokemon TCG, slowpoke
TCG Spotlight: Some Of The Best Slowpoke Pokémon Cards
In honor of the current A Very Slow Discovery event in Pokémon GO, let's take a look back at some of the most iconic Slowpoke cards from the Pokémon TCG. We'd love to hear from you, so chime in with your top Slowpoke picks in the comments below.
Slowpoke's first card is special. This Fossil card is an extreme outlier of the time, as most Pokémon who received their first card during the Wizards of the Coast era had that first appearance illustrated by the main Pokémon designer, Ken Sugimori. Sugimori's artwork showcases a very clean and iconic style, which presents the species posed over a simple background. Slowpoke's first card, on the other hand, is by Miki Takana, whose unique style would stand out from any set but especially stood out back then.
Then, the very next set saw Sumiyoshi Kizuki draw another Slowpoke card that has stood the test of time. With an almost cardboard cutout style, this soft, pastel Slowpoke is a perfect depiction of a peaceful Pokémon in an otherwise dark set. Even Slowpoke's evolution, Slowbro, had an imposing card with the set's "Dark Slowbro." Team Rocket focused on Pokémon owned and used by the villainous group of Poké-poachers, so cards like this that were cute and fun were breaths of fresh air.
Finally, the legendary Miki Takana returns years later for this late-Sun & Moon era set. Tag Team cards ran through four sets, including Team Up, Unbroken Bonds, Unified Minds, and Cosmic Eclipse (with a small appearance in the special set Hidden Fates) which made up what most consider the most exciting porting of the whole era. This card in particular is fun, as it tells a story playing on Slowbro's Dex entry suggesting that the shell on its leg is some kind of mutated Shellder… as well as Psyduck's heartwarming buffoonery.