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The Cards Of Pokémon TCG: Team Up Part 13: Gengar & Mimikyu

Our spotlight on the history of Pokémon TCG shows how Mitsuhiro Arita was the mastermind behind the TAG TEAM GX cards in Team Up.


Four years ago, Pokémon TCG released the ninth main series set of the Sun & Moon era. The expansion, Sun & Moon – Team Up, came out on September 9th, 2022. Sun & Moon – Team Up added quite a lot to the hobby, including a special card type that would later become the most sought-after style of chase card in the Sword & Shield era. I'm talking, of course, about Alternate Arts. Sun & Moon – Team Up also introduced TAG TEAM Pokémon-GX, which featured two Pokémon on a single card. These species shared at least one of their typings. TAG TEAM Pokémon-GX were available as standard TEAM TEAM GX cards, Full Arts, Alternate Arts, and Rainbow Rares. Sun & Moon – Team Up was also the last set to include Prism Stars. This English-language expansion was based on the Japanese set Tag Bolt and took inspiration from the Kanto-themed games Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! Let's look back on this influential set and appreciate the artwork that would lay the groundwork for the current Alternate Art-themed era of Sword & Shield and beyond. Today, we continue with another TEAM TEAM GX from Sun & Moon – Team Up.

Team Up cards. Credit: Pokémon TCG
Team Up cards. Credit: Pokémon TCG

Like all of the standard TAG TEAM GX cards in Sun & Moon – Team Up, hobby legend Mitsuhiro Arita illustrates this Gengar & Mimikyu card. Arita is best known for drawing Base Set Charizard, arguably the most famous and iconic trading card artwork of all time across all brands, but has been contributing to the Pokémon TCG steadily for years. He brings a sense of illustrative realism and dynamic movement to his illustrations, which you can see here in Gengar's pose and grin. I love how Mimikyu is just chilling in the back, knowing that if it shows its true face, it's a wrap! This is a set where even the basic TAG TEAM GX cards are at least as beautiful, if not much more so, than the Alt Arts.

Stay tuned for the journey through this teamwork-themed set as we continue to spotlight the cards and artwork of Pokémon TCG: Sun & Moon – Team Up. Next time, the spotlight continues with the main section of this set.


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Theo DwyerAbout Theo Dwyer

Theo Dwyer writes about comics, film, and games.
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