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The Cards Of Pokémon TCG: Team Up Part 32: Gengar & Mimikyu Alt Art

Our spotlight on Pokémon TCG's first-ever Alternate Art-themed set, Sun & Moon - Team Up, continues with Gengar & Mimikyu GX.


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 Alternate Art of Sun & Moon – Team Up.

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

The Alternate Art Mimikyu & Gengar TAG TEAM GX is illustrated by Midori Harada, and it's cool and creepy but a touch too simple for me. What I love about what Alt Arts became, which we will see a lot of seeds for even in this first Alt Art set, is ways to show off not just Pokémon but their interaction with the world around them and other species as well. Here, Gengar and Mimikyu are simply posed and when the standard version of the card features art by Mitsuhiro Arita, it is hard to compete. This still happens. Arita's Lugia V actually just outshone the Lugia V Alt Art from Sword & Shield – Silver Tempest.

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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