Paradox Drive: Best and Worst artwork from the new Pokémon Pocket Set

In today's article, we have separated the artwork based on our own opinions, though we recognize this is a game and all artists put in immense effort.

The purpose here is purely for curiosity and speculation regarding the art styles. Let's dive in!

Masquerain Common

I consider Masquerain one of the most beautiful "butterfly" Pokémon (those that start as a small bug, cocoon, or larva and later evolve into something gorgeous) in the game, and it also carries an enigmatic quality.

Its droplet-shaped body, combined with wings that look like eyes when closed and translucent lower wings resembling crystals, lends a mysterious and serious aura to this Pokémon.

Furthermore, the background features several crystals with colors that match Masquerain perfectly, creating a wonderful cohesion and a magical atmosphere.

Altaria Uncommon

This artwork features highly vibrant colors in the background. The cloud and water effects look stunning, and the cloudlike wings of Altaria appear incredibly fluffy due to the subtle shading. Every element in this piece harmonizes beautifully.

Additionally, the thicker outline around Altaria contributes significantly to the overall balance, making it clear that she is the central focus without becoming overly distracting.

Raging Bolt Rare

This Raging Bolt art uses an angle that emphasizes the raw power of the Pokémon. Generally speaking, Raging Bolt is one of my least favorite designs among the Ancient Pokémon because it is essentially a long-necked giraffe with a tiger head. Depending on the artistic angle, it can fail to look intimidating.

However, this specific top-down view highlights the strength of the Pokémon and avoids looking awkward while keeping a strong focus on its face.

Snom Art Rare

It is incredibly adorable to see multiple Snom enjoying themselves in the snow, creating various spike-like ice formations just as their description states!

I always wondered how this Pokémon moved around, and now we can get a glimpse into its daily life: living in groups, sliding through the snow, and crafting little ice structures.

Iron Bundle ex Super Rare and Double Rare

Personally, I am not a big fan of the visual style of most Future Pokémon. However, Iron Bundle is actually quite cute. The metallic ball that shoots lightning makes perfect sense for the transition from a regular Pokémon carrying a gift sack to a futuristic version carrying an offensive sphere.

The artwork turned out great and matches the design of the Pokémon well. Seeing it rest its little wing on top of the ball is adorable, making it look as though it is carefully guarding its gear.

The same applies to the Iron Bundle ex Double Rare, which now includes dynamic ice particles as part of the artwork.

Terapagos ex Super Rare

Terapagos is one of the most enigmatic Pokémon in the new Pokémon Horizons anime series. It serves as the mystery connecting the protagonist, Lico, to the ancient explorer Lucius and the legendary Pokémon paradise known as Laqua.

Initially, it appears as a small, turtle-like Pokémon with a blue shell and a central yellow gem.

The transformation into its Terastal form occurs when the Pokémon faces extreme pressure or when the energy in its environment fluctuates, revealing its true hidden power and brilliant crystalline appearance.

When exposed to a Terastal Orb, Terapagos Terastallizes and becomes Stellar-type, shifting into its Stellar Form. However, in Pokémon Horizons: The Series, it proved capable of transforming without needing a Terastal Orb. This form is said to resemble the world as the ancients saw it, presumably due to the dome beneath it.

We can clearly see that the Terapagos in this specific art is in its Terastal version. While the standard version of the card lacks dynamic movement, this Super Rare variant makes the Pokémon look far more colorful and lively.

One especially cool detail is the tail of Terapagos, which rarely gets highlighted in artwork but looks beautiful here.

Juliana Art Rare

Juliana is an adorable student wearing the academy uniform from Scarlet & Violet. The checkered pattern in the background matches the artwork beautifully and reflects the calm personality of the character, bringing to mind picnics (an activity players can share with their Pokémon in Scarlet & Violet).

On top of that, she is one of the best Trainer cards in the set. She fits perfectly into decks centered around a single Stage 2 Pokémon, speeding up your search. In other words, running two copies of your main Pokémon alongside two copies of Juliana effectively functions like having four copies of that Pokémon in your deck, making it much easier to find.

Iron Bundle ex Special Art Rare

Iron Bundle is an ice-dwelling Pokémon, and seeing it ski is fantastic! This more animated piece with vibrant colors perfectly captures its high-tech theme and lively personality.

Miraidon ex Special Art Rare

For me, Miraidon represents a massive design success among the Future Pokémon, as most of them look like soulless robots to me. Even though it acts as a motorcycle Pokémon in the Scarlet & Violet video games, it remains a Legendary, and we often forget its sheer majesty.

This artwork illustrates its power beautifully. The choice of perspective and elements is masterfully handled, the lightning bolts in the background convey a sense of pure energy, and the serious pose of the Pokémon suggests swift motion. Everything works together harmoniously, making the card visually striking and fitting for everything this Legendary represents.

Terapagos ex Immersive Rare

And the immersive version of the card can be seen here:

This is the only Immersive Rare card in the entire set.

I understand the core concept behind it: showing the various forms of Terapagos within a 3D crystallized environment filled with dynamic lighting, using a rotating camera to capture everything.

However, as the solitary Immersive Rare of the expansion, it feels lazy. The camera rotation feels stagnant and the Pokémon shows zero movement. Furthermore, the still frame makes the Pokémon appear entirely blue, stripping away the vibrant life and beauty found in its Terastal or Stellar forms, which I detailed earlier.

At the end of the animation, they attempt to show the Stellar form merging with the Terastal form, but it looks awkward and rigid.

Granted, this is the first true 3D immersive card, whereas previous sets relied on 2D art with slight animations to recreate scenes. Even so, this one clearly lacks polish. It is a real shame.

Mega Altaria ex Shiny Super Rare

I am sorry, but the skin tone chosen for Altaria here looks awful. It should be a bright yellow, but the 3D shading effects turned it into a dull, lifeless golden tone that looks incredibly weird.

The 3D shadow on the cloud section of her wings also looks strange and heavy, resembling a gloomy, foggy sky. The final composition is simply unappealing to my eyes.

Koraidon ex and Miraidon ex Double Rare

These two should have been the flagship stars of the set. Instead, their artwork is identical to the physical TCG counterparts. It feels like they lacked care and originality.

Those are our picks for the best and worst artwork in the expansion. I hope you enjoyed the read! Let us know in the comments section below which cards are your personal favorites and least favorites in this set.

See ya!