Pokémon TCG: Destined Rivals - Top 10 Most Beautiful Cards

Greetings, everyone! Now that Scarlet & Violet: Destined Rivals is out, we decided to gather the ten most beautiful cards in this set and add them to this article!

More than simple strategies, these cards are gorgeous, and we only added the ones that really stand out among the others. Let's see them!

10 - Team Rocket's Houndoom (Regular Art - 38/182)

Anesaki Dynamic, the artist who created this card, can make their artworks rather serious and slightly dark. The most iconic illustration in their portfolio is the promo/secret art Garchomp & Giratina-GX PR-SM SM193 from Sun & Moon: Unified Minds.

Furthermore, Anesaki Dynamic also created the western Sword & Shield: Brilliant Stars booster artworks.

This Houndoom is depicted in some classic Team Rocket industrial-style building, considering how dark it is and the neon lights. Furthermore, the Pokémon itself is quite intimidating, as it naturally has an "evil" aura and is commonly associated with villains. All of this makes this artwork quite eerie.

9 - Blaziken (Regular Art - 42/182)

Kazumasa Yasukuni, who illustrated this card, is known for their style and visual identity, including their dynamic poses and vivid colors. Their style is really reminiscent of comic books.

They use "neon effects" and a unique shading style that really resembles "Pop Art" comic books. Their most popular and emblematic work is Zeraora SCR 151 from Scarlet & Violet: Stellar Crown.

Kazumasa Yasukini has also created artworks for other geek franchises, like the Transformers comic books, Mobile Suit Gundam, and Digimon TCG.

This Blaziken, however, stands out for its fire kick, one of its classic signature moves. The embers are quite vivid, and the strike is shown through a unique perspective.

8 - Team Rocket's Zapdos (Regular Art - 70/182)

One of Nurikabe's main strengths is using color to outline the texture of the Pokémon, regardless if they have froglike skin or feathers. This artist, who also made the card above, can also depict different angles and POVs, that is, "perspectives", really well.

A classic example that shows how Nurikabe mastered their craft is Aerodactyl V LOR 180. In this card, Zapdos is perfectly proportionate as a bird and stretches forward as it flies. The incredible colors in the background stand out, a technique the art world calls "backlighting".

7 - Team Rocket's Articuno (Regular Art - 51/182)

This impressive artwork was created by Mitsuhiro Arita, who needs no introduction, considering their history with the Pokémon Company and all of their legacy.

The most curious detail about this card is that the cloudy background behind Articuno is really similar to the old promo legendary Kanto birds in the Wizards of the Coast era. The artist might have referenced these cards, created by Naoyo Kimura (also known as Toshinao Aoki), on purpose.

6 - Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex (Secret Illustration Rare - 231/182)

This card was created by Iwamoto05. It was their 3rd work for the Pokémon Company, and a big one, at that. After all, they were given the responsibility of drawing one of the most nostalgic legendary Pokémon in the entire franchise.

In itself, the artwork is quite simple and straightforward, as it shows Mewtwo slightly "levitating", using its psychic powers. The illustration is mostly purple, which makes the Pokémon stand out, while Giovanni appears as a neutral figure in black, but is still important for the entire scene. They both share the spotlight as the central figures in the card. This seems to be an application of the "rule of thirds", a technique used extensively in photography to shine light on a specific element in a balanced way, or call attention to it.

5 - Ethan's Typhlosion (Illustration Rare - 190/182)

This card was created by GIDORA, another multifaceted illustrator that works with different art styles, from the most "cartoonish" (like Typhlosion) to the most realistic. For instance, their most recent and popular illustration, Pikachu ex SSP 238, a secret art from Surging Sparks, is very realistic.

For this Typhlosion, however, GIDORA decided to use a "cartoonish" style and

go with the way the games and anime series usually depict their characters.

4 - Blaziken (Illustration Rare - 192/182)

This Blaziken was illustrated by kodama, who has created a total of 92 cards.

The masterful way they depicted the texture of Blaziken's fur definitely stands out in this balanced illustration. The flames surrounding its leg were drawn with a specific brush to capture the sparks and its movement. It's a superb artwork.

The clouds in the background are also incredible. They used a digital brush to mimic an "outline", so they didn't have to use harsh brushstrokes to do it, and, as a result, managed to create this unique texture.

3 - Zamazenta (Illustration Rare - 201/182)

Takumi Wada has been one of the most famous names that has ever worked for the Pokémon Company since the Sword & Shield era, after they took part in a Grand Prix art competition.

After that, they even started to work for other franchises, such as The Legend of Zelda. In particular, they created illustrations for Skyward Sword and Breath of the Wild.

This sort of "medieval" quality surrounding Zamazenta is similar to another card this artist created: Aegislash sv4 210.

Curiously, just like Zamazenta, its partner, Zacian, was featured at the Online Illustration Exhibition, which took place between August 10th and August 22nd, 2022.

2 - Team Rocket's Moltres ex (Secret Illustration Rare - 229/182)

This card was illustrated by the renowned Akira Egawa, who also needs no introduction. Whenever we discuss Pokémon artworks here at Cards Realm, we have to mention her.

Her ability to make Pokémon "nearly realistic" but keep their overall concept and essence in a fantastic world is outstanding. She can make Pokémon and other characters quite serious, and that's how she depicted this Moltres, who is visibly quite majestic.

1 - Cynthia's Garchomp ex (Secret Illustration Rare - 232/182)

Finally, we have Cynthia's signature Pokémon, the terrible Garchomp. If you've played Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum, then you know how powerful this champion and her Pokémon are.

This is HICO KIM's first work for the Pokémon company, but they managed to depict Cynthia's depth and image quite nicely. In this card, she is a champion with a proactive team who always has an attack to answer an enemy Pokémon that has an advantage over hers because of their move set or type.

She is shown in a live stadium, on big screens and under the spotlight, with her main signature Pokémon.

Do you agree with our picks? Tell us your thoughts in our comment section below.

Thank you for reading, and see you next time!