The Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket's latest expansion, Space Time Smackdown, released on January 30, has stirred significant controversy among fans due to the artwork on one particular card. The card in question is the Weavile ex 2 Star full art card, which depicts a group of Weavile lurking in the treetops, poised to attack an unsuspecting Swinub. This graphic scene has left many players shocked and heartbroken.
A Reddit post showcasing the artwork has garnered nearly 10,000 upvotes, with the caption "No Swinub, look up! Look up!" reflecting the community's dismay. Comments on the post range from expressions of sympathy for the "lil guy" to observations about the brutal nature of Pokémon interactions within the game's universe. "Always got to be one card per set that shows Pokémon in the process of straight up killing each other," one user noted, highlighting the recurring theme of violence in the card game's artwork.
NO ! SWINUB LOOK UP !! LOOK UP !!
byu/RegularTemporary2707 inPTCGP
The ecological dynamics of the Pokémon world were also a topic of discussion, with one fan commenting, "The ecology of Pokémon is always so crazy to imagine. Like these are still animals, some smarter than others. Just they have the ability to fire laser beams." This reflects the complex and often violent interactions between different Pokémon species.
In an attempt to find a silver lining, some fans have pointed to the full art card of Mamoswine, Swinub's final evolution, as a potential happy ending. The card shows Mamoswine looking upward, seemingly protecting a group of Swinub, leading fans to speculate that the mammoth Pokémon might have spotted the Weavile threat in time. "Hey, Mamoswine protected his baby. Don't worry. He most definitely saw those Weaviles," one hopeful fan remarked, while another added, "The Mamoswine alt card already looks above. He saw them. He saw..."
Gone, but not forgotten.
byu/AshesMemeFolder inPTCGP
Space Time Smackdown is themed around Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, featuring iconic Pokémon such as Weavile, Mamoswine, Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina. The set contains 207 cards, making it smaller than the previous Genetic Apex set, which had 286 cards. However, Space Time Smackdown boasts a higher percentage of rare cards, with 52 alternate art, Star, and Crown rarity cards compared to Genetic Apex's 60.
Despite the uproar over the Weavile ex card, Creatures Inc. has not issued any official statement regarding the controversy. The company's social media and the game itself have primarily focused on promoting Space Time Smackdown. Additionally, Creatures Inc. did not respond to IGN's request for comment on the matter.
In a move to celebrate the new trade feature, players received a "Trade Feature Celebration Gift" containing 500 Trade Tokens and 120 Trade Hourglasses, sufficient for trading a single ex Pokémon. However, the developer has remained silent on the fan complaints surrounding the controversial card artwork.
