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 "Always got to be one card per set that shows Pokémon in the process of straight up killing each other" to pleas like "Leave the lil guy alone," highlighting the fans' strong reactions to the predatory scene.
NO ! SWINUB LOOK UP !! LOOK UP !!
byu/RegularTemporary2707 inPTCGP
The discussion on Reddit also touched on the broader implications of Pokémon's ecology, with one user noting, "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."
In an attempt to find a silver lining, some fans have pointed to the full art card of Mamoswine, Swinub's final evolution, which shows the mammoth Pokémon looking upward while seemingly protecting a group of Swinub. This has led to hopeful comments such as "Hey, Mamoswine protected his baby. Don't worry. He most definitely saw those Weaviles" and "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 like Weavile, Mamoswine, Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, and more. 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 yet commented on 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 issue.
In a related development, a "Trade Feature Celebration Gift" was distributed to players, including 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.
