Pokemon TCG pocket finally fixes decades old misprint

❘ Published: 2024-09-26T11:56:55

A close up shows a Slowpoke card from the 1999 Pokemon Fossil TCG set

The Pokemon Company

Whilst many fans wait eagerly for the worldwide release of Pokemon TCG Pocket, the mobile game is already rolling out in select regions such as New Zealand. This means players in that region, and some canny mobile players that have changed their region, finally have access to the new title.

Previews for the game gave a good idea of some of the cards on the horizon, but now Pandora’s box has been opened, and the internet is being flooded with all the cards and special illustrations players can find within Pocket when they finally get to play.

Many of the cards are already causing a stir online, but one, in particular, is getting traction, as it not only revisits a classic card from all the way back in 1999 but even corrects an error that was present on the original artwork.

As reported by Pokebeach, Pokemon TCG Pocket brings back the original Slowpoke card from 1999. This was the Water-type Pokemon’s first appearance in the TCG, straight out of the first Pokemon Fossil set.

A side by side shows two different Pokemon cards featuring Slowpoke, the left from 1999, and the expanded version on the right from Pokemon TCG Pocket. While the left shows a Slowpoke on its own, the expanded version on the right shows several other Slowpoke playing in the area around the original Slowpoke.

The artwork in both cases comes from longtime Pokemon TCG collaborator Miki Tanaka, but eagle-eyed fans who have the original card may see that this was misspelled. Slowpoke’s classic card reads Miki Takano, instead of the artist’s actual name. Thankfully, Pocket corrects this decades-old mistake.

Plus, while the original card showed just a lone Slowpoke in an empty field, this new card features an expansion of that artwork on an extended illustration card, which reveals there were actually plenty of other Slowpokes happily lounging nearby.

Fans have been going wild for the reveal, with comments underneath Pokebeach’s original post calling this latest upgrade “incredible” and another added, “That’s great to see!”

Many are also hoping that the new version doesn’t stay digital forever, with comments saying, “The more I see and the more I’m sad that all these just remain digital.”

While Trainers everywhere wait for the official Pokemon TCG Pocket launch, why not check out some of our content on the physical cards, like the best Pokemon card packs to open in 2024, where to watch the Pokemon TCG Showdown mini-series, and our Stellar Crown review.