Pokemon TCG Stellar Crown’s “ugliest” card could be its most lethal

Even though the next Pokemon TCG expansion set isn’t out yet – with Shrouded Fable being next on the calendar – Stellar Crown Pokemon cards are being revealed to the community steadily.

Stellar Miracle, the Japanese counterpart to Stellar Crown, went down incredibly well with Pokemon card collectors for the most part, and Stellar Crown is looking likely to hit the mark with fans, too. The Stellar Tera-type is exciting and fresh, and there are some intriguing cards to keep an eye out for.

That being said, not every Stellar Crown card reveal has been celebrated by the community. Orthworm ex (110/143) was unveiled in an official Pokemon TCG Instagram post – and it was immediately jumped on by baffled collectors.

Scarlet and Violet’s Orthworm is a divisive Pokemon, with some fans finding its vacant expression adorable and others finding it creepy. This was evident in the comments on this post, with one person saying, “Delete this Pokemon please,” and another dubbing it, “Lovely worm.”

A Pokemon TCG collector joked that it was the “Ugliest card award winner,” while others were fascinated by the somewhat shocking revelation that Orthworm has arms.

Others were intrigued by the competitive potential of the new Orthworm card. One player shared, “I’m going to make the most annoying deck with this. Have fun playing against me.”

From a first glance, Orthworm ex does hold potential from a tournament perspective. Rock Tomb is an expensive Attack in terms of Energy, but it deals 150 damage and ensures that the Defending Pokemon cannot retreat during its next turn.

Pummeling Payback is promising, if a little situational. When Orthworm ex is damaged by an opponent – even if it’s Knocked Out – 2 Damage Counters can be placed on the Defending Pokemon for every Metal Energy attached to Orthworm.

As some players in the Instagram comments pointed out, pairing Orthworm ex with Metang could be a lethal combination. While it’s not the tankiest Pokemon card out there, 220 HP makes it sturdy and worth considering when deck-building.

Whether you’re excited about Stellar Crown or anxiously awaiting Shrouded Fable instead, it’s a good time to be a Pokemon TCG collector. Make sure to check out our guide to all the upcoming Pokemon TCG releases so you know what to expect in the coming weeks.