Pokemon TCG: The Best Full Art Cards, Ranked By Artwork (2024)

Throughout the Pokemon TCG’s history, there have been many talented illustrators that have used their skills to depict the Pokemon series’ hundreds of Pokemon. Full art cards, a type of card where the artwork takes up the whole card, allow these illustrators to make the most of their creative abilities, giving them more space to work with.

The use of color, the composition of the Pokemon, and the background of the illustration all help to make a card stand out from the rest, culminating in a new interpretation of the Pokemon. While these full art cards might run on the expensive side if you want a specific one, the distinctive artwork makes them worth seeking out.

Updated on May 12, 2024 by Casey Foot: Whenever a new Pokemon TCG card set releases, we get more and more full art cards to admire. Temporal Forces and Paldean Fates brought some gorgeous full art cards, so we have added some more to this list.

Pawmi - Paldean Fates #226

Snoozing Cuties

Generation 9’s Pikachu clone, Pawmi is an Electric mouse (as you would have guessed) with a quiff-like tuft of fur on its head, round yellow cheeks, and adorable shiny eyes, as featured on this card. There’s also a literally shiny Pawmi, just waking up from a nap among its Pawmi family.

The shiny Pawmi’s pink fur complements the flowers in the foreground, bringing the piece together. The sunlight dappling through the trees and sparkling against the foliage creates a relaxing scene - oh to be a Pawmi sleeping in the forest.

Grotle - Temporal Forces #164

Off On An Adventure

Illustrated by Oswaldo Kato, this card depicts Grotle walking through long grass with a Marill on its back and a Starly and another Marill trailing behind them. As the card says that Grotle leaves the forest to sunbathe, it’s likely that the group of Pokemon are looking for a place in the sun.

It’s always charming when Pokemon illustrators showcase friendships between Pokemon in their work, and this card is the perfect example of this. You can just imagine a special episode of the anime following this group of unlikely Pokemon pals.

Drampa - Temporal Forces #184

A Friendly Dragon

This is Mékayu’s first full art card for the Pokemon TCG, and it has certainly left an impression thanks to its whimsical representation of Drampa. According to multiple Pokedex entries, Drampa makes friends with local children, which can be seen on this card, as two children ride on its back as it soars across the town.

The card highlights how magical the world of Pokemon can be, as the fairytale-like Drampa contrasts with the regular townhouses below. It’s almost as if the card was taken right out of a children’s book.

Mantyke - Paradox Rift #189

Deep Sea Research

See Also

The cutest ice-type PokémonEvery Pokémon Type, Ranked Weakest To StrongestThe cutest Electric Pokémon, rankedThe Best Fire Pokemon, Ranked

Compared to veteran artists in the Pokemon TCG, Rika is a relatively new Pokemon card illustrator; however, their talent and skill is already on par with others showcased in the TCG. Rika's attention to detail, which is seen in this Mantyke card, immediately immerses you into the scene.

The card shows a marine biologist in a submarine, with a grinning Mantyke swimming by the window, all bathed in a blue hue from the reflection of the water. A neat detail is the research on the marine biologist's screen, where you can see an image of a Mantyke, so it must be the subject of his research.

Cyclizar - Paradox Rift #215

Time To Go For A Ride

Paldea's Cyclizar is known for its resemblance to bikes and its ability to allow people to ride it, which is showcased in Mina Nakai's Cyclizar card. The card depicts four Cyclizar in parking spaces, equipped with items that make them look like Vespas. One Cyclizar is having a well-earned nap after traveling with luggage on its back, while the others chat.

Nakai's card expands on Cyclizar's main characteristic and gives it a slice-of-life spin — you can just imagine how Cyclizar is used in everyday life in Paldea.

Iron Jugulis - Paradox Rift #216

The Future Is Neon

In this card, Gidora makes use of a neon future aesthetic set in a city's nightlife, with Iron Jugulis flying through the starry night sky. Iron Jugulis' bright pink accents and metallic appearance make it fit in perfectly with this atmosphere. Gidora's use of color is particularly impressive, as if light is really emitting from the card.

Not many Pokemon cards opt for this vaporwave-like approach, so it easily stands out in the thousands of cards that have been printed, and Iron Jugulis is the ideal Pokemon to represent this style.

Maushold - Paldea Evolved #226

Adorable Households

Known as the Family Pokemon, Maushold is a collection of mouse Pokemon that can either appear as a family of three or four. Maushold’s family-oriented nature is endearing and Mizue has chosen to highlight this in their full art card, which depicts multiple Maushold cozy in their nest, eating delicious berries and mushrooms.

In the bottom right of the card, a Maushold family sleeps soundly, using leaves to keep themselves warm. Mizue’s colorful illustration captures the warmth of the environment, not only through the Maushold themselves, but also through the idyllic forest setting that’s abundant with greenery.

Eiscue - Paldea Evolved #205

Ice Cold

In Eiscue’s Pokedex entry in Pokemon Sword, it says that it prefers to be “nice and cold,” likely to maintain its ice-covered face. Though Scarlet says Eiscue can cool each other down by “press[ing] their ice cube heads together,” Nelnal’s full art card depicts another humorous solution.

In the card, an Eiscue uses a footstool to climb into the fridge, sticking its face inside of it while another Eisue watches on, waiting for its turn. Nelnal brilliantly uses Eiscue’s main characteristic to show us the Pokemon’s personality when it’s at home with its trainer, which the incredibly detailed environment helps to show, giving realism to the scene depicted.

Palafin - Obsidian Flames #200

Zero To Hero

The Dolphin Pokemon Palafin has two forms - in its Zero Form, it resembles a regular dolphin, but in its Hero Form it stands on its tailfins and is more heroic and muscular, like a superhero. Akira Komayama depicts its Hero Form in the center of this card with its fins crossed, while Finizen leap out of the waves surrounding it.

The way that Komayama has positioned Palafin is similar to a water fountain, with the Pokemon being the central statue. Although there are a lot of colors and patterns used in the card, the illustration isn’t too busy, with its vibrancy instead adding to the theatrical nature of the card.

Dondozo - Scarlet & Violet #207

King Of The Sea

In the Dondozo full art card, Akira Egawa showcases the titanic size and majesty of this catfish Pokemon. This card shows Dondozo leaping out of the ocean, causing a gigantic wave of water to swirl around it.

Dondozo’s Tatsugiri followers surround it, with one in the bottom left-hand corner looking at Dondozo with awe. Egawa’s use of color is masterful, as Dondozo is encompassed by hues of blue, pink, yellow, and green, reflecting the light of the sunset. This full art card perfectly depicts how colossal Dondozo is, which is difficult to grasp in the Pokemon Scarlet & Violet games.

New Wave Legendary

Akira Komayama did an excellent job of depicting Pokemon Violet’s legendary Pokemon, Miraidon, by highlighting its futuristic nature through well-chosen colors and effective framing. In this full art card, Miraidon is shown outside of an apartment window with an enormous pink moon behind it bathing it in a white glow.

Komayama’s illustration is reminiscent of new wave aesthetics, which use a similar color palette, and this works perfectly with Miraidon’s robotic appearance. The cityscape backdrop only elevates this modern and vibrant atmosphere, showcasing Miraidon’s Paradox origins.

Fidough - Scarlet & Violet #213

Adoughrable

The Puppy Pokemon Fidough has an adorably doughy appearance, which is something that Tika Matsuno decided to highlight in this endearing illustration. In this card, Fidough stands on its hind legs to peer into a bakery window, looking at the delicious pastries inside.

Matsuno’s full art card shows Fidough’s curious expression in the reflection of the bakery window, making it one of the cutest cards of the Scarlet & Violet set. Perhaps Fidough is thinking about which pastry it wants to eat or why they look so familiar…

Wiglett - Scarlet & Violet #206

Under The Sea

In their full art card of Wiglett, You Iribi showcases the liveliness of the Pokemon world’s seas. Although Wiglett is the primary focus of the illustration, this card also depicts many other aquatic Pokemon species, as though it’s presenting a microcosm of the Pokemon world’s underwater biomes.

Iribi’s use of color helps to highlight the wide array of life thriving beneath the surface of the sea – Luvdisc swims past Wiglett and through coral, Psyduck dives towards the seabed, and Mareanie relaxes on a rock. It’s a colorful scene that shows Pokemon living in their natural habitat.

Smeargle - Silver Tempest #TG10

Creative Soul

This card, illustrated by Kiyotaka Oshiyama, shows Smeargle tapping into its artistic abilities, as it's painting a canvas with bright colors. This artwork might be an abstract rendition of the artist trainer NPC opposite Smeargle, as he has a similar wild expression. At the same time, the artist carves Smeargle’s likeness out of wood.

Both Smeargle and the artist seem to be having fun, though, as the entire studio is filled with paint splatters and wood carvings. Oshiyama did an excellent job of capturing the frenetic energy of the scene depicted, as the artist has a wide grin on his face as he chips away at the sculpture while Smeargle uses its tail as a paintbrush, leaping off the floor to reach its canvas.

Giratina V - Lost Origin #186

Detailed Distortion

Rather than choosing to showcase Giratina in a straightforward manner, Shinji Kanda used their signature intricate art style to show Giratina’s otherworldly aura. The incredibly detailed background on this card makes it appear as though Giratina is floating among jewels, foliage, and indistinguishable items.

It's difficult to focus on any of the ornamental pieces, which creates a sense of uncanniness as the patterns are unlike anything else in the TCG. It’s a perfect representation of the Distortion World - Kanda captured this strangeness in a way that’s both alluring and unsettling. Despite the card having such a detailed background, it doesn’t distract from Girantina, as the colors used throughout the card make a cohesive whole.

Hoothoot - Astral Radiance #TG12

A Moment’s Reprieve

This full art card by Hyogonosuke depicts a Sage trainer NPC meditating on top of a tall rock formation alongside his Pokemon partner, Hoothoot. Hyogonosuke’s soft art style captures the tranquility of the environment, as they are completely alone, surrounded by nothing but nature.

To convey how high up Hoothoot and its trainer are, Hyogonosuke used misty clouds, with the peaks of mountains shown in the distance. In contrast to other action-oriented cards, Hyogonosuke chose to showcase a quiet moment between trainer and Pokemon, using the landscape to emphasize the peacefulness.

Lugia V - Silver Tempest #186

Into The Eye Of The Storm

In multiple of Lugia’s Pokedex entries, it says that Lugia is “rumored to have been seen on the night of a storm,” a concept realized by Kawayoo in this full art card. Lugia looks intimidating in this illustration, as it is seen looming above the storm as a sailor gazes up at it in awe, or perhaps fear.

Kawayoo successfully captured Lugia’s immense power over the ocean by using huge, crashing waves and crackles of lightning around the Pokemon. In comparison to the sailor and the ship, Lugia appears gigantic, highlighting the sheer magnitude of this legendary Pokemon. An excellent touch is the coloring of Lugia’s eye, which immediately draws your own eye to it, emphasizing that it’s looking directly at the sailor.

Origin Forme Palkia V - Astral Radiance #167

Optical Illusion

This Pokemon card by Oswaldo Kato shows Palkia in a distorted location, creating an optical illusion through the strange architecture. In fact, Kato chose to reference MC Escher in this full art card, an artist known for his work inspired by mathematics. It specifically takes inspiration from the lithograph Relativity, a piece that bends the rules of gravity. The staircases are a prominent feature in the work, and they can also be seen in this Palkia card.

Palkia is known as the Spatial Pokemon and has “the ability to distort space” according to various Pokedex entries, and the environment Kato created in this card clearly depicts Palkia’s power by placing it in the center of this structural distortion.

Latias & Latios-GX - Team Up #170

Love Is In The Air

The legendary Dragon and Psychic Pokemon, Latios and Latias are difficult to separate from one another because of their close connection to each other in the legends of the Hoenn region. Sanosuke Sakuma pays homage to this strong bond, as Latios and Latias are depicted wing to wing, with the space between them forming a heart shape.

The illustrator chose to depict a tender moment between these two Pokemon as they stare into each other’s eyes, both with a small smile lighting up their expressions. The inclusion of a sunset in the background cements the card’s tender atmosphere.

Celebi V - Fusion Strike #245

Forest Spirit

This full art card, illustrated by tee*ziro, depicts the Grass and Psychic Pokemon Celebi, using its powers to welcome the coming spring. In the illustration, Celebi flies through the environment, spreading its magic to make the leafless trees sprout green foliage.

What makes this depiction of Celebi so enchanting is how tee*ziro is able to capture the charm of such a moment, using a trail of sparkling lights to symbolize Celebi’s life-giving abilities, similar to fairy dust. As Celebi is known as the “Voice of the Forest”, it’s not surprising to imagine it rejuvenating the forest after a harsh winter.