We need to talk about Pokemon Carddass art

[Forkball]

Nobody laugh at the word "Carddass"

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If you're unfamiliar, CARDDASS is a trading card series from Bandai. Instead of buying packs, you get them out of vending machines. I believe they are mostly for collection purposes, but there do seem to be some that have actual gameplay elements tied into them.

In 1997, there was Pokemon Carddass set featuring each of the 151 Pokemon. All artwork was drawn by Ken Sugimori and feature Pokemon in situations that has never been shown before any official art. I learned about it today via this tweet:



You can view the full set here. There are some really cool, unusual, and downright frightening portrayals of everyone's favorite Pocket Monsters.

RIP

Oh, so THAT'S how Water Gun works

...Gods...

Share your favorites, or just random Carddass info you may have.

 

[Zalman]

I've wanted a set of these for years. The art is crazy.

 

[Snormy]

A number of them look pretty cool. Ponyta for example looks pretty badass. Then there is Meowth...

 

[Kyzer]

Hmm...

 

[jwk94]

That first one is disturbing

 

[Raijinto]

OMG that Ditto...

I had never heard of these before. They are really cool, thanks for sharing OP.

 

[BGBW]

The Weed Pokémon

Poor Psyduck. (Diglett suffers a bit too)

 

[Deleted member 135]

I remember my local Chinese buffet having these with their vending and game machines around 1998.

 

[Fauve]

Golbat dabbing before it was cool

 

[Border]

These are hilarious

 

[CaptainK]

The Electrode one is enlightening. I don't think I've seen a Voltorb or Electrode actually open like a Pokeball, though maybe I missed it in some other media.

 

[Blent]

Wow, Psyduck was getting fucked up on the regular

 

[Ginger Hail]

They're definitely an interesting insight into early Pokemon for sure.

 

[show me your skeleton]

pinsir's is hilarious.

 

[Buff DrinkLots]

Love the more "mature" take on them. I know we're long past it but it's fun to imagine.

 

[Dusk Golem]

I don't know why Krabby and Kingler want to choke a bitch out of Ditto so hard.

Also I have no idea why, but for some reason I find this one the creepiest. Partially because I think I always viewed Koffing as this sorta' fleshy thing, but this points it out to be more like a balloon:

Something about a 'crusty' Koffing unnerves me.

 

[Deleted member 28461]

.

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David Cronenberg's Pocket Monsters (2018)

 

[FormatCompatible]

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[Finale Fireworker]

Early Pokémon art is the coolest stuff. You get a much more interesting and insightful look into how these creatures behave and fit into their ecosystems. I still love Pokémon but I don't think you really get that anymore. Not as much, anyway.

 

[Weltall Zero]

Just in case it's not obvious, the cards represent specific moves. The name of each move is in Kana next to the Pokemon's name. If anyone is curious I can transcribe some.

Cubone's is "Nakigoe", which was translated as "Growl", but in Japanese it's more like "Cry", both as in an animal's cry and, well, what the Cubone is doing in that image. :)

Golem and Koffing's are Explosion and Self-Destruct respectively. I don't know why Pokemon needs two self-destruct moves but it certainly doesn't make it look good on the grounds of abuse. :D

 

[Dyle]

Weepinbell is vile, the way it should be. Suigimori really captured the horrible, disgusting essence of this carnivorous flower

 

[Weltall Zero]

Weepinbell is vile, the way it should be. Suigimori really captured the horrible, disgusting essence of this carnivorous flower

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That one's using Youkaieki (Acid). :)

 

[Bishop89]

every single card ive seen so far in this thread deserves a brazzer logo

 

[Antiwhippy]

That golem is fucking dead.

 

[Crayolan]

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This is horrifying.

 

[Dev]

These are amazing and I hadn't even heard of them, great OP.

 

[Weltall Zero]

That golem is fucking dead.

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Definitely, the move kills (OK, "faints") its user.

 

[Camjo-Z]

 

[Wiped]

These were very cool. Back when Pokemon was a genuine take on nature and not a super cleaned up children's thing which ignores logic.

 

[Antiwhippy]

Definitely, the move kills (OK, "faints") its user.

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That Koffing one is even more disturbing.

 

[Deleted member 5621]

Wing Attack was supposed to throw feathers? Wowa. (I haven't played anything after B/W so excuse me if they do that in current 3D animations)
Nidoqueen Poison Sting is some shit.

Aggressive as shit Clefairy is my favorite though.

And you BETTER DON'T PULL THAT AGAIN

 

[HiredN00bs]

 

[Deleted member 5621]

The classiest

The smuggest

 

[SaviourMK2]

Awwww yeah Raichuuuuu my favorite

 

[KeyBladerXIII]

Victrebell's razor leaf is awesome.

I didn't know Pinsir's horns worked like that lol

Is that the most we've seen of cubone's face, officially?

 

[Einchy]

Pokemon is secretly body horror.

 

[Deleted member 1378]

 

[AlexFlame116]

I really love these cards! I've wanted to make a collection of these for a long time!

Is that the most we've seen of cubone's face, officially?

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Most likely yeah. They never show the face usually which always leads to that speculation about Cubone being a Kangaskhan baby.

 

[ASaiyan]

So that's how Drill Peck works, huh. Pretty cool.

 

[Gaardus]

The classiest

The smuggest

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OMG, that Farfetch'd! BRB, changing my avatar.

 

[Tambini]

 

[Farrac]

These are amazing OP. Thanks for sharing. I can't believe I didn't know about this. I adore this era. You don't get this kind of stuff anymore. The only recent artwork that comes close to this is that one of a Palossand eating a Pikachu or maybe some TCG art.

 

[Weltall Zero]

Somehow I managed to miss the link to the full set in the OP and didn't find them by google... it even has links to the moves >_< . Epic fail of the day on my part.

This seems... unwise.

 

[Keyouta]

Absolutely love the art in these cards. I wish Pokemon still had action shots like this, all you get for official art now is just a standing static image. The Weepinbell one is so good.

 

[Weltall Zero]

These are funny:

Seismic throw (above) is supposed to throw the target against the ground, not (a piece of) the ground against the target. As if to compensate, Rock Throw (below) depics Geodude throwing himself against the target. I guess he is a rock, after all! :D

Edit: OK, this one is just great (Dream Eater):

 

[Cap G]

I like that so many of these are pokemon attacking each other and eating to survive. I love when Pokemon are treated like the unpredictable, wild animals that they are.

Particularly a fan the ones like Weepingbell or Ditto that are just kinda gross. Weepingbell is a large carnivore flower that spews corrosion everywhere, it's not a fun pet. It's a hazard!

 

[Kevvin]

Golbat dabbing before it was cool

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Dabbing was never cool.

 

[Lady Bow]

I love this one. Dragon Rage maybe?

 

[Zeno]

Early Pokemon art is my favorite. Really not as fond as the art that came off later as....I dunno...everything just seeming happy Pokemon art.

 

[Gradon]

Aren't these cards the reason Kakuna had arms?