A Holographic History Of The Pokmon TCG: Stars Abound – Bleeding Cool News

Over the years, thePokmon TCG has featured many different patterns used on their holographic cards. Some patterns lasted for years, while others had short stays, making them markers for their short time in the franchise. On this first installment ofA Holographic History of the Pokmon TCG, let's take a look back at the first-ever holographic pattern used by Wizards of the Coast in their English-language release of the firstPokmon TCG sets: the classic stars.

One of the most instantly recognizable holographic patterns is this old-school star pattern used in the first three English-languagePokmon TCG sets:Base Set, Jungle, andFossil.The pattern featured the Pokmon set over a generally simple background that was rendered in a foil that, when tilted around in the light, saw stars pop from the surface. It gave the cards intense depth, with stars appearing closer to the surface with sharp clarity, while other stars seemed blurred and far away. This gave the impression that the Pokmon was popping out from the surface, which made for cards that were, simply put, very cool. This pattern elevated cards like the iconic Charizard (pictured above), Blastoise, and Venusaur, which were simply Pokmon posing over a colorful background, into something that felt special.

Back in the days ofBase, Jungle, andFossil, there were no such things as Ultra Rare cards. No ex, no EX, no GX, no V, no VMAX, no Full Art nothing. A holographic card was the most exciting thing you could pull, which made the cards very, very special.

Interestingly, this was not the pattern used in the Japanese version of these sets. Japan was already using the galaxy foil pattern, which featured a similar style but with brighter circles, swirls, and what looks like stardust. This pattern, which we'll talk about next time, ended up entering the English-languageTCG inTeam Rocket. However,Fossilwasn't exactly the last we'd see of the original star pattern.XY: Evolutions, which reimagined Base Set forPokmon's 20th anniversary, included a tweaked version of the star pattern which featured a very, very slightly different shape for the stars.

Some of the most iconicPokmon TCG cards were done in this style. Even though it only lasted for three sets, the starry holographic cards remain some of the most iconic trading cards in existence.

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A Holographic History Of The Pokmon TCG: Stars Abound - Bleeding Cool News