Yuka Morii, the famed Pokémon TCG clay artist, sculpted Drapion and Skorupi for this Special Illustration Rare in Crown Zenith.
The Sword & Shield era of the Pokémon TCG has come to an end. Three years of expansions dedicated to the region of Galar, with some love for Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl‘s revitalization of Sinnoh and Pokémon Legends: Arceus‘s introduction of the ancient region of Hisui, have led to this moment. Crown Zenith, a special set celebrating the Sword & Shield era, was released on January 20th, 2023. It was primarily an adaptation of Japan’s VSTAR Universe set and also featured a collection of cards that were cut from other English-language sets and more. Like other special sets, including Champion’s Path, Shining Fates, Celebrations, and Pokémon GO, Crown Zenith packs were found in specially branded products like Premium Collections and Elite Trainer Boxes rather than booster boxes. This set featured the Galarian Gallery subset, which introduced Illustration Rares and Special Illustration Rares, originally called “Art Rares,” to the hobby, which set the standard for the following Sword & Shield era, which used these card types as their primary Secret Rares. In today’s installment of this Crown Zenith spotlight, let’s take a look at more cards from the Galarian Gallery subset.
Yuka Morii, a longtime contributor to the hobby, has sculpted something incredible here. She gives Drapion V the first-ever clay and photography-based Special Illustration Rare, depicting the Pokémon with a couple of its pre-evolved form, Skorupi. Morii is a specialized artist that stands out beautifully from the rest of the Pokémon TCG contributors, so many collectors have assembled their own Morii-specific binders. This may be the crowning card to feature in said binders, giving Morii that full art treatment that is long overdue. You can follow a current series about Morii’s historic contributions to the hobby here and here.
Stay tuned for the journey through this special set as we continue to spotlight the cards and artwork of Pokémon TCG: Crown Zenith. Next time, the spotlight continues with the Galarian Gallery subset. You can read more about this iconic trading card game right here at Bleeding Cool.
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