Pokémon TCG Pocket Gets New Artwork for Apparently Plagiarized Cards
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Pokémon TCG Pocket has started rolling out new artwork for the key cards in the newest expansion release, after an alleged plagiarism scandal saw The Pokémon Company abruptly removing artwork from the game.
A new update for the popular mobile game Pokémon TCG Pocket has introduced brand-new artwork for two key cards in the Wisdom of Sea and Sky expansion pack, Lugia ex and Ho-Oh ex, both of which had their immersive rare – the second-highest rarity in the game – artworks stripped shortly before their release. Up until now, both cards had placeholder messages declaring that new artwork was coming soon, and it looks like The Pokémon Company has followed through.
Placeholder artwork for the immersive rare Lugia ex card in Pokémon TCG Pocket, replaced today in a new update.
Placeholder artwork for the immersive rare Lugia ex card in Pokémon TCG Pocket, replaced today in a new update.
The Pokémon Company
The new cards depict legendary Pokémon Ho-Oh and Lugia in epic poses, and upon receiving the card players will be treated to a unique animation exclusive to the rare cards. Players who previously pulled the rare cards from packs prior to today's update have had their placeholder cards swapped out with the changed versions, and can view the new animation by opening up the card in the My Cards screen.
Serebii Update: Pokémon TCG Pocket has added new artwork to the immersive 3 Star Ho-Oh and Lugia cards for the Wisdom of Sea and Sky sethttps://t.co/NWlAdn57aQ pic.twitter.com/dZAlrRfqyk — Serebii.net (@SerebiiNet) August 8, 2025
The cards were originally stripped of their artwork after allegations of plagiarism surfaced shortly before the release of the Wisdom of Sea and Sky expansion. Chinese artist Lanjiujiu posted on X (formerly Twitter) at the time pointing out similarities between a fan artwork that had been commissioned from them in 2021 and the card in TCG Pocket, with a side-by-side comparison showing the artwork looked almost identical.
Following the post, The Pokémon Company released a statement saying that TCG Pocket illustrator SIE NANAHARA was not to blame, and that the card production team had provided "incorrect reference materials as official documents" to the artist. The artwork was removed, and SIE NANAHARA was commissioned to provide new artwork for the cards in question, which is now live in the game.
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