The Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket's latest expansion, Space Time Smackdown, released on January 30th, has stirred significant controversy among fans due to the artwork on one particular card. The Weavile ex card, especially its 2 Star full art variant, has caused a stir, depicting a group of Weavile lurking in the treetops, poised to attack an unsuspecting Swinub. This scene has led to widespread dismay and discussions among the community.
A Reddit post showcasing the Weavile ex artwork, titled "NO! SWINUB LOOK UP!! LOOK UP!!", has garnered nearly 10,000 upvotes, highlighting the fans' strong reactions. Comments ranged from shock at the depicted violence to pleas for the safety of the Swinub, with one user lamenting, "Always got to be one card per set that shows Pokémon in the process of straight up killing each other," and another simply asking, "Leave the lil guy alone."
The conversation around the card also touched on the broader theme of Pokémon's ecosystem. One fan remarked, "The ecology of Pokémon is always so crazy to imagine. Like these are still animals, some smarter than others. Just they have the ability to fire laser beams."
Amid the controversy, some fans found solace in the full art card of Mamoswine, Swinub's final evolution. This card shows Mamoswine looking upward, seemingly aware of the lurking danger, while protecting a group of Swinub. Fans interpreted this as a hopeful sign, with comments like, "Hey, Mamoswine protected his baby. Don't worry. He most definitely saw those Weaviles," and "The Mamoswine alt card already looks above. He saw them. He saw..."
Space Time Smackdown is themed around Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, featuring characters like Weavile, Mamoswine, Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina. The set contains 207 cards, smaller than the previous expansion, Genetic Apex, which had 286 cards. However, Space Time Smackdown boasts a higher percentage of rare cards, with 52 alternate art, Star, and Crown rarity cards compared to Genetic Apex's 60.
Despite the uproar, Creatures Inc. has not publicly addressed the controversy surrounding the Weavile ex card. The company's social media and in-game focus remains on promoting the Space Time Smackdown set, and they did not respond to IGN's request for comment. The only acknowledgment of the trading update that preceded the expansion was a "Trade Feature Celebration Gift" offering 500 Trade Tokens and 120 Trade Hourglasses, sufficient for trading one ex Pokémon, but the developer has otherwise remained silent on fan feedback.
