Pokémon Card Art Ranked: 20 Artworks, 20 Illustrators
Twenty Pokémon cards ranked on their artwork alone, from Frogadier's wave to Magikarp's waterfall, each read from its scan by a different illustrator.
This is Pokémon card art ranked from 20 to 1 on the artwork alone: a Frogadier bursting out of a wave, a Wailord seen from under the sea, a Ho-Oh that takes two cards to print, and a 30 HP Magikarp at number 1.
The order is the one of the stakd.cards carousel this list comes from, a subjective art ranking, not a price ranking. Two cards are Japanese prints. Everything below is read off the scans: number, illustrator, attacks and flavour text.
20. Frogadier 089/086, 2026
Susumu Maeya catches Frogadier mid-leap out of a wave, its foam scarf flying, under a sky streaked with pink and gold. The flavour text backs up the speed: it can scale a tower of more than 2,000 feet in a minute's time.
19. Lumineon V GG39/GG70, 2023
Jerky draws Lumineon inside a bubble of blue light, in a deep sea of black water and coral in neon orange, yellow and pink. Small glowing Pokémon drift around the edges like lamps, and the ability matches the picture: Luminous Sign.
18. Wailord 162/159, 2025
Katsunori Sato shows the part of Wailord nobody on the surface sees: the whole body hanging under the water among the coral, while a sailing ship and the setting sun sit on the waterline above. The flavour text adds the joke: Wailord watching is a favourite sightseeing activity in various parts of the world.
17. Cleffa 202/197, 2023
HYOGONOSUKE puts a 30 HP Cleffa alone on a sheet of still water at dusk, eyes closed, with a shooting star crossing the sky and its reflection below. The flavour text explains the star: because of its starlike silhouette, people believe it came here on a meteor.
16. Pikachu 160/159, 2023
You Iribi surrounds Pikachu with a crowd of other Pokémon in purple, red and blue, all crossed by its sparks, so the yellow in the middle pulls the eye first. The flavour text is the softest on the list: Pikachu that can generate powerful electricity have cheek sacs that are extra soft and super stretchy.
15. Psyduck 226/217, 2026
REND cuts the card along the waterline: above, Psyduck's head in the sun, a tall cloud, a hut on stilts and a bird; below, its round body floating in clear water. It is the calmest Psyduck you will see, even though the flavour text says it is constantly wracked by a headache.
14. Reshiram RC22/RC25, 2013
Kagemaru Himeno paints a white Reshiram against a wall of red roses, with petals blowing across the attacks. The flower pattern turns a fire dragon into something close to a printed fabric. The flavour text gives it a mission: this legendary Pokémon helps those who want to build a world of truth.
13. Chi-Yu ex 092/071, 2023 Japanese
The first of two Japanese prints on the list. AKIRA EGAWA makes Chi-Yu tiny inside a column of light falling through a forest of red, orange and violet, closer to a sunset than to a fire. The card is marked SAR next to its number.
12. Ninetales 199/197, 2023
SIE NANAHARA lights Ninetales from the inside: a pale fox glowing in a golden forest, its nine tails spread like a fan between the trees. The flavour text is a warning: grabbing one of its many tails could result in a 1,000-year curse.
11. N's Zoroark ex 286/217, 2026
Raita Kazama gives the Pokémon and its Trainer the same space: N in his cap on one side, Zoroark's red mane on the other, both inside a circle of patterned tiles. The ability is called Trade, the attack Night Joker.
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10. Flareon EX RC28/RC32, 2016
kirisAki draws Flareon in close-up, its fur filling the card, with a blue and a yellow companion squeezed in at the edges and three heart charms hanging on the left. It is the only portrait on the list: no landscape, just a face. Its ability is Flash Fire.
9. Celebi V 245/264, 2021
Teeziro sets Celebi over a snowy stone stairway, where a bare tree puts out green leaves along the trail of light Celebi leaves behind. Winter on one side, spring on the other. The first attack follows the idea: Leaflet Dance.
8. Galarian Moltres V 177/198, 2021
Shibuzoh. builds the card like a poster: Galarian Moltres centred and symmetrical, wings of pink flame in front of a full moon, and a field of pink eyes watching from the dark leaves below. Its attack, Aura Burn, also does 30 damage to itself.
7. Gengar VMAX 271/264, 2021
sowsow turns Gengar into the landscape itself: a giant mouth under a crescent moon, swallowing berries, trees and a whole road while crooked houses lean in the background. The attack says it plainly: G-Max Swallow Up, 250 damage.
This Gengar VMAX is also number 4 in our ranking of the most iconic Gengar cards.
6. Mega Dragonite ex 246/193, 2025 Japanese
The second Japanese print. DOM draws Mega Dragonite flying up through pink clouds and gold stars, two smaller pale blue dragons gliding around it. With 370 HP it is the strongest card on the list, and its attack does 330.
5. Ho-Oh LEGEND 111/123 and 112/123, 2010
Shinji Higuchi signs the only artwork on the list that takes two cards: the top and bottom halves of Ho-Oh LEGEND, which go onto the Bench only together. The feathers look closer to a photograph than a drawing, a blur of red, green and white. The bottom half recalls the legend: this Pokémon flies the world's skies continuously on its magnificent, seven-colored wings.
4. Mewtwo VSTAR GG44/GG70, 2023
GOSSAN shows Mewtwo charging a glowing orb in the foreground while rocks fly and an orange winged dragon swoops in from the top right, trailing flames. Keep that dragon in mind for number 2. The first attack is Psy Purge.
3. Dragonair 181/165, 2023
rika paints Dragonair in a flooded ruin: a stone staircase, columns and lily pads under clear water, with the long blue body winding over the steps. The flavour text gives it power over the sky: if it emits an aura from its whole body, the weather will begin to change instantly.
2. Charizard VSTAR SWSH262, 2022 promo
KIYOTAKA OSHIYAMA draws Charizard head first, diving down a cliff in thick inked lines, towards a pale figure charging an orb in the bottom left corner. Put it next to number 4 and the two cards read like the same fight seen from both sides, by two different illustrators. The VSTAR Power is Star Blaze, 320 damage.
1. Magikarp 203/193, 2023
Shinji Kanda draws Magikarp mid-jump at a waterfall, on a black background packed with plants, flowers and points of light, every line as fine as an engraving. Its only attack is Expert Splasher, and the flavour text is merciless: an underpowered, pathetic Pokémon that may jump high on rare occasions but never more than seven feet. Number 1 anyway.
What these 20 artworks have in common
Twenty cards, twenty illustrators. No name appears twice, from Shinji Higuchi in 2010 to Susumu Maeya, REND and Raita Kazama in 2026. Ranked by art alone, the list turns into a tour of styles: inked lines, painted water, feathers close to a photograph, flat poster shapes.
Water does a lot of the work. Seven of the twenty are set in it or on it: Frogadier's wave, Lumineon's deep sea, Wailord's coral, Cleffa's mirror lake, Psyduck's lagoon, Dragonair's flooded stairs and Magikarp's waterfall.
And strength does not count. The two weakest cards, Cleffa and Magikarp at 30 HP each, both make the list, and Magikarp takes number 1 ahead of a 370 HP Mega Dragonite ex and two VSTAR cards fighting each other.
“Ranked by art alone, a 30 HP Magikarp beats a 280 HP Charizard.”
Magikarp, Ninetales and Celebi V also appear in our list of 20 Pokémon cards that belong in a museum, next to different neighbours.
Taste decides an art ranking; the market decides what each card is worth. Stakd shows the value of every card in your binder, from a 30 HP Cleffa to a two-part Ho-Oh LEGEND.
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