Eiscue ex Special Illustration Rare

As we’ve been noting over the last few sets, minimalist designs are really becoming a thing in the Pokémon TCG. However, this Eiscue ex Special Illustration Rare really takes that to a new level, barely more than a sketch of the terastalized ice-headed penguin, seemingly in a death-pact with itself as it converts to Fire-type.

This is Pokémon illustration legend Toshinao Aoki showing off again, much as he did with the completely wonderful Slowpoke from Scarlet & Violet’s base set. But when you’re the guy who drew Surfing Pikachu, you can do absolutely anything you like.

This is going to be very hard to pull, but there’s a more basic version of the card that should appear far more frequently. And I suspect it’ll see a fair amount of play as a surprise in Water decks. With three Water energy, you can not only deliver 160 Fire damage (albeit discarding on energy in the process), but also prevent your opponent’s Pokémon from attacking the next turn.