er cards reimagine popular characters in the Pokémon Sword and Shield expansions, improve on many of the original designs. er cards have two versions, the standard Trainer-style card, and the full art card. The full-art er cards are highly detailed and feature holographic 2D illustrations of characters like Hop, Leon, and many of the generic NPCs around the Galar region. While not every important character from Sword and Shield has been lucky enough to be on a er card, those that have been added bring new life to the character's designs and can even be valuable if pulled from a booster pack.
The Pokémon TCG ers cards offer players a number of strategies during a match. While only one er can be played per turn, these cards can allow players to draw a number of cards, search their decks for specific Pokémon cards, or even boost the active Pokémon's attack when used during the turn. While full-art er cards may seem better kept in a binder as a collectible item, many may choose to toss them in a deck, so that the beautiful designs of these cards can be appreciated during gameplay.
Full art er cards are rare in any Pokémon TCG expansion. Like full art versions of EX, GX, V, or V-MAX cards, only a few full art ers are included in each expansion card list. Many of these can also be obtained as rainbow secret rare cards. These Pokémon cards have an alternate coloration, with the image painted in a holographic rainbow instead of the original full-art design colors. Rainbow secret rare cards can be considered more valuable than the original full art, but some may find the regular full art cards more appealing, as they show favorite characters in their vibrant, original colors.
Pokémon TCG Card Character Designs Better Than The Games: Leon
The previous Galar region champion in Pokémon Sword and Shield has a unique and exciting design from past Pokémon game series champions. With a regal cape and a baseball cap that looks like a crown, Leon is an intimidating presence when players first encounter him in Sword and Shield. However, his full art Pokémon card takes his appearance and builds on the details that help him stand out as a character.
The 2D illustration for Leon's card smooths out the limitations of 3D for his expression, making him look confident and powerful. Leon's hair has a more organic flow as well, giving it a windswept, less blocky appearance. He also looks a good deal older, thanks to his body proportions better matching an adult's, as the TCG cards aren't limited by Sword and Shield's art style.
Pokémon TCG Card Character Designs Better Than The Games: Milo
Milo, the Grass-type Gym Leader in Pokémon Sword and Shield has a unique design overall. The powerful, muscled build of this Gym Leader is contradicted with a facial expression similar to a Ditto, with a wide smile, missing nose, and eyes that are nothing more than green discs. Much like Champion Leon, Milo's overall 2D design for the full art card smooths out the 3D stiffness of his Sword and Shield model, making his muscles stand out with more volume. His expression is also more dynamic, with a wide, open-mouthed smile. With the addition of the brightly colored background, Milo's card design is far more intimidating than his appearance in the game.
Pokémon TCG Card Character Designs Better Than The Games: Hop
Unlike his older brother, Hop has a much less intimidating presence to his overall character design for the Sword and Shield games. He is often seen frowning after losing a battle against the main character or bolting on to the next big goal he has set for himself, instead of striking brave poses in front of stadium crowds. However, Hop's genuine ion is captured properly in the dynamic pose used for his Pokémon TCG full art card.
Hop's card also features a vibrant blue sky in the background, making his dark skin and purple hair pop in the illustration, instead of being more in line with the darker backgrounds found in Sword and Shield. Unlike the anxious and unsure childhood friend of the Sword and Shield games, Hop's card portrayal seems ready to take on any challenge thrown his way.
Pokémon TCG Card Character Designs Better Than The Games: Piers
Piers, the Dark-type Gym Leader and occasional helpful companion in Pokémon Sword and Shield, has a dramatic style change in his Pokémon TCG full art card. His sleepy expression has been traded out for a challenging glare, and the slouch he sports throughout Sword and Shield has been replaced with a powerful, upright pose. Piers often describes himself as cowardly or ive, but in the 2D illustration for his full art card, he looks like the powerful Gym Leader players have to face in Spikemuth. Piers also has a second full art card with an illustration of himself as a young trainer. This full art card is similar to his Rare League Card in Pokémon Sword and Shield, and the illustration shows a softer side to the punky character, with short hair as he stoops to pet his Galarian Linoone.
Thankfully, for fans of Pokémon Sword and Shield, characters still missing from the Pokémon Trading Card Game as ers may show up in expansion sets based on the games, which are still being released. The most recent Pokémon TCG expansion, Chilling Reign, will introduce a few new er cards to the TCG, including characters like the Ex-Champion Peony, as well as familiar faces from past Pokémon regions like Flannery and Brawly. More card expansions for Sword and Shield are still to come, with Evolving Skies being the most recently announced for later this year. Because of this, fans of the Pokémon Trading Card Game should keep an eye out, and grab a few boosters for an expansion set that could contain these special er cards.
