Pikachu · Sword & Shield Promos #SWSH153

4 comments

1. 

   Warnock 2022

   (2 years ago)

   Funny that this got released in the 2022 Holiday Calendar set–the setting is clearly not in wintertime!
   https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Sword_%26_Shield_TCG_Series_merchandise#Holiday_Calendar_2022

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2. 

   NickWrightData

   (2 years ago)

   This is honestly pretty strange.
   This appears to be the only non-Pikachu Libré Pokémon card that gives a visibly female Pikachu center stage.
   AND THEY COVERED UP THE TAIL with the snowflake.
   Wow. Let me know if I’m wrong here lol

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   • 

     TwylisNickWrightData

     (2 years ago)

     I’m not gonna do the plunge into all Japanese-exclusive Pikachu promos to verify, but I will say that it’s pretty typical for the TCG to ignore gender differences that aren’t completely different designs (eg Meowstic, Frillish, etc). In almost all cases they just use the form depicted in the standard reference art, whatever gender that may be. All the Garchomp are female, all the Sneasel are male, etc. This Pikachu is one of the few exceptions to that trend.

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     • 

       AmbassadorTwylis

       (2 years ago)

       Because so many Pikachu cards exist to sift through (and aren’t all necessarily included on pokemon-card’s database), I’m not going to stand by this list as being an exhaustive list of all cards with a female Pikachu tail, but here are several JP cards with explicitly female Pikachu;

       144/S-P (& 147/S-P) https://www.pokemon-card.com/card-search/details.php/card/38841/regu/all
       325/SM-P https://www.pokemon-card.com/card-search/details.php/card/36630/regu/all
       282/SM-P https://www.pokemon-card.com/card-search/details.php/card/35890/regu/all
       281/SM-P https://www.pokemon-card.com/card-search/details.php/card/35889/regu/all
       055/SM-P https://www.pokemon-card.com/card-search/details.php/card/33859/regu/all
       221/XY-P https://www.pokemon-card.com/card-search/details.php/card/31864/regu/all
       097/XY-P https://www.pokemon-card.com/card-search/details.php/card/30809/regu/all

       ###/XY-P https://www.pokemon-card.com/card-search/details.php/card/31298/regu/all
       ###/XY-P https://www.pokemon-card.com/card-search/details.php/card/32011/regu/all

       n.b. these aren’t all strictly “Pikachu”, but all have Pikachu *in* their name. I’m not terrifically sure or interested in figuring out the release dates of the unnumbered XY promos, but 097/XY-P (released as part of a 2014 Uniqlo campaign) might have been the first card with an explicitly female Pikachu on it – with a very strong emphasis on the might. As mentioned, sometimes cards just aren’t included in pokemon-card’s database for whatever reason, and if the first female Pikachu was on a jumbo, SOL because the site doesn’t seem to ever include jumbos.

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