What was the plagiarism controversy surrounding the Pokémon TCG Pocket's Wisdom of Sea and Sky expansion?

The design of the rare Ho-Oh EX card was found to be too similar to a 2021 fan-created artwork, leading the company to acknowledge a "production issue" and replace both the Ho-Oh EX and Lugia EX cards with temporary placeholders.

How did the Pokémon TCG Pocket team respond to the plagiarism issue?

The company admitted that the card production team had used "incorrect reference materials as official documents," leading to the design issue. They have stated that they will conduct a broader investigation to ensure no similar issues exist elsewhere in the game.

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Pokémon TCG Pocket Expansion Faces Plagiarism Controversy Before Release

Q: What happened to the rare Lugia EX card in the Wisdom of Sea and Sky expansion?

Even though the Lugia EX card did not have any design problems, its animation featured Ho-Oh as part of a shared mural, leading to its removal as well.

31 Jul

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Summary

Pokémon TCG Pocket's Wisdom of Sea and Sky expansion plagiarized fan art for Ho-Oh EX card
Company admits "production issue" with incorrect reference materials used
Rare Lugia EX card also removed due to shared animation with Ho-Oh

Pokémon TCG Pocket Expansion Faces Plagiarism Controversy Before Release

Just a day before the release of the Pokémon TCG Pocket's Wisdom of Sea and Sky expansion on July 30, 2025, the highly anticipated rare cards for Ho-Oh EX and Lugia EX were leaked by dataminers. However, the community quickly noticed that the design of the Ho-Oh EX card bore a striking resemblance to a 2021 fan artwork by Chinese artist Ianjiujiu.

This sparked a major controversy, with the Pokémon TCG Pocket team acknowledging the issue as a "production issue" where the card production team had used "incorrect reference materials as official documents." As a result, both the Ho-Oh EX and Lugia EX cards have been replaced by temporary placeholder cards displaying "New art coming soon."

The company has stated that it will conduct a broader investigation to ensure no similar issues exist elsewhere in the game. While the Lugia EX card did not have any design problems, its animation featured Ho-Oh as part of a shared mural, leading to its removal as well.

This situation has escalated due to the rarity and importance of the Ho-Oh EX and Lugia EX cards in the Pokémon TCG Pocket game. The company has assured players that it is committed to resolving the issue and providing new, original artwork for these highly anticipated cards.

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