We’re still just over a month away from the release of the next Pokémon TCG expansion, Pitch Black, which will come out on the 17th July. We can now see all of the cards in its Japanese counterpart, Abyss Eye, though. Being a set focused on dark type Pokémon, it’s a lot grittier than most sets, and as a result, it includes what may be one of the edgiest Pokémon cards ever put to print: Gladion’s Showdown.
Gladion is the older brother of Lillie, who you may remember smiling and cuddling her Clefairy in the Special Illustration rare variant of Lillie’s Clefairy ex from Ascended Heroes. Where his sister is sunny and cheerful, Gladion is coarse and bitter. He wears a permanent scowl in every piece of official artwork depicting him, and his bangs are swept to permanently cover one of his eyes.
This teenage angst is perfectly captured in all three variants of Gladion’s Showdown. The SIR version in particular takes place on an almost obnoxiously sunny day, contrasting his cold fury with the warm rays of light shining all around him. Lining this card up with the Silvally IR from the same set even forms a panorama, as Gladion and his ace Pokémon angrily aura farm together. Several Rare Pokémon cards feature combined art like this.
Gladion’s angry disposition is even demonstrated by the card’s effect. Gladion’s Showdown can only be activated when it is the final card in your hand, like a true brooding antihero, Gladion works alone and won’t come out until your other cards are gone. It then causes the next attack launched by one of your Pokémon that doesn’t have a rule box to deal an additional 80 damage. It’s amazing the power buff you can get by tapping into your inner bitter teen.
Do you know any Pokémon cards edgier than Gladion’s Shodown? Let us know your angstiest picks over on the Wargamer Discord server.
For more information on upcoming Pokémon TCG expansions, check out our list of every Pokémon sets in order of release.
Source: Wargamer
