The Wisdom of Sea and Sky expansion is here in Pokemon TCG Pocket . This expansion has brought so much new content into the game first-partner Pokemon Chikorita, Cyndaquil, and Totodile. Not only that, new trainers from the Johta region have also been added.
However, the highlight of the expansion has to be legendary Pokemons - Lugia and Ho-Oh. But who have ever thought that one of these two cards would have been the reason for the biggest controversy in the game’s history, that too, before the actual release of the expansion.
Pokemon TCG Pocket gets slammed by plagiarism controversy
The Wisdom of Sea and Sky expansion has dropped on July 30, 2025, in Pokemon TCG Pocket. But one day prior to that, the dataminers already leaked the highly anticipated rare cards for Ho-Oh EX (3-Star) and Lugia EX (3-Star). And this is where all the controversy began.
The community noticed that the design of the Ho-Oh card holds uncanny similarities with a 2021 fan artwork by Chinese artists Ianjiujiu. This comparison sparked serious altercations as if the company used this design unintentionally or it didn’t care to take any permission at all. Even the artist himself went on to share a side-by-side comparison tweet of his work and the new Ho-Oh EX card in the game.
It didn’t take too long for Pokemon TCG Pocket to acknowledge its mistake as the official Twitter handle of the game has recently shared its response regarding the ongoing controversy. It says this is actually a “production issue” by the card production team and it provided “incorrect reference materials as official documents”, which happened to be the artwork by Ianjiujiu.
The company also stated that both Ho-Oh EX and Lugia EX had been replaced by temporary placeholder cards displaying “New art coming soon.” There has been no problem with the design of Lugia EX but as its animation featured Ho-Oh as part of a shared mural. So, Lugia’s design was also removed as well. It is ensured by the company that it will conduct a broader investigation so that no similar issues ever exist elsewhere in the game.
If it was any other card, there wouldn’t have been this much controversy as Pokemon TCG Pocket would have pulled them out from the game. But both Ho-Oh EX and Lugia EX are one of the rarest cards in the game and both share each other’s Immersive Art Animation. That’s why this situation escalated so high.
Read More: How to build the best Ultra Necrozma ex deck in Pokémon TCG Pocket?
However, the highlight of the expansion has to be legendary Pokemons - Lugia and Ho-Oh. But who have ever thought that one of these two cards would have been the reason for the biggest controversy in the game’s history, that too, before the actual release of the expansion.
Pokemon TCG Pocket gets slammed by plagiarism controversy
The Wisdom of Sea and Sky expansion has dropped on July 30, 2025, in Pokemon TCG Pocket. But one day prior to that, the dataminers already leaked the highly anticipated rare cards for Ho-Oh EX (3-Star) and Lugia EX (3-Star). And this is where all the controversy began.
The community noticed that the design of the Ho-Oh card holds uncanny similarities with a 2021 fan artwork by Chinese artists Ianjiujiu. This comparison sparked serious altercations as if the company used this design unintentionally or it didn’t care to take any permission at all. Even the artist himself went on to share a side-by-side comparison tweet of his work and the new Ho-Oh EX card in the game.
It didn’t take too long for Pokemon TCG Pocket to acknowledge its mistake as the official Twitter handle of the game has recently shared its response regarding the ongoing controversy. It says this is actually a “production issue” by the card production team and it provided “incorrect reference materials as official documents”, which happened to be the artwork by Ianjiujiu.
We'd like to share an update about the upcoming expansion in #PokemonTCGPocket. pic.twitter.com/W2GdG8Wv5n
— Pokémon TCG Pocket (@PokemonTCGP) July 30, 2025
The company also stated that both Ho-Oh EX and Lugia EX had been replaced by temporary placeholder cards displaying “New art coming soon.” There has been no problem with the design of Lugia EX but as its animation featured Ho-Oh as part of a shared mural. So, Lugia’s design was also removed as well. It is ensured by the company that it will conduct a broader investigation so that no similar issues ever exist elsewhere in the game.
If it was any other card, there wouldn’t have been this much controversy as Pokemon TCG Pocket would have pulled them out from the game. But both Ho-Oh EX and Lugia EX are one of the rarest cards in the game and both share each other’s Immersive Art Animation. That’s why this situation escalated so high.
Read More: How to build the best Ultra Necrozma ex deck in Pokémon TCG Pocket?
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