Pokemon TCG Pocket Update Addresses the Plagiarism…

Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket has added new artwork for its Gen 2 legendaries after the original artwork displayed on both the Ho-Oh EX and Lugia EX cards were pulled due to plagiarism concerns. There's a fresh update currently available in Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket, and it's aimed specifically at giving the cover stars of Pokemon Gold and Silver an inoffensive makeover.

The Wisdom of the Sea and Sky expansion in the mobile card battler was released on July 30. New expansions have been added to Pokemon TCG Pocket almost every month since its launch at the end of October 2024, but July's was a truly massive one, with 241 Wisdom of the Sea and Sky cards being released between two different packs, including variants like shinies and special full-art cards.

Pokemon TCG Pocket Handled Controversy in the Best Way Possible

DeNA’s response to the recent Pokemon TCG Pocket controversy is a masterclass in handling a crisis, and other developers might want to take note.

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By Mohsen Baqery

Pokemon TCG Pocket Updates Ho-oh EX After Plagiarism Scandal

However, a day before those packs were even released, claims of plagiarism against Pokemon TCG Pocket surfaced, as artist lanjiujiu shared a preview image of the Ho-Oh EX card alongside one of their own pieces of artwork from 2021, which shared several similarities. As a result, the artwork was quickly pulled from the card, and players drawing a Ho-Oh EX from its corresponding Wisdom of the Sea and Sky pack were instead presented with a card featuring a plain salmon pink background with "New Art Coming Soon" printed in white text. The new update, which weighs in at just 37 MB, replaces the old artwork for both of the three-star Ho-Oh EX and Lugia EX cards, including for players who have already pulled them, and an update on the game's news page states that the development team members "sincerely apologize for any inconvenience."

Serebii Update: Pokémon TCG Pocket has added new artwork to the immersive 3 Star Ho-Oh and Lugia cards for the Wisdom of Sea and Sky set www.serebii.net — Serebii.net (@serebii.bsky.social) 2025-08-08T06:02:29.275Z

Coming more than a week after the expansion launched, the latest apology and the actual changing of the cards' artwork seems to have put an end to the controversy, but it's not the first time that the developers have publicly addressed the issue. While not directly brought up via the in-app news on the expansion's launch date, the game's official Twitter account did provide a response to the Pokmeon TCG Pocket plagiarism allegations, stating that the official illustrator assigned to these two cards' design was provided with "incorrect reference materials." That message also announced that new art was being drawn up and that an investigation had been launched to determine if any other cards had similar issues.

Despite the controversy, the end-of-July update seems to be a hit, as the quality-of-life upgrades to Pokemon TCG Pocket have received a positive response from the fan base. These include the options to purchase Pack Hourglasses in bulk and view the number of owned cards on the Pack Points Exchange screen.

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