Overview

• The Pokémon Company released new official immersive artworks for Lugia EX and Ho-Oh EX in Pokémon TCG Pocket, replacing the “New Art Coming Soon” placeholders as of August 8.
• The original art was removed after Chinese artist Lanjiujiu alleged that the initial designs closely traced a 2021 fan artwork, prompting an apology and internal review.
• The company clarified that illustrator SIE NANAHARA was not at fault and attributed the issue to incorrect reference materials provided by the card-production team.
• Players who had previously pulled the affected cards saw their placeholders automatically swapped to the updated artworks, complete with unique rare-card animations in the My Cards screen.
• Community reactions have largely praised Ho-Oh’s redesigned art as an improvement, while many fans have criticized Lugia’s awkward chest-forward pose.