Until recently, Nymble sat alongside the likes of Bergmite, Pincurchin, and Maractus as a completely forgettable Pokémon lying half forgotten in some beige backroom of my brain. The recently printed Illustration Rare variant of Nymble from Phantasmal Flames has completely changed my perspective on the bold little bug. Now I can see something kind of great about the little grasshopper and, I'm hoping that once you've read this, you'll see it too.
Most full-art Pokémon cards fulfill one of two objectives. They want to make their subject appear either awe-inspiringly powerful or snug, huggable, and super cute.
There's no shortage of Charizard cards depicting the winged behemoth ferociously soaring into combat, expelling jets of flame. Similarly, there are plenty of printings of Pikachu where the world's most marketable mouse (sorry Mickey) looks so chibi and adorable that it almost hurts.
The Phantasmal Flames illustration of Nymble goes for neither of these vibes. In fact, it's difficult to tell what this art is trying to convey, and that's what makes it so compelling.
The Paldean bug is nestled among some flowers with an expression that's utterly unreadable thanks to it's insectoid features. Is Nymble feeling angry, happy, sad, confused, or any number of other emotions? We may never know, and Nakamura Ippan has done a great job of conveying that sense of mystery.
One thing is for sure, though, just like the flowers around it, Nymble is very fragile. It only has 50 HP, and it can only attack by flailing around. It would be all too easy to accidentally step on this bug, trampling it and it's flowery resting spot without a second thought.
Ami I overthinking this? Quite possibly, all I know is that now, I just think Nymbles are neat.
What are some of your favorite unsung pieces of Pokémon TCG artwork? Give them a shoutout in the Wargamer Discord.
For more information on the latest Pokémon TCG releases, check out our guide to the eight biggest chase cards from Phantasmal Flames. Sadly, Nymble is not among them.