Thanks to The Pokémon Company, we can now exclusively reveal the English version of Meowth's SIR from the upcoming Pokémon set Perfect Order, and what a Meowth it is! The art is perhaps a little simple in style for an SIR card, so I can see this one being divisive, but personally I like its classic, cartoony look and the golden border which really makes it pop. Hey, is that a deliberate reference to the old gold-border Meowth promo?
This is also a super playable card in the Pokémon TCG. The attack is nothing to write home about (actually that's an understatement) but being able to fetch up any supporter card when you play this to the bench is fantastic on a basic Pokémon. I'd be truly surprised if this didn't see competitive play.
I can't be sure, but this card's effect feels like a nod to Meowth's role in the video games. I don't think I've ever used one in battle (perhaps once in a nuzlocke), but because this was the first Pokémon with the Pickup ability, it was still useful to have one in your party in Fire Red and Leaf Green just to find random items.
Meowth is a much-loved Pokémon, so I can see this pop art-inspired SIR being a highly desirable card. It holds this status not just for being part of the original 151, but thanks to its appearance in the anime, where a Meowth served as an invaluable member of Team Rocket and side-kick to Pokémon's best villain characters Jesse and James (fight me).
He was also one of the only Pokémon that could talk without using telepathy, an ability that's normally reserved for Legendary Pokémon like Entei and the literal Pokémon god Arceus.
Of course, since this Meowth card was in Japan's Nullifying Zero set, it was more-or-less guaranteed that it would be printed in Perfect Order, the English equivalent.
We'll have to keep an eye on the price tag for this version. We predict this will be one of the biggest Perfect Order chase cards, since currently it's the third most valuable Nullifying Zero card, only bested by Rosa's Encouragement (full-arts of characters typically do better in Japan) and the golden Mega Zygarde ex.
You can find way more rare Pokémon cards in our dedicated guide. Or come share your thoughts on the upcoming set in the Wargamer Discord.