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Pokémon fans love to collect cards with tactile art mediums like clay, yarn, or cardboard. Such artwork is typically made by longtime Pokémon trading card game contributors, like Yuka Morii, Asako Ito, and Sachiko Adachi. With the upcoming set Delta Reign, there’s a new name to add to the list: Tayu.
Tayu’s first card debuts on Nov. 6, when the Rayquaza-themed set is released alongside the Pokémon TCG 30th anniversary collection. Delta Reign is not exactly Tayu’s first rodeo with the brand. Fans who followed the 2024 Pokémon illustration contest may remember Tayu as a runner-up. The grand prize winner, Kazuki Minami, took home the gold with a yawning Pikachu illustration. Minami’s entry was extremely cute, but Tayu’s contribution was arguably more creative. Tayu’s illustration was an embroidered depiction of Feraligatr, in which the Water-type starter swims toward crepuscular rays.
Two years later, Tayu is back with another embroidered creation that fans will be able to collect in Delta Reign. This one is an embroidered female Nidoran card, which you can see below. It may not be powerful, and it might not fetch a high price on the resale market. Yet Tayu’s first card is one of the most distinctive artworks to grace the TCG in a long while. Collectors will definitely be eyeing the reverse holofoil of the Nidoran card.
Hopefully, this is just the first of many cards to come. Tayu also entered an embroidered Eevee and Flygon for the 2024 competition that didn’t place, so it’s clear that the artist has more needles to thread.
Based on recent leaks of cards for Delta Reign, the set is shaping up to be one of the best drops of the year. Storied TCG artists like Jerky, Shinji Kanda, and Akira Egawa all make an appearance in the verdant set. However, it’s the fantastic secret rare illustration cards featuring monsters like Growlithe, Groudon, and Kecleon that make this set one to watch. That Tayu manages to stand out even amid such a stacked roster only further reinforces Nidoran’s unique card.
