Leafeon VSTAR #GG35

Oh this is my absolute chase card. Sure, a gold card would fetch me a pretty penny (if it were possible to convince my son to sell the damn things), but the artwork here is something I’ve stared at for minutes at a time.

I don’t think I’ve seen a card before with so much (coherently) going on (take that, Lost Origin Giratina). That Leafeon has clearly gone full Poison Ivy, sat in its greenhouse lair, plotting the death of Batman.

This is by Jiro Sasumo, a new artist in 2022 who won one of Pokémon’s regular Illustration Grand Prix contests, and who has already contributed some of the most iconic designs of last year. Brilliant Stars’ Vaporeon was his, along with Astral Radiance’s Allister Trainer Gallery, and that stunning Galarian Moltres V in the same set. Even better is the three-part Ralts, Kirlia and Gardevoir ex set in Japan’s Scarlet & Violet base set, which I desperately hope is coming our way in March.

And no, YOU just bought another Crown Zenith ETB just with the ridiculous hope of finally pulling this card.

Ungraded: $37.97

PSA 10: $221.71