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What Was “New Art Coming Soon” in Pokémon TCG Pocket? The Ho-Oh and Lugia Art Controversy Explained

The phrase was a temporary placeholder on two immersive cards in Pokémon TCG Pocket’s Wisdom of Sea and Sky expansion. The Pokémon Company cited incorrect materials, and replacement art was reported in-game on August 8, 2025.
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“New Art Coming Soon” was temporary placeholder text on the immersive 3-Star Ho-Oh ex and Lugia ex cards in Pokémon TCG Pocket’s Wisdom of Sea and Sky expansion. The Pokémon Company replaced their artwork after saying its card production team had supplied the commissioned illustrator with incorrect materials as official documents. The replacement art was reported in-game on August 8, 2025, so the phrase is not the cards’ current title or a continuing status message.

What did “New Art Coming Soon” mean in Pokémon TCG Pocket?

It was the label players saw where the illustrations should have appeared on the immersive Ho-Oh ex and Lugia ex cards, each marked 3-Star, in the Wisdom of Sea and Sky expansion. GameSpot reported on July 30, 2025 that the cards had been pulled from use and that players encountering them saw “New Art Coming Soon” instead of the art. The phrase described a temporary replacement, not a new card, expansion, or permanent feature. GameSpot’s report covered the placeholder as it appeared at the time.

Why were the Ho-Oh ex and Lugia ex illustrations replaced?

In its July 29, 2025 notice, The Pokémon Company said an internal review found that the card production team had provided the commissioned illustrator with incorrect materials as official documents. The company stated: “After internal review, we discovered that the card production team provided incorrect materials as official documents to the illustrator commissioned to create these cards.” It said both cards would use temporary placeholder illustrations while new art was prepared, and apologized to players and illustrators. The Pokémon Company’s “Notice Regarding New Illustrations” is the primary account of its explanation.

What was the plagiarism allegation—and what did the company confirm?

Contemporaneous coverage connected the controversy to artist Lanjiujiu’s public claim that the Ho-Oh card closely resembled an earlier fan illustration. That allegation was reported by secondary outlets, including GameSpot; it is distinct from the company’s official explanation.

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The company’s notice attributed the problem to incorrect reference materials being supplied as official documents. It did not name Lanjiujiu or characterize the matter as plagiarism. The available notices and contemporaneous reporting establish neither a court finding or legal judgment nor the illustrator’s intent or the full chain of custody for the materials. It is therefore more accurate to describe this as an illustration controversy involving a reported allegation and the company’s stated production failure than to present plagiarism as a legally established finding.

When did the replacement art arrive?

The timeline distinguishes the company’s announcement from reporting that the change had actually appeared:

  • July 29, 2025: The Pokémon Company announced the production issue, temporary placeholders, an investigation into possible similar issues elsewhere in the game, and a commitment to strengthen quality control. It said: “We are also conducting a broader investigation to ensure no similar issues exist elsewhere in the game.” That records the company’s stated intention; its notice did not provide findings from that investigation. The July 29 notice.
  • August 7, 2025: The company said: “As an update, players can look forward to new illustrations for these cards being released in-game within the next day.” This was a forecast, not an exact patch time. The August 7 update.
  • August 8, 2025: Japanese outlet AUTOMATON reported that the illustrations had been updated in-game. AUTOMATON’s August 8 report describes the replacement as having arrived.
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Does this affect physical Pokémon cards?

The notices concern the digital Pokémon TCG Pocket game, which is available for iOS and Android. They describe changes to those cards’ in-game illustrations; they do not say that physical Pokémon TCG cards or boosters were altered. Physical products are not a substitute for artwork displayed in Pocket.

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