Malamar Artwork Reveals Illustrators and TCG Team Collaborations

In TCG ·

Malamar card art from Champion's Path illustrated by kawayoo

Image courtesy of TCGdex.net

Collaborations Between Illustrators and TCG Teams

In the ever-evolving world of the Pokémon Trading Card Game, the collaboration between illustrators and the coordinated TCG teams behind each set is a story worth savoring. When a card like Malamar surfaces, it isn’t just a stat block on cardboard—it’s a vivid collaboration that blends lore, gameplay, and art into a single, hypnotic experience. The artist behind this piece, kawayoo, brings a distinct, inky mood to Malamar’s Chromatic nightscape, reminding fans that the hyper-polished world of Champion’s Path is built on real hands and imaginations at work. ⚡🔥

Malamar sits in the darkness of the Darkness type and evolves from Inkay, a reminder that the evolution arc in Pokémon TCG often parallels a creature’s growing mastery of its own phenomenon. At 120 HP, this Stage 1 Pokémon carries a compact but dynamic moveset that rewards strategic planning and a bit of luck—perfect for players who enjoy the tension of coin-flip outcomes and the control of the board. The card’s rarity is Uncommon within Champion’s Path, a set that emphasizes accessible power and snappy play, while also inviting collectors to chase the subtle variations found in non-holo and reverse holo print runs.

Card data at a glance

  • Set: Champion's Path (swsh3.5)
  • Card number: 45
  • Type: Darkness
  • Stage: Stage 1 (evolves from Inkay)
  • HP: 120
  • Attacks:
    • Eerie Wave — Cost: Darkness, Colorless. Effect: Your opponent's Active Pokémon is now Confused. Damage: 50.
    • Random Peck — Cost: Darkness, Darkness, Colorless. Effect: Flip 2 coins. This attack does 40 more damage for each heads. Damage: 80+.
  • Weakness: Grass x2
  • Retreat: 3
  • Illustrator: kawayoo
  • Rarity: Uncommon
  • Regulation: D
  • Legal in formats: Expanded (standard format does not include this card in regular play)

From a gameplay perspective, Malamar rewards calculated risk. Eerie Wave offers a straightforward disruption—confusing the opponent’s Active Pokémon can swing the tempo, especially when you’re squeezing out a few extra turns with the right board state. Random Peck, with its 80 base damage plus coin-flip bonuses, turns Malamar into a bit of a gamble machine. The diagram of possibility—heads adding up to more damage—creates a tense, adrenaline-pumping match experience that many players chase in the late-game phases of a tournament bout. The card’s weakness to Grass reminds us that type matchups remain a core part of deck construction, pushing players to consider bench composition and the timing of Inkay’s evolution into Malamar to maximize vulnerability windows for the opponent. 🎴🎮

The art, anchored by the luminescent spots that Malamar gazes at, serves as a visual metaphor for the hypnotic lure of competitive play. kawayoo’s style here leans into inky gradients, punctuated highlights, and a faint halo that seems to pull the viewer into the Malamar’s gaze. This is more than a pretty illustration; it’s a storytelling device that communicates the card’s in-game effect—control, disruption, and a little theatrical flourish—without saying a word. For collectors, this is a reminder that a single illustration can elevate a card from a mere stat sheet to a coveted piece of micro-narrative within a larger universe. The collaboration between the artist and the Champion’s Path design team demonstrates how TCG sets curate not only mechanics but also moments of lore and atmosphere that resonate with fans. 💎💎

Champion’s Path, with its 70 official cards (and a total of 80 cards in the set’s broader release), demonstrates how contemporary teams balance accessibility with depth. Malamar’s non-first-edition, non-holo flavor, paired with reverse-foil variants, speaks to a collector’s strategy: seek nuanced prints that capture the художник’s intent while also navigating the market’s demand for rarity. The card’s placement within Expanded legality adds another layer for competitive players who curate evolving decks—Malamar can slot into older rotation lines where players revisit Darkness archetypes, while still presenting a unique art piece that fans adore for its storytelling quality. The “D” regulation mark helps keep the ecosystem organized and legible for tournament organizers, making it an instructive example of how artistry and regulatory mechanics intertwine in modern TCG design. ⚡🎨

For collectors watching price movements, Malamar offers a compelling micro-narrative. CardMarket data shows a modest EUR pricing footprint with averages around the few-cent range (avg ~0.04 EUR, with occasional dips to ~0.02 EUR), while TCgPlayer data for the normal variant sits in a similar orbit (low around $0.03, mid around $0.18, up to $1.49 at the high end for some copies). The holo variants, where present in other sets, typically command a premium, but Champion’s Path maintains a tight price curve for most normal prints. The trend hints at long-tail interest rather than speculative spikes—a signal that the card is valued for both playability in expanded lines and the aesthetic appreciation of the artist’s contribution. For fans who collect by theme, this is a prime example of a collaboration that blends a strong illustrator’s voice with a clear, readable tactical identity on the tabletop. 🪙🔥

Magsafe Phone Case with Card Holder (Glossy Matte)

Whether you’re a player chasing the thrill of a decisive Eerie Wave or a collector savoring the narrative strokes of kawayoo’s art, Malamar stands as a small but shining beacon of collaboration in the Pokémon TCG. It’s a reminder that the hobby thrives on teamwork—between illustrators, game designers, editors, and players—each adding a layer to a card’s identity that goes beyond numbers on a card sleeve. The hypnotic Malamar artwork isn’t just a pretty face; it’s a symbol of how modern TCGs breathe life into their creatures through the union of paint, imagination, and playability. 🎴💫

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