More cards were recently revealed for the Battle Partners set in Pokémon Trading Card Gameand countless players are excited about what they have in store. The cards in this set that are of most interest to collectors and competitive players are the Owner's Pokémon cards, which are finally returning after many years. Many Pokémon fans have been waiting for their favorite trainer to be introduced, but there's a recent reveal that was a surprising addition to the set.
In the first reveal trailer that announced the return of the Owner's Pokémon, several iconic trainers were shown off alongside their powerful Pokémon partners. These characters were N, Lillie and Marniewith many others like Arven, Ethan and Misty being teased for the future. However, it appears that Marnie is no longer the only Gen 8 trainer who is receiving a Pokémon Owner card.
Hop's Zacian Ex card is one of the new battle partner cards
Another Gen 8 trainer for battle partners
One of the new owner Pokémon cards revealed for Battle Partners is Hop's former Zacianas highlighted in an article by PokéBeach. Hop is best known for being the younger brother of Galarian champion Leon, as well as being a friend of the player and one of his three rivals in the Pokémon Sword and Shield. This makes him the second Generation 8 trainer to appear in this set.
The full artistic variation of this card is especially beautiful and charming, as it depicts a scene in which Hop kneels next to Zacian and caresses him as the two walk together through a sunlit forest. The illustration made by DOM has fantastic use of colorsallowing everything to stand out amongst the green foliage of the grass. It also helps to truly emphasize the size of Zacian himself, making him appear incredibly large and imposing when around a young trainer like Hop.
Hop is divisive, but Zacian could make this a solid chase card
A highly sought after card despite its mixed reception
It cannot be ignored, however, that the popularity of Hop within the Pokemon the community is significantly smaller compared to Marnie and many of the other characters in the franchise. Reactions are inevitably mixed when a less popular character gets so much attention, even if some fans end up getting excited. Despite that, the fact that he appears on a fantastic full-art card alongside a powerful legendary Pokémon like Zacian it could still attract many collectors to seek it out once it is released.
While Hop's inclusion in the Battle Partners set was a divisive decision, it's hard to deny that the card will still be highly sought after when it releases. DOM's incredible art combined with Zacian's legendary status and power creates a lot of potential to be desirable alongside other fantastic Owner cards. Fans should stay tuned for when this card finally becomes part of the Pokémon Trading Card Game.
Source: PokéBeach