Image courtesy of TCGdex.net
Collaborations Between Illustrators and TCG Teams: A Look Through Houndstone’s Art
In the Pokémon TCG, the people who bring a card to life go beyond the rules of play. Illustrators, colorists, and art directors collaborate with the game design team to fuse narrative, strategy, and aesthetics into a single moment captured on cardboard. The Houndstone card from Obsidian Flames is a vivid case study of this dynamic. Crafted by Saya Tsuruta, the artwork grounds a room-filled swarm of psychic energy with a poised, almost stoic presence. It’s a shining example of how an artist’s signature style can elevate not just the look, but the feel of the card’s gameplay cadence ⚡🔥.
Meet Houndstone: a Psychic Stage 1 with a striking toolkit
Houndstone (SV03-101) sits at 140 HP and carries the Psychic type that many fans associate with eerie focus and ghostly flashes of color. As a Stage 1 Pokémon, it represents a strategic evolution moment for decks built around precision timing and resource management. This card is offered in normal and reverse-holo variants within the Obsidian Flames set—an arrangement that invites both players to feel the thrill of discovery and collectors to chase the shimmer of a rare printing. Saya Tsuruta’s illustration grips the eye with motion and mood, translating the card’s mechanical tension into a single, unforgettable image.
- Type: Psychic
- Stage: Stage 1
- HP: 140
- Attacks:
- Rear Kick — Cost: Colorless, Colorless. Damage: 30.
- Two Four-ocious — Cost: Psychic, Colorless, Colorless. Damage: 80+; Effect: If your opponent has exactly 2 or 4 Prize cards remaining, this attack does 120 more damage.
- Retreat: 3
- Rarity: Uncommon
- Set: Obsidian Flames (SV03). Card number 101/197 official; 230 total cards in the set.
- Illustrator: Saya Tsuruta
- Regulation: Standard and Expanded legal; Updated 2025-08-16
The card’s engine—the two attacks—gives players a neat strategic arc. A simple 30-damage opener with Rear Kick can help set up later plays, while Two Four-ocious becomes a potential game-changer when the prize-situation lines up just right. The “80+” base feels like a solid mid-game threat, and the conditional extra 120 damage adds a dramatic spike that can decide matches when you’ve got your opponent cornered by prize cards. This interplay between the card text and the art’s aura is exactly what a collaborative process aims to achieve: a piece where mechanics and mood reinforce one another. 🎴🎨
Art, direction, and the collaboration workflow
Behind the scenes, a collaboration like this starts with a tight brief: convey the card’s psychic energy, hint at the Houndstone family’s cunning, and maintain readability of the attack costs and HP atop the frame. The art director aligns with Saya Tsuruta’s distinctive line work and color sensibilities to ensure the image breathes with the set’s Obsidian Flames atmosphere while remaining legible amid textual demands. The result is an image that feels ready to leap from the card—an invitation to players to imagine the battlefield before they shuffle—and a collectible piece that resonates with fans who recognize Saya’s signature touch. 🔥
For collectors, the distinction between normal and reverse-holo prints matters. Houndstone SV03-101 exists in both forms, enhancing its appeal to players who want dependable gameplay and to collectors who chase the shimmer of a rare variant. The careful balance between art and game text is a reminder that illustrators aren’t just decorating cards—they’re shaping the storytelling lens through which we approach the game. 💎
Market view: value, rarity, and the pulse of a card in Obsidian Flames
From a collector’s perspective, Uncommon cards like Houndstone often sit in a crowded space where playability and art collide. CardMarket data (as of late 2025) shows the non-holo (normal) print hovering around an average of roughly €0.04, with a low around €0.02 and a gentle upward drift near €0.05. The reverse-holo variant tends to attract more attention and, correspondingly, a higher price floor—often around €0.23 on average—with occasional upticks as demand for Obsidian Flames art surges. The set’s total footprint—197 official cards in SV03 with a wider 230-card span—highlights just how many unique pieces fans chase, and how a standout illustration can lift a single card’s memory value as well as its sale price. This is the kind of trend that fuels conversations among players who admire both the art and the tactics, a synergy that Saya Tsuruta’s work embodies for Houndstone. 📈🎴
In practical terms, the card’s combination of Stage 1 status, solid 140 HP, and a two-attack toolkit provides dependable play while the art gives it a memorable identity within Obsidian Flames. The collaboration between illustrators and the TCG team isn’t just about a pretty picture—it’s about crafting moments that remain memorable long after the match is over, when players flip the card back into their binder and reminisce about the game that card helped them play. ⚡🎮
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