Image courtesy of TCGdex.net
Custom Art and Fan Proxies: Lickitung in the Spotlight
In the vibrant world of the Pokémon TCG, fans continually push the hobby beyond the factory lines—sketching new identities for familiar faces, reimagining card art, and crafting proxy designs that echo their personal collections. The basic fanfare around Lickitung in the Space-Time Smackdown era is a perfect case study. This particular card, printed as part of set A2, spotlights a casually menacing charm: a Colorless Basic with 80 HP and a single, sturdy attack that can swing battles if you build around it thoughtfully. The art, courtesy of Yukiko Baba, invites a playful, almost tactile imagination—slimy details that entice both nostalgia and strategic curiosity. ⚡🎨
From a collector’s lens, the Space-Time Smackdown set (code A2) brings a compact universe where a card like Lickitung sits at a crossroad of rarity, aesthetics, and play value. This Lickitung is labeled as One Diamond rarity, signaling its desirability among enthusiasts who chase representational excellence alongside playable stats. The set itself is modest in size but generous in character: 140 official cards in the master catalog, 207 total across all printings, with holo, normal, and reverse variants that delight binder artists and display-piece purists alike. The card’s illustration—Yukiko Baba’s handiwork—anchors a sense of whimsy while the card’s mechanics keep it rooted in the game’s tactical core. 🧾💎
Card at a glance
- Name: Lickitung
- Set: Space-Time Smackdown (A2)
- Rarity: One Diamond
- Type: Colorless
- Stage: Basic
- HP: 80
- Illustrator: Yukiko Baba
- Attack: Tongue Slap — 50 damage (Cost: Colorless Colorless Colorless)
- Weakness: Fighting +20
- Retreat cost: 2
- Variants: holo, normal, reverse (First Edition not indicated)
- Legal in formats: Standard: false, Expanded: false
- Card number: A2-124
- Booster association: Palkia
The Tongue Slap attack is a straightforward affair: pay three Colorless energies to deal 50 damage. It’s not a flashy nuke, but it’s reliably heavy enough to threaten a defensively minded opponent when supported by the right draw and energy acceleration. The retreat cost of 2 adds a small strategic friction, pushing players to weigh retreating versus pressing through an unfavorable exchange. The Fighting weakness keeps Lickitung honest against some of the era’s more aggressive Fighting-types, creating matchup considerations as you curate a deck around the colorless core. And while the card may not be legal in modern standard or expanded play, its presence in fan-made collections and proxy decks is a potent reminder of how formats evolve and how enthusiasts preserve the tactile joy of the game. 🧭🎴
“Fan art isn’t just pretty—it’s a bridge between memory and meta, between childhood sleeves and tonight’s tabletop battles.”
Custom art and fan proxies thrive on that bridge. Artists reinterpret familiar silhouettes with new palettes, textures, and storylines, offering fresh flavor while keeping the core mechanics intact. For Lickitung, fan proxies might explore textures that mimic its lore description—an itch that’s said to set in if the sticky saliva isn’t cleaned away. In practice, proxy artists lean into the card’s colorless identity, playing with gradient hues that emphasize the creature’s soft, rubbery silhouette, while ensuring the holographic or reverse variants catch the eye of collectors. The art becomes a companion piece to the card’s stats, offering a tangible, telltale personality to a game that’s often defined by numbers. 🔎✨
Design notes for fan proxies
- Clear labeling: Proxies should clearly indicate they’re not official printings to avoid confusion in casual or sanctioned events.
- Palette and texture: Build around the Colorless theme—soft pinks, pale greens, or silvery accents can evoke the tactile feel described in the lore without compromising legibility.
- Quality printing: 1:1 scale, high-contrast text, and sturdy stock help proxies withstand repeated shuffles and sleeves.
- Art attribution: Respect the original artist's work, and avoid implying that proxies are official prints; public appreciation is often a creditable outcome in these circles.
- Display value: Even when used casually, proxies become conversation pieces, turning a simple Lickitung into a canvas of fan scholarship and personal storytelling.
For players considering using proxies in casual play, Lickitung’s basic status makes it an approachable starter for “what-if” matchups, especially when you’re exploring deck-building around Colorless energy engines. You might pair it with quick-draw staples, or experiment with a splash of other basic Colorless attackers to see how the trio of attackers performs when the tide of draws isn’t perfectly aligned. The key is to keep proxies clearly labeled and to celebrate the art—each proxy becomes a mini exhibit of a fan’s creative journey, a story that travels with your cards. 🎯🎨
To accompany this celebration of artistry and play, budget-conscious collectors can also peek at practical accessories that help keep the hobby organized on-the-go. A neat little companion for any tournament prep or casual night is a phone grip kickstand back holder stand, perfect for propping up a phone to review card scans, draft ideas, or stream a live match with teammates. This practical tool pairs nicely with the tactile experience of dealing with proxies, offering a way to keep your space efficient while you trade, sketch, or discuss ideas with fellow fans. It’s the small things that connect strategy with storytelling. 🔗⚡
Ready to explore more? Discover a hands-on way to keep your play space efficient and stylish with the product linked below, and then dive into the five fan-friendly articles from our network that keep the conversation alive across the hobby.
Phone Click-On Grip Kickstand Back Holder Stand
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