The Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket's latest expansion, Space Time Smackdown, released on January 30, has stirred strong emotions among players due to the controversial artwork on one of its cards. The card at the center of the controversy is the Weavile ex 2 Star full art card, which depicts a group of Weavile lurking in the treetops, claws poised to attack an unsuspecting Swinub. This graphic scene has led to widespread outcry from fans on social media platforms like Reddit, where posts about the card have garnered nearly 10,000 upvotes.

"No Swinub, look up! Look up!" exclaimed one Reddit user in a post showcasing the card's artwork. The sentiment was echoed by others, with comments like, "Always got to be one card per set that shows Pokémon in the process of straight up killing each other," and pleas to "Leave the lil guy alone." The depiction of Pokémon in such a brutal context has reignited discussions about the game's portrayal of Pokémon ecology, with one fan noting, "The ecology of Pokémon is always so crazy to imagine. Like these are still animals, some smarter than others. Just they have the ability to fire laser beams."

Amidst the controversy, some fans are finding solace in another card from the set. The full art card for Mamoswine, the evolved form of Swinub, shows the protective mammoth Pokémon looking upwards while shielding a group of Swinub, suggesting a hopeful resolution. "Hey, Mamoswine protected his baby. Don't worry. He most definitely saw those Weaviles," a fan optimistically commented. Another added, "The Mamoswine alt card already looks above. He saw them. He saw..."

Space Time Smackdown, themed around Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, introduces iconic Pokémon like Weavile, Mamoswine, Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina. The set comprises 207 cards, making it smaller than the previous Genetic Apex expansion, which had 286 cards. However, Space Time Smackdown includes 52 alternate art, Star, and Crown rarity cards, offering a higher percentage of rare cards compared to Genetic Apex's 60 such cards.

Creatures Inc., the developer behind the game, has yet to address the controversy surrounding the Weavile ex card. The focus on their social media and within the game remains on promoting Space Time Smackdown. They also did not respond to IGN's request for comment on the matter. Despite the silence, a "Trade Feature Celebration Gift" was distributed, containing 500 Trade Tokens and 120 Trade Hourglasses, sufficient for trading one ex Pokémon, but the developer has not directly addressed the fan backlash.