The Pokémon Trading Card Game (PTCGO) Space Time Smackdown expansion, released January 30th, features a Weavile ex card whose artwork has sparked significant online debate. Specifically, the 2-Star full-art version depicts a group of Weavile poised to attack an unsuspecting Swinub, prompting outrage from many players. Reddit posts highlighting the image, such as one titled "NO ! SWINUB LOOK UP !! LOOK UP !!", have garnered thousands of upvotes, with users expressing concern and sadness over the depicted violence. Comments range from simple pleas to "Leave the lil guy alone," to more thoughtful reflections on the often-brutal implications of the Pokémon world's ecology, noting the inherent animalistic nature of even the most powerful creatures with their laser-beam abilities.
However, some fans offer a glimmer of hope, pointing to the Mamoswine full-art card—Swinub's evolution—as a potential happy ending. This card shows Mamoswine protectively looking upwards, seemingly aware of the Weavile and safeguarding younger Swinub. Comments such as "Hey, Mamoswine protected his baby. Don't worry. He most definitely saw those Weaviles" attempt to provide a positive counterpoint to the distressing Weavile artwork.
Space Time Smackdown, a Pokémon Diamond and Pearl themed set, includes 207 cards (fewer than Genetic Apex's 286, but with a higher percentage of rare cards—52 alternate art, Star, and Crown rarity cards compared to Genetic Apex's 60). The set features popular Pokémon like Weavile, Mamoswine, Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina.
Despite the controversy surrounding a recent trading update and the unsettling Weavile artwork, Creatures Inc. has yet to publicly address the concerns. While a "Trade Feature Celebration Gift" offering 500 Trade Tokens and 120 Trade Hourglasses was distributed, the developer has remained silent on fan complaints and has not responded to inquiries from IGN.
