I’ve been a Pokémon fan since I was a kid, so vintage Pokémon cards are always going to have a special place for me.
There’s just something about seeing an original Base Set Charizard, Blastoise, Venusaur, or even a random card like Caterpie that immediately brings back memories. The old yellow borders, the simple holo patterns, and that classic artwork are burned into my brain.
Vintage Pokémon has something modern cards can never recreate:
Nostalgia.
But here’s the thing…
If you asked me which cards I actually enjoy collecting more today?
I think I might have to say modern Pokémon.
And a huge reason for that is the artwork.
Modern Pokémon Artwork Is Insane
Pokémon has absolutely stepped up its game with Illustration Rares and Special Illustration Rares.
Some of these cards aren’t just cool Pokémon cards anymore. They’re legitimately tiny pieces of artwork.
Instead of simply putting a Pokémon in front of a colorful background, we’re getting entire scenes.
You might see a Pokémon sleeping in someone’s house, wandering through a city, hanging out in the woods, interacting with other Pokémon, or just doing something completely ordinary.
And I freaking love it.
The artwork gives the Pokémon personality.
Sometimes I’ll see an IR of a Pokémon I’ve never particularly cared about and suddenly think:
Okay… I need that card.
Not because it’s incredibly rare.
Not because it’s worth $200.
Just because it looks awesome.
SIRs Take It Even Further
Then there are Special Illustration Rares.
Holy crap.
Pulling a great SIR is one of my favorite things about opening modern Pokémon.
You’ve got the full-card artwork, textures, colors, tiny background details and some absolutely incredible artists creating cards that look completely different from anything we had when I was a kid.
And that’s something I think is important when comparing modern Pokémon to vintage.
Vintage cards are iconic.
Modern cards are beautiful.
Those aren’t necessarily the same thing.
It’s Not Always About the Expensive Cards
One thing modern Pokémon has actually changed about how I collect is that I find myself caring less about whether a card is the biggest hit in the set.
Obviously pulling the expensive chase card is awesome.
I’m not going to pretend otherwise.
But sometimes an Illustration Rare worth a few bucks is one of my favorite cards in the entire set.
That’s what I love about the current era.
There are so many cards I want simply because I like looking at them.
That’s what collecting should be.
So Which Do I Prefer?
This is harder than I expected.
If you told me I had to get rid of my childhood-era Pokémon cards, I’d probably fight you.
Okay, maybe not literally.
But we’re going to have some words.
Vintage represents my childhood. It’s the era that introduced me to Pokémon and started this entire hobby for me.
But if we’re talking purely about what I enjoy collecting and opening right now?
I think modern wins.
IRs and SIRs have made opening packs exciting in a completely different way. I’m not only looking for Charizard, Pikachu, Mew, or whatever the big chase happens to be.
I’m looking for artwork.
Sometimes the card I end up loving isn’t even one I knew I wanted until I pulled it.
And that’s probably my favorite thing about modern Pokémon.
Vintage makes me nostalgic for being a kid collecting Pokémon cards.
Modern Pokémon makes me excited to keep collecting them.
