At the recent 2025 Pokémon Europe International Championships (EUIC) in London, the prototype for Shinji Kanda’s illustration of the iconic Art Rare (AR) Magikarp card from Triplet Beat [SV1a] was displayed to the public for the first time.

Kanda’s first illustration concept did not include the Gyarados head in the top-right corner that eventually made it into the final product. This therefore shows that the Gyarados head was a last-minute addition—and one which clearly elevated the card as a whole.

This revelation in turned sparked much discussion among the Pokémon TCG community about the true meaning behind the Gyarados head. Some even claimed that the head wasn’t one of an actual Gyarados—merely a visual projection of one; it could have been meant to be metaphorical, with evolution being the reward that awaits Magikarp at the top of the waterfall.

In other TCG-related news, check out the Umbreon GX card from Hidden Fates. Alternatively, you can also head over to the SNKRDUNK App via the banner below and find the top trending and latest single cards and boxes.

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