2) Not a card originally from an earlier year but reprinted in 2024; only 2024 originals will be considered. Notably, this disqualifies the Umbreon Master Ball Mirror<\/a> card reprinted in Terastal Festival ex [SV8a]\u2014it was originally from 2023 set Ruler of the Black Flame [SV3].<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019ve also selected no more than one card per set. This not only promotes set diversity while also providing a more holistic picture of the Pok\u00e9mon TCG and ONE PIECE Card Game scenes this year; it also makes it so that each card is \u201crepresenting\u201d its set, thus raising the stakes in our polls. (More on that later.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finally, we have chosen to exclude the Gol D. Roger Manga Rare<\/a> card from ONE PIECE Card Game set Emperors in the New World [OP-09] because its status and value are so far above those of all the other nominees that we believed that it would\u2019ve made the polls too one-sided; as such, we are instead designating it with the title of \u201cHonorary Card of the Year 2024<\/strong>\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With all of that out of the way, let\u2019s meet the 12 cards we\u2019ve nominated for the inaugural SNKRDUNK Card of the Year title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Black Bolt and White Flare, the enormously anticipated dual set that\u2019ll serve as Gen 5\u2019s equivalent of the iconic Pok\u00e9mon Card 151 [SV2a], won\u2019t be out until June 2025. However, this year, there was nonetheless a massive pull featuring a Gen 5 character: Bianca\u2019s Devotion from Cyber Judge [SV5M].<\/p>\n\n\n\n This SAR card depicts the character first introduced as one of the player\u2019s two rivals in Pok\u00e9mon Black and White, then as the assistant to Professor Juniper in sequels Pok\u00e9mon Black 2 and White 2, asleep on a couch with her Musharna looking on as it hovers overhead. In addition to the usual selling points of the card\u2014a Full Art SAR version of a female character\u2014the illustration also includes minor details that elevate the entire card. A closer look will reveal that the illustration includes Bianca\u2019s Xtransceiver on her left wrist; also in the image are her glasses and what are likely the keys to Professor Juniper\u2019s laboratory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first-ever ONE PIECE Card Game subset, the Extra Booster Memorial Collection [EB-01], was released in January 2024\u2014and just like its main-set counterparts, its Manga Rare did not disappoint. The card featured Tony Tony Chopper, the medic of the Straw Hat Pirates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With Chopper being a major fan-favorite character, it was always expected that this SR-SP card would end up being one of the most coveted cards of the year. Adding to its appeal is the fact that this card is more difficult to obtain than most other Manga Rares. This is because the Extra Booster Memorial Collection [EB-01] will almost certainly never be reprinted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition, pull rates of Extra Booster Memorial Collection [EB-01] booster packs are less favorable than those of main sets, making the Chopper Manga Rare quite the impressive catch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The wishes of a great many in the ONE PIECE Card Game community\u2014especially those belonging to its primary demographic\u2014were granted when \u201cSnake Princess\u201d Boa Hancock was placed on the Manga Rare card of 500 Years in the Future [OP-07]. It was one of the most hyped cards ever almost as soon as it was announced\u2014and it lived up to the hype and then some.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hancock isn\u2019t just like any other female character\u2014One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda went out of his way to make her a character whose sex appeal was clearly exaggerated. This SR-SP card\u2019s illustration plays to this as well, putting Hancock in a somewhat suggestive pose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The fact that such a card made it onto a Manga Rare should be enough to explain why it\u2019s the major pickup that it is; to finish things off, Hancock is shown with Salome, her massive snake, who also doubles as her main weapon in combat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Teal Mask, the first DLC of Pok\u00e9mon Scarlet and Violet, introduced siblings Carmine and Kieran, two Pok\u00e9mon Trainers from the Kitakami region where the DLC\u2019s story is set. The card depicting Carmine was the biggest pull of Mask of Change [SV6].<\/p>\n\n\n\n This SAR card not only gets the usual value boost common to cards that depict a female character; Carmine also embodies a character archetype massively popular with the Pok\u00e9mon TCG fanbase in general, elevating its value even more. The scene depicted is also taken directly from the DLC, and it\u2019s one that plays into the prior point as well. Carmine is shown in a rare moment with her guard down, enjoying herself at the Festival of Masks. This card also forms half of a pair with the same set\u2019s SAR Kieran card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Silvers Rayleigh\u2019s Manga Rare card was one of the most unexpected, if not the single most unexpected, such card in ONE PIECE Card Game history. While Manga Rares typically depict a character who\u2019s normally regarded as one of the biggest fan favorites, that wasn\u2019t the case with the character that has typically lagged behind in character popularity polls\u2014but that didn\u2019t stop this card from becoming a megahit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With Two Legends [OP-08] being a set themed around legendary pirates of the past, the selection of Rayleigh\u2014the right-hand man of the \u201cPirate King\u201d Gol D. Roger\u2014as the Manga Rare makes sense in context. On that note, this SEC-SP card is also directly connected to our Honorary Card of the Year; the entire reason that Rayleigh was the Manga Rare of its set was to \u201cpave the way\u201d for the Gol D. Roger card which would arrive in Emperors of the New World [OP-09]. In hindsight, this piece of canonical continuity adds to this card\u2019s reputation; not many cards reference the source material to such an extent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All four members of the Blueberry Academy Elite Four, introduced in The Indigo Disk, the second DLC of Pok\u00e9mon Scarlet and Violet, made their Pok\u00e9mon TCG debuts in 2024. None made a bigger impact than Fairy-type specialist Lacey, whose debut SAR card is far and away more valuable than those of her fellow Elite Four members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unlike the other Blueberry Academy Elite Four members, Lacey has a connection to past Pok\u00e9mon generations, thus establishing canonical continuity. Lacey is the daughter of Driftveil Gym Leader Clay. Of course, there\u2019s also the usual value boost that\u2019s inherently possessed by cards with Full Art illustrations featuring female characters. Finally, adding to this card\u2019s appeal is the image of Lacey in her signature pose of disagreement\u2014she can be seen crossing her arms as her Fire-type Elite Four counterpart Crispin looks on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s a reasonable case to be made that One Piece protagonist Monkey D. Luffy is the single most iconic animanga character of all time. While it was always going to be mega-difficult to top his epic Gear 5 Manga Rare from Awakening of the New Era [OP-05], the Luffy Manga Rare from Emperors in the New World [OP-09] comes about as close as one could have expected; excluding our Honorary Card of the Year, it\u2019s the pick of the set\u2019s whopping five Manga Rares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the illustration of this SEC-SP card, Luffy\u2019s left fist is shown coated in Haki. Canonically, only a select few have ever been able to harness and utilize Haki in the way that Luffy has; as such, the card\u2019s illustration speaks to Luffy\u2019s immense power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The selection of Luffy as a Manga Rare in this particular set has that same effect because its five Manga Rares depict \u201cPirate King\u201d Gol D. Roger as well as each of the Four Emperors\u2014the four most powerful pirates in the One Piece universe and a group which Luffy became a member of after the Wano Country Saga.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before the release of Paradise Dragona [SV7a], Lisia, the Pok\u00e9mon Coordinator who\u2019s the niece of Sootopolis Gym Leader Wallace, had only ever been featured on one card back in Gen 7. However, despite this card only being her second featured TCG appearance, just as that card from Sky-Splitting Charisma [SM7] proved to be such a hit back then, so did this one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Obviously, this SAR card benefits from the demographical value boost that almost all cards with a Full Art illustration of a female character get. In addition, the holofoil adds to this card\u2019s visual effect as Lisia\u2019s character design and concept are based on the stereotypical J-pop idol look; thus, the holofoil makes it seem as though a spotlight is shining on Lisia and Ali, her Altaria which was featured on a Character Rare (CHR) card from Gen 8 set Incandescent Arcana [S11a].<\/p>\n\n\n\n Long before the actual release of Super Electric Breaker [SV8], it was already confirmed that the set would be headlined by a Stellar-type Pikachu ex card. When the set and thus the card finally did arrive, this Pikachu ex card more than justified the months of hype that had already built up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Full Art illustration of this SAR card depicts Pikachu ex in the crystalline form that typifies Pok\u00e9mon which have Terastallized into the Stellar type. The Tera Jewels surrounding its head reference its Terastallized status as well. Further adding to the value of this card is the fact that Pikachu ex has Terastallized into the Stellar type\u2014the only type which is exclusive to Terastallized Pok\u00e9mon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, since Pikachu is the face of the Pok\u00e9mon franchise, any card of this rarity and with imagery as striking as this card\u2019s is certain to draw immense demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although the original version of this card was released in July 2024 as part of the Red Edward Newgate Starter Deck [ST-15], this card didn\u2019t truly get its moment in the spotlight until the launch of its alternate-art version more than four months later. It\u2019s unquestionably this year\u2019s biggest pull among all cards originally from a Starter Deck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Probably the most appealing feature of this card is the illustration itself. Unlike every other Newgate card, this alternate-art version goes in a completely different direction by showing Newgate and his crew\u2014including Monkey D. Luffy\u2019s brother and fan-favorite character Portgas D. Ace\u2014aboard their ship, enjoying themselves with large quantities of alcoholic beverages. It\u2019s a less serious, humanizing take on the character nicknamed the \u201cStrongest Man in the World\u201d in canon. Ace\u2019s cameo appearance adds the final touch to this SR-SPC card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Heart Pirates captain and doctor Trafalgar Law was featured on the Manga Rare from Royal Blood [OP-10]; it was his second of the sort after the one from Awakening of the New Era [OP-05]. Law was widely expected to be on the set\u2019s Manga Rare because Royal Blood [OP-10] was a set based on the manga\u2019s Dressrosa Saga in which Law was one of the key characters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is another card with direct references to the manga arc from which the card is derived; the manga scenes used as the background of this SEC-SP card are taken from the Dressrosa Saga. Furthermore, it must be kept in mind that Law is arguably the most popular of all non-Straw Hat One Piece characters; as such, his appearance on a Manga Rare for the second time undoubtedly piqued a considerable amount of interest among the ONE PIECE Card Game community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although Creatures Inc. had originally intended for Terastal Festival ex [SV8a] to spotlight Eevee and all eight of its evolutions, it was always inevitable that Umbreon would end up the standout of the bunch. The Dark-type Eeveelution is far and away the most popular of Eevee\u2019s evolved forms\u2014a fact borne out by this card\u2019s enormous demand and value in comparison to those of its fellow Eeveelutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like the rest of the Pok\u00e9mon-ex Eeveelution cards in Terastal Festival ex [SV8a], Umbreon ex is shown to have Terastallized into the Terastallization-exclusive Stellar type. The yellow circle in the background acts like a spotlight; it brings out the spectacular imagery of the Terastallized Umbreon and its Tera Jewels. Finally, when set against the dark background, that same yellow circle almost resembles a full moon in the night sky\u2014imagery which is likely a shout-out to the near-mythical (small \u201cm\u201d, not as in \u201cMythical Pok\u00e9mon\u201d) Umbreon VMAX card from Eevee Heroes [S6a] which is better known as \u201cMoonbreon\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And now, we turn it over to you, our valued readers. Here\u2019s what you have to do to be in the running to win a copy of SNKRDUNK\u2019s 2024 Card of the Year:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1) From 20\u201324 December (12AM ET \/ 1PM SGT), vote for your favorite matchups through our polls on Instagram Stories<\/strong> or X<\/strong>. You can even reply to the posts and leave your comments on your pick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Note: To keep things competitive, we\u2019ll re-seed the matchups for the quarterfinals based on performance!<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2) Following the conclusion of the final, we\u2019ll reveal our tournament champ\u2014and that card will be the subject of a giveaway on the SNKRDUNK App<\/a><\/strong>. The giveaway will be active from 26 December (12AM ET \/ 1PM SGT) to 2 January 2025 (11:59PM ET; 3 January 12:59PM SGT).<\/p>\n\n\n\n It really is that simple. Now, let\u2019s get things started\u2014hop on over to our Instagram<\/strong><\/a> or X<\/strong><\/a>. Who knows? A copy of our Card of the Year could just be headed your way!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Follow us on:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nBianca\u2019s Devotion (Cyber Judge [SV5M] 097\/071) (26 January 2024) (Special Art Rare [SAR])<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"SNKRDUNK](\"https:\/\/snkrdunk.s3.ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/20081319\/In-article-image-tcg-one-card-44.webp\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nTony Tony Chopper (Extra Booster Memorial Collection [EB-01] EB01-006) (27 January 2024) (Super Rare Special [SR-SP])<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"SNKRDUNK](\"https:\/\/snkrdunk.s3.ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/20081249\/In-article-image-tcg-one-card-1-5.webp\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nBoa Hancock (500 Years in the Future [OP-07] OP07-051) (24 February 2024) (Super Rare Special [SR-SP])<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"SNKRDUNK](\"https:\/\/snkrdunk.s3.ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/20081252\/In-article-image-tcg-one-card-2-5.webp\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nCarmine (Mask of Change [SV6] 130\/101) (26 April 2024) (Special Art Rare [SAR])<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"SNKRDUNK](\"https:\/\/snkrdunk.s3.ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/20081255\/In-article-image-tcg-one-card-3-4.webp\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSilvers Rayleigh (Two Legends [OP-08] OP08-118) (25 May 2024) (Secret Rare Special [SEC-SP])<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"SNKRDUNK](\"https:\/\/snkrdunk.s3.ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/20081258\/In-article-image-tcg-one-card-4-4.webp\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nLacey (Stellar Miracle [SV7] 131\/102) (19 July 2024) (Special Art Rare [SAR])<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"SNKRDUNK](\"https:\/\/snkrdunk.s3.ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/20081300\/In-article-image-tcg-one-card-5-4.webp\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nMonkey D. Luffy (Emperors in the New World [OP-09] OP09-119) (31 August 2024) (Secret Rare Special [SEC-SP])<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"SNKRDUNK](\"https:\/\/snkrdunk.s3.ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/20081303\/In-article-image-tcg-one-card-6-4.webp\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nLisia\u2019s Appeal (Paradise Dragona [SV7a] 091\/064) (13 September 2024) (Special Art Rare [SAR])<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"SNKRDUNK](\"https:\/\/snkrdunk.s3.ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/20081306\/In-article-image-tcg-one-card-7-3.webp\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nPikachu ex (Super Electric Breaker [SV8] 132\/106) (18 October 2024) (Special Art Rare [SAR])<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"SNKRDUNK](\"https:\/\/snkrdunk.s3.ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/20081309\/In-article-image-tcg-one-card-8-4.webp\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nEdward Newgate (Red Edward Newgate Starter Deck [ST-15] ST15-002) (Original: 13 July 2024; alternate-art version: 30 November 2024) (Super Rare Special [SR-SPC])<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"SNKRDUNK](\"https:\/\/snkrdunk.s3.ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/20081311\/In-article-image-tcg-one-card-9-4.webp\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nTrafalgar Law (Royal Blood [OP-10] OP10-119) (30 November 2024) (Secret Rare Special [SEC-SP])<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"SNKRDUNK](\"https:\/\/snkrdunk.s3.ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/20081314\/In-article-image-tcg-one-card-10-5.webp\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nUmbreon ex (Terastal Festival ex [SV8a] 217\/187) (6 December 2024) (Special Art Rare [SAR])<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"SNKRDUNK](\"https:\/\/snkrdunk.s3.ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/20081316\/In-article-image-tcg-one-card-11-4.webp\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nSNKRDUNK Card of the Year 2024 Giveaway<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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