Our second international specimen brings us to the year 2007 and the Diamond & Pearl TCG era. This Onix, from the set Mysterious Treasures, showcases a shift in card design from the original WotC days, with updated fonts, layouts, and a different artistic feel, even when using the same iconic artist.
Card Details
- Pokémon Name: Onix LV.22
- Set: Diamond & Pearl – Mysterious Treasures
- Year: 2007
- Card Number: 92/130
- Rarity/Edition: Common
- Artist: Ken Sugimori
- National Pokédex No.: 095
Card Text & Attacks
- Type: Fighting
- HP: 90
- Attack 1: Tunneling
- Cost: [Fighting]
- Effect: Choose up to 2 of your opponent’s Benched Pokémon. This attack does 10 damage to each of them. (Don’t apply Weakness and Resistance for Benched Pokémon.) Onix can’t attack during your next turn.
- Attack 2: Headbutt
- Cost: [Colourless][Colourless]
- Damage: 20
- Weakness: Grass +20
- Resistance: None
- Retreat Cost: [Colourless][Colourless][Colourless]
- Flavour Text: When it travels underground, it causes rumbling and tremors. It can move at 50 mph.
Collector’s Notes
This card is a fantastic study in the evolution of the TCG itself. While the illustration is once again the classic, beloved artwork by Ken Sugimori, the card frame and layout are distinctly from the Diamond & Pearl era. We see the introduction of a Pokémon’s “Level” in the title, a different font, and a flavour text box with a unique wave-like design.
For our Geological Pokémon exhibit, this card is particularly special because of its flavour text: “When it travels underground, it causes rumbling and tremors.” This explicitly connects Onix’s behaviour to the geological phenomenon of a seismic event, or earthquake. The “Tunneling” attack reinforces this, showing Onix’s ability to manipulate its underground environment. This specimen, therefore, represents the “geophysics” aspect of our collection, linking this living mountain to the powerful forces that shape the Earth from below.
