Our third specimen is a charming freebie, the Angler Pokémon, Chinchou. This common card from the Sword & Shield era set Lost Abyss features a beautifully simple and atmospheric piece of art that perfectly captures the creature’s unique habitat.
Card Details
- Pokémon Name: Chinchou (チョンチー)
- Set: Lost Abyss (s11)
- Year: 2022
- Card Number: 055/100
- Rarity/Edition: Common
- Artist: Niii Tanako
- National Pokédex No.: 170
Card Text & Attacks
- Type: Lightning
- HP: 60
- Attack 1: Pika Ball (ピカリだま)
- Cost: [Lightning]
- Damage: 10
- Attack 2: Slap (ひっぱたく)
- Cost: [Lightning][Lightning]
- Damage: 20
- Weakness: Fighting x2
- Resistance: None
- Retreat Cost: [Colourless]
- Pokédex Entry:
- Japanese: ひれが 変化してきた 触手は それぞれが プラスと マイナスの 電気が 流れている。
- Romaji: Hire ga henka shite kita shokushu wa sorezore ga purasu to mainasu no denki ga nagarete iru.
- English: Its fins have evolved into tentacles that each flow with positive and negative electricity.
Collector’s Notes
The artwork by Niii Tanako is wonderfully atmospheric. It depicts Chinchou in its natural habitat: the deep, dark ocean floor. The simple, bold style beautifully illustrates the darkness of the abyssal zone, with Chinchou’s bioluminescent lures providing the only source of light. The small structure it is floating above is particularly interesting.
This card is a fantastic candidate for the Friends of Geopik wing, with a surprisingly strong and multi-layered geological connection.
- Marine Geology: Chinchou’s home, the deep ocean floor, is a frontier of geological study. The illustration, with its small, mound-like structure, is highly reminiscent of a hydrothermal vent or a cold seep—geological features on the seabed that release heat and minerals from the Earth’s crust, often supporting unique ecosystems in the dark.
- Bioluminescence and Minerals: The light produced by Chinchou is a biological process, but it serves as a beautiful metaphor for fluorescent minerals, which glow under specific conditions and are a wonder of the geological world.
This card doesn’t just represent a creature; it represents an entire, extreme geological environment, making it a truly insightful and valuable addition to the collection.
