JUDGING:
quote Karis
C+
I'll start with the big thing, never use monochromatic backgrounds. Not only are they unattractive to the extreme, but they reduce depth in a card. The other background is also poorly chosen, you generally shouldn't you real life pictures as backgrounds as it makes it look like you're placing a stencil over the image rather than the background looking like it's an actual part of the card. The Pokemon are well chosen, the trainer recolour is decent, and I really like the badges recolours. Maybe experimenting with a more busy template would help introduce more detail in the card which this card is unfortunately lacking.
quote samkuro
A-
I think the big problem here is the template. Even though this style is all the range now, it still should be much cleaner than this. Simply put, it looks messy, like you had no vision and stuck random boxes within a large box. There's no focus point, the Pokemon boxes are too big, then name box is much too big, and the mugshot box stops the flow of the card being too small. However, technically it's a nice card, the boxart was really well done, the Pokemon and the recolours were well chosen and subtle, the trainer fits and the theme works and is consistent. A good job, but don't overstep yourself.
quote MoonlightStar
B
Generally well done, but some little skills you need to imrpove your mark. I like the overall theme, the colours go well with the black on top of the card. The background was well chosen, as was the Pokemon in keeping consistent with the theme. The items and flag all look really good and the colours go with the greys and purples in the rest of the card. My main problems here are, firstly, that you did not remove the official background around the Pokemon and use another, as the blue/green/yellow clashed horribly with pretty much everything, and secondly, the text at the top is not centered, where in this template it awlways should be. A good use of the template overall.
quote NickAlert
C
It's a good attempt overall, but this card lacks balance. A little tip, when you're using contrasting colours, eg, red and green, orange and blue, purple and yellow, etc, you should use different tones of the colours. So you should've used a much paler red so it's not as bright and the contrast isn't too much, but with the colours you chose; a deep green and a pale red, it's become a provblem. Some other things to watch out for, you should nearly always center your trainer and the text (at the bottom and at the top), both of the backgrounds are very plain, one should be busy and one should not, to get balance and overall the card is a bit too plain. I really like the little Pokeballs, and you've picked a good theme. Keep going.
quote jjoploo
A+
Wow, just wow. Really unexpected, but this is probably one of my favourite cards I've seen this year. I love it. The theme, while mainly unoriginal, was really successful. Technically the template could have had some problems but the way the background was chosen and the Pokemon are positioned negates the large space. The item/rank looks incredible. Everything about this card is generally flawless, and it just goes to show that with a little bit of thought, you don't need to overthink a card for it to work. Well done.
quote Josh Kunn
A
Another plain, but effective card. I really like the design of the card, it's good to see a more developed version of a plain card, and the right hand side gives a feeling that it works with grass types. A very simple theme, but it works, the background, the items and the colourscheme, they just have a very relaxed feel to them which goes with the theme. Technically, again, simple. The lack of another background isn't very offensive as the PMD background in the Pokemon boxes fits in with the colours of the card, the items were well chosen, and I particularly like how the background and the smaller Pokemon were chosen and positioned, it looks rather cute. My only real issue with the card is the borders around the items are a little too thick, but even then they tie in with the black surrounding the text. Well done.
quote Squirrel Lord
B
Size. It's not really a good thing. There's a difference between having a big card card that works well and a big card that looks boring - and it comes down to how effectively you use the space. Empty space reduces depth and interest in a card, and while you may not necessarily want a massive card which is over busy, the other end is just as extreme. Unfortunately this is where the problem is, the gaps around the card make it flat, particularly the space between the trainer's box and the Pokemon boxes which could be filled with badges, ribbons, etc. To further negate the empty space you could' have added some box art to either or both of the text boxes which look empty. Going onto the other parts of the card, the overall colourscheme is generally well thought out and is consistent throughout the whole card which is good to see. Picking two contrasting colours but dulling them so they're not obnoxious was a good technique to use, and the recolours are all right, though Elekid and Magby are off. On another note, the Trainer looks way too pixelly to be effective, it's fine to use a large mugshot, as long as it's not bad in quality, which it is here. The theme interpretation was well done, if a bit simple, and was generally unique even though another did the same theme. However, I'm not really going to give you extra points for it when you've made the theme unoriginal to this round by making it fit with two others.
quote Master Of Diamond
B+
I'm going to get straight to the main issue here, while a theme is not always necessary, an obvious one is. I don't see much in the way of an obvious theme aside from they're all ghost types, and if that is the theme, the contrasting colours of Dialga and the gears(?) above the small sprites are very confusing. Always have an obvious theme; you shouldn't have to rely on extremely good guessing judges nor long winded explanations in posts. On the technical side, it's a little plain, but generally the colours are nice. Good to see recolouring of the template, as many people don't when using this very simple card, but a little bit of boxart near the text would've added depth. As I alluded to earlier, the colours of Dialga contrast with the rest of the card in a bad way, particularly the orange.The cuts are decent, but when using PMD sprites you should get rid of the outside blues and greens from the background. Good to see you back into TCs.
quote Team Poke Pimps
A-
The more I look at this card.. the more confused I am about whether I like it or not. =P It's really intriguing. First of all the box art is very well created, down to the colours, how well it suits the theme, and even the fact that not all the four main boxes are the same, little tidbits like that are signs of a great maker. The Pokemon were well chosen, and the recolours are decent. Just a little tip when recolouring, when you have Pokemon all the same colour with the recolours, you should recolour the necessary Pokemon so they match the diagonally opposite Pokemon's colour. Eg, Scizors colours should be the same as Magnezone. The items are look sleek, and the trainer was well suited. On the note of the colours, the grey and the blue work well together, the only realy disturbance of the flow would be the green in the left hand side items, which should also be blue. The only real issue here is the secondary background; simply put it contrasts too much with the rest of the card making it look like it was the image and the card was a stencil put over the card, rather than it being a part of the card itself. Well done though, a really surprising card.
RESULTS:
1st: jjoploo 2nd: Josh Kunn 3rd: Team Poke Pimps
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