News, reviews, tips and guides for the biggest and best games
The Pokemon community is well known for being packed to the brim with talented artists. There are some who illustrate their own Fakemon, cosplay artists, and even bakers who make themed treats inspired by the franchise. Family Card Games
One area of the fan base that has some particularly creative minds is the Pokemon trading card game scene, with fans handcrafting their own card designs, play mats, and even deck boxes in some cases.
It’s a deck box that’s got the Pokemon community in hysterics lately, with a meticulously handcrafted ketchup bottle being nicknamed the “Ash Ketchup” box. Memes aside, it’s a spectacular piece of artwork that seems to be functional, too.
The artist, dorebydesign, uploaded the masterpiece with the caption, “I wanted a deck box that lets people know I’m the maddest partier in the game”.
The deck box is shaped like a realistic bottle of ketchup, with the text “Pokemon – I just ate a whole bottle of ketchup” emblazoned on the front. Further photos reveal that it snaps open to fit a sleeved deck, with dice going into the top of the bottle and coins being hidden in a secret compartment.
Other Pokemon TCG players were in hysterics over the amazing deck box, with one player joking, “But where do you keep your tournament ketchup?” The original artist replied, “That’s the best part! There’s plenty of room in the top for counters and condiments!”
The meme kept unfolding, with Pokemon players in the community eventually deciding that the VSTAR marker in the deck box should be shaped like a ketchup packet. Others insisted that they should invent a new Special Condition where the opponent’s Pokemon gets covered in ketchup.
Another viewer queried whether OP had taken inspiration from the anime for the deck box, referencing how much Pikachu likes ketchup. The artist clarified, “There is a line in TCG Live when you’re matchmaking that says ‘I just ate a whole bottle of ketchup’ and I wanted my IRL deck to have the same vibe.”
Pieces of art like this deck box show just how creative the Pokemon TCG community is. Whether you’re a competitive player or someone who likes to collect the Pokemon cards for the art, everyone could benefit from a little more whimsy in their collection.
Recent expansion sets have played into the whimsical, sillier side of things, like Twilight Masquerade with the full art Dipplin on a candy apple stall. If you’re a fan of this style of card, make sure to check out our top 10 cards to watch from the expansion set.
Card Games With Chips Based in Reading, England, Em is a Pokemon writer who joined Dexerto after working for sites like Only Greats, Sleeve No Card Behind, and Diamond Lobby. They cover everything from Pokemon cards to Pokemon GO, and you can email them at em.stonham@dexerto.com