Collector Favorites: Rayquaza-EX Art Across the Illustrator’s Works

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Rayquaza-EX BW47 artwork by Eske Yoshinob

Image courtesy of TCGdex.net

Collector Favorites: Rayquaza-EX Art Across Eske Yoshinob's Works

When you open a well-worn BW Black Star Promos sleeve, the sky-splitting mass of Rayquaza-EX leaps off the card with a roar that feels almost cinematic. This particular piece, illustrated by Eske Yoshinob, captures the legendary dragon in a moment that blends mythic grandeur with the electric snap of a modern holo. For collectors, this card is more than a stat line and a rarity badge—it's a testament to an era when EX Pokémon defined tempo and power in the TCG. The BW47 variant, a rare holocard in the BW Black Star Promos set, sits at the intersection of art, nostalgia, and competitive curiosity, inviting both display-worthy glances and thoughtful deck-building experiments ⚡🎨.

From a gameplay perspective, Rayquaza-EX is a dragon of high stakes and even higher potential. The card’s base is striking: 170 HP on a Dragon-type EX, a suit that many collectors associate with late-Phase energy surges and dramatic knockouts. Its two attacks tell a story of risk and reward. Celestial Roar, a Colorless attack, asks you to discard the top three cards of your deck; if any of those are Energy cards, you can attach them to Rayquaza. This is a built-in accelerator mechanic—a chance to swing extra energy onto your star dragon while thinning your deck and pressuring your opponent to respond to the looming threat. The other option, Dragon Burst, costs Fire and Lightning and doles out damage equal to 60 times the number of Energy cards you discarded. The payoff is massive, but it requires careful energy management and a plan for fuel on the field 🔥⚡.

Artistry and lore: Eske Yoshinob’s signature sky-splendor

Eske Yoshinob’s work has long celebrated motion, momentum, and the drama of dragon legends. In Rayquaza-EX, you can almost hear the air crackle as the celestial serpentine figure accelerates across a storm-torn horizon. The BW47 holo variant—an eye-catching shimmer that makes the dragon feel as if it’s leaping from the card itself—exemplifies Yoshinob’s ability to fuse dynamic linework with luminous color fields. Collectors often seek this particular print for the feel of scale, the tension in Rayquaza’s pose, and the way the green hues wrap around the chrome-like edges of the promo’s holo treatment. It’s a card that rewards closer inspection, where tiny highlights in the dragon’s eyes and the wind-swept lines of its wings reveal a masterclass in illustration (credit where it’s due to the artist). This is evergreen material for display shelves and for those who love the lore of Sky-Guardians and their place in the Battle Road of the Kalos/Hoenn era in memory 🐉💎.

Editor's note: The dramatic sky, the glittering holo, and Rayquaza-EX’s towering presence remind us why the BW era remains a touchstone for dragon-themed decks and art-focused collectors alike.

Strategy spotlight: building around Dragon Burst and energy rhythm

In Expanded play, Rayquaza-EX’s two-pronged toolkit invites a variety of build ideas. The Celestial Roar approach can serve as both an energy engine and a disruption mechanism—discarding the top cards of your deck nudges you toward a deck-within-a-deck strategy, especially if you run deck-thinning or search tools, and then you can attach any Energy you find among those discarded cards to Rayquaza. The card’s Dragon Burst attack asks you to weigh the value of discarding basic Fire or basic Lightning Energy. The damage scales with the count of energies you choose to lay aside, turning Rayquaza into a late-game closer once you’ve accumulated enough Fire and Lightning energy in the discard pile or in hand to maximize the burst equation. The caveat is obvious: when you discard energy, you reduce your energy density in the field—so timing is everything. A well-tuned play sequence often centers on using Celestial Roar to rebuffer your board position, then aligning a Dragon Burst finisher after a few pressure turns from your opponent ⚡🔥.

From a collector perspective, the rarity tag—Rare—paired with its holo portrayal, makes this Rayquaza-EX a standout in any BW-era collection. The card’s official set information notes the BW Black Star Promos symbol and the total card count of 101, a tidy slice of the era’s promotional line that still catches eyes in modern display cases. The card’s weakness to Dragon (×2) is a classic caveat of dragon-kin EX cards, reminding players that synergy with supportive types or counter-damage planning remains essential when you put Rayquaza on the table. Its retreat cost of 1 makes it manageable to re-position with care, and the card’s expanded legality keeps it alive in formats where many nostalgia-driven decks continue to thrive, even as Standard rotates away from early-2010s powerhouses. For collectors, the narrative here isn’t only about power on the battlefield—it’s about owning a piece of the era’s art and play philosophy in one compact, radiant package 🌬️🎴.

  • HP 170 on a Dragon EX builds a formidable front line that demands answers from opponents.
  • Attacks: Celestial Roar (Colorless) for energy acceleration, Dragon Burst (Fire/Lightning) for explosive damage based on discarded energy.
  • Rarity: Rare — a coveted promo with holo allure in the BW Black Star Promos line.
  • Illustrator: Eske Yoshinob, whose dynamic dragons and sky-scapes have become collector favorites.
  • Format notes: Expanded legal, Standard not supported for this card, reflecting its retro promotional status.

For fans who want to pair nostalgia with practical deck-building, Rayquaza-EX offers a blueprint: maximize energy fuel while maintaining tempo with discards, and leverage the dragon’s natural pressure to force late-game mistakes. It’s a card that invites storytelling about long games where a single burst could swing a match, and it rewards those who study the top-card gambit that Celestial Roar embodies. In this way, Rayquaza-EX isn’t merely a collectible; it’s a narrative piece in a player’s strategic arc—one that you can read again and again as Yoshinob’s sky-born dragon continues to soar in your mind’s eye ⚡🎨.

To bring this story full circle, consider the modern appreciation for nostalgia-driven buys and the enduring appeal of dragon-EX power. This card remains a beacon for art-savvy collectors and tactical players who relish the sport as much as the spectacle. It’s a reminder that the Pokémon TCG is a living gallery—where the brushstrokes of Eske Yoshinob meet the roar of a dragon in perfect, collectible harmony.

Product spotlight: if you’re shopping for a modern tech-friendly companion while you mull over your next Rayquaza-EX acquisition, check out the latest accessories and cases in the roster below. The option to secure a sleek, glossy Lexan case could be the perfect pairing for showing off your favorite holo while you plan your next big match 🔥🎮.

iPhone 16 Slim Phone Case - Glossy Lexan Ultra-Slim

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