Mewtwo
Quick take
- Art by Christopher Rush, who painted Magic's Black Lotus
- First Pokemon card ever illustrated by an artist from outside Japan
- Background reuses Rush's own Magic Forest land art as an easter egg
- Originated as Wizards Promo 12 from Nintendo Power, April 2000
Collector's readWhat it means for your master set
Set landscapeWhere this card sits in Legendary Collection
VariantsCard variants
Variants are the different finishes of the same card — the standard print, reverse holo, and any special patterns. A complete master set needs every variant below, so track each one in your collection.
| Variant | Note | Market |
|---|---|---|
| Reverse HoloScarcer 29/110 | Scarcer than the standard variant — the harder of the two for completers to find. | $1300.00 |
| Normal 29/110 | Standard variant. | $55.46 |
The storyThe only Pokemon card Christopher Rush ever painted
Christopher Rush is a name Magic players know cold. He painted the Black Lotus, the most famous card in Magic: The Gathering. He also drew exactly one Pokemon card in his life, and this is the art. It first appeared as Wizards Promo 12, handed out through Nintendo Power magazine in April 2000, which made Rush the first artist from outside Japan to illustrate a Pokemon card. Two years later the art got a second life as card 29 in Legendary Collection.
“Art by Christopher Rush, who painted Magic's Black Lotus”
That Legendary Collection printing is where most collectors meet it. The 2002 set was a greatest-hits reprint of the early Wizards era, and it gave every card a new reverse holo treatment with a galaxy foil pattern that shows up in no other English set. So this Mewtwo exists in two flavors that matter. There is a clean holo Rare, and there is a reverse holo that ranks among the harder pulls in the set.
There is also a detail collectors love to point out. Rush slipped a piece of his own Magic work into the background. The scene behind Mewtwo is built on the art from a Forest basic land. He hid a Magic card inside a Pokemon card, and most people stared at it for years before noticing.
By the numbersMarket analysis
Two very different cards share this slot. The standard holo Rare sits in friendly territory for a key card, the kind of pickup a master-set builder slots in without much drama. The reverse holo is a different animal. High grades on the galaxy-foil version climb into serious four-to-five-figure vintage territory at auction.
Vintage Wizards-era cards with a story have held up well, and this one has the rare combination of a famous artist and a famous origin. Raw copies of the holo Rare are stable. The reverse holo in top grade is the piece that does the heavy lifting on value, and it tends to move on the strength of the Christopher Rush name.
The holo Rare is a solid set-completion buy more than a speculative play. The reverse holo in PSA 9 or 10 is the version that carries real upside, driven by crossover interest from Magic collectors who want a Rush piece and by the scarcity of clean galaxy foil. Condition is everything here.
The premium for high grades is steep on the reverse holo. Gem mint copies trade at a large multiple over raw because the galaxy foil shows wear and print lines easily. The plain holo Rare carries a more modest graded bump.
Legendary Collection packs held eleven cards, and every pack guaranteed one reverse holo plus one rare slot, while the standard holographic cards landed at roughly one in three packs. So pulling the holo Mewtwo took a reasonable run of packs, but pulling this specific card in any form still meant fighting the full card pool. The reverse holo version is the genuinely tough one to land in clean condition, since the galaxy foil scratches easily and the print is decades old. For a master set you usually buy this as a single rather than chase it from packs, especially given current vintage pack prices.
Inside Legendary Collection the headline chase cards are the holo and reverse holo Charizard, Venusaur, and Blastoise. This Mewtwo sits a tier below those for raw money but punches above its rarity on story and artist prestige, which makes the reverse holo a quiet favorite among people who actually know the set.
ArtworkWhy the art matters
Christopher Rush (1965-2016) was an American illustrator best known for Magic: The Gathering, where he painted the Black Lotus and more than a hundred other cards. This Mewtwo is the only Pokemon card he ever illustrated, and it made him the first non-Japanese artist to draw for the Pokemon TCG. His style here is looser and more painterly than the Japanese house style of the era, which is part of why the card stands out in a binder.
Mewtwo is shown mid-pose with its psychic energy on display, set against a soft, almost otherworldly backdrop. The background is the part collectors fixate on. Rush built it from the art of a Magic Forest basic land, tucking one of his own pieces behind the Pokemon. It reads as a calm landscape at a glance and a buried signature once you know to look.
In Legendary Collection the card comes as a standard holo Rare and as a reverse holo. The reverse uses the set's signature galaxy foil, where the entire card face except the artwork box is printed in a shimmering star pattern unique to this 2002 set. That foil is gorgeous and unforgiving. It telegraphs scratches and edge wear fast.
This is a crossover artifact, not just another reprint. It links the two biggest trading card games through a single artist, hides a Magic card inside a Pokemon card, and marks a first that can never be repeated. The art alone gives it a reason to exist beyond set completion.
BackgroundAbout Mewtwo
Mewtwo was created as the genetically engineered counterpart to Mew and has been a face of the franchise since Red and Blue. It headlined the first Pokemon movie and has stayed near the top of fan-favorite lists for decades. That long-running popularity is why almost any vintage Mewtwo card finds buyers, and why a Mewtwo drawn by a famous outside artist gets extra attention.
- ›One of the most recognizable Gen 1 Pokemon
- ›Starred in the first Pokemon film
- ›Strong nostalgia pull for the Wizards-era audience
- ›The Christopher Rush art gives this version its own following
- ›Crossover appeal to Magic: The Gathering collectors
- ›Pokemon Red and Blue as a legendary encounter
- ›Pokemon: The First Movie as the central antagonist
- ›Recurring appearances across anime and games as a marquee legendary
Own it wellCollector guide
The reverse holo's galaxy foil shows scratches, print lines, and edge whitening more than almost any other vintage foil. Check the surface under angled light before buying. The plain holo Rare has a normal holo window and is easier to assess. Centering on Legendary Collection cards can be inconsistent, so look closely at the borders.
Grade the reverse holo if you have a clean copy, because the high-grade premium is large and the version is worth protecting in a slab. The standard holo Rare is usually fine raw for a set build unless your copy is exceptional. Buy graded when you are spending real money, both for condition assurance and because vintage cards attract counterfeits. Read the grading guide →
Sleeve and toploader, or move into a graded slab. Keep it out of direct light and away from humidity. The galaxy foil in particular benefits from a snug sleeve so the surface does not rub. See the storage guide →
Decide which version you want before you shop, because the holo Rare and the reverse holo are priced worlds apart. For the holo, raw near-mint copies are plentiful. For the reverse holo, prioritize a graded example or inspect surface and centering carefully in hand or from clear photos. Confirm you are looking at the 2002 Legendary Collection 29/110 printing and not the Wizards promo. See the singles buying guide →
Confirm the 29/110 set number and the Legendary Collection layout. On the reverse holo, the galaxy star pattern should look fine and even, not blurry or dotty. Watch font weight on the text and the crispness of the bottom set info. For anything in the four-figure range, buy it already graded by PSA, CGC, or BGS rather than risking a raw counterfeit.
Protect your card
High Chase Score — protect and consider grading. · Amazon affiliate links · Storage guideWord on the streetCommunity sentiment
Collectors who know the backstory treat this as one of the most interesting cards of the Wizards era. The Christopher Rush angle and the hidden Forest land detail get shared every time someone rediscovers them, and the card has a steady cult following beyond its market price.
- ›Gem mint reverse holo examples have reached five figures at auction
- ›High-grade reverse holo copies command a large premium over raw
The Magic crossover story circulates regularly on collector social media, usually framed around the fact that the Black Lotus artist drew exactly one Pokemon card and hid his own land art inside it. That recurring discovery keeps the card in conversation.
Good to knowFrequently asked questions
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