Arceus and Dialga and Palkia GX Alternate Full Art
Quick take
- ADP anchored a top-tier deck across Standard and Expanded for well over a year
- Number 221 is the Special Full Art by Kouki Saitou, distinct from the 5ban full art and rainbow
- Cosmic Eclipse was the final Sun & Moon set, which adds bookend appeal
- A required pickup for any Cosmic Eclipse master set
Collector's readWhat it means for your master set
Set landscapeWhere this card sits in SM - Cosmic Eclipse
VariantsCard variants
Holofoil 221/236 · $585.94 — the only variant this card was printed in (no reverse holo or special pattern), so a master set needs just this one copy.
The storyThe alt-art face of the deck that ran Pokemon TCG for over a year
Arceus & Dialga & Palkia GX, known everywhere as ADP, is one of the most consequential cards of the Sun & Moon era. Cosmic Eclipse closed out that era in November 2019, and ADP became the engine of a Standard and Expanded archetype that stuck around far longer than most. Altered Creation GX gives a permanent damage boost, and with extra Water energy it lets you take an extra prize for the rest of the game. That one attack reshaped how decks were built and beaten for the better part of a year.
“ADP anchored a top-tier deck across Standard and Expanded for well over a year”
The card was printed in several flavors. The regular holo carries Mitsuhiro Arita art. The standard Full Art and the Rainbow Rare use 5ban Graphics. Number 221 is the Special Full Art by Kouki Saitou. That makes 221 the connoisseur's pick, the version collectors reach for when they want the playable legend with a distinct piece of art rather than the textured 5ban print everyone already knows.
For master set builders, ADP is a non-negotiable. You cannot finish Cosmic Eclipse without it, and the alternate full art is one of the cards that decides how much that goal costs.
By the numbersMarket analysis
This sits in the upper tier of Cosmic Eclipse singles. It trades below the set's rainbow secret rares but well above ordinary holos and the bulk GX cards. Among the set's must-have chase cards, it is a meaningful line item rather than a throwaway.
Prices firmed up as the Sun & Moon era moved further into the rearview and competitive ADP buyers were joined by nostalgia and master set demand. Like most era-closing chase cards, it has been steadier than hype-driven modern pulls, with graded copies showing the clearest appreciation.
The card has a real floor. It was tournament-relevant and it is genuinely scarce in high grade, and those two things tend to age well together. It will not move like a brand-new Charizard chase, but for a Sun & Moon era piece it is about as blue-chip as Tag Team alt arts get. Buy the condition you can verify and let it sit.
Clean PSA 10 and equivalent copies command a clear premium over raw, and the gap widens as nice raw copies dry up. Full art surfaces show whitening and edge wear easily, so high grades are scarcer than the print run suggests.
This is a Sun & Moon era Special Full Art, so it does not follow the modern Scarlet & Violet odds you see quoted for Double Rares or Illustration Rares. In Cosmic Eclipse it was one of the scarce top-end hits, pulled at full-art frequency rather than common holo frequency. In practice most players opened many packs without seeing it, and box buyers were not guaranteed a copy of this specific card. Because ADP printed in several versions, the odds of hitting this exact Saitou alternate art, as opposed to the regular holo or the 5ban full art, run longer still. Most collectors buy it as a single rather than chase it in packs.
It sits a notch below the set's rainbow secret rares in raw scarcity and price, but well above standard holos and the run-of-the-mill GX cards. Within the tier of cards a master set builder must hunt down, it is one of the harder and pricier ones.
ArtworkWhy the art matters
Kouki Saitou has illustrated a long list of Pokemon TCG cards and is known for clean, character-forward compositions. On this card the credit matters because it separates 221 from the rest of the ADP prints. The regular holo is Mitsuhiro Arita, and the standard Full Art and Rainbow Rare are 5ban Graphics digital work, so Saitou's hand on the alternate full art gives it a different look and feel from the versions most players pulled.
The three creation-trio legends share the frame, with Arceus presiding over Dialga and Palkia against a swirling cosmic backdrop that echoes the set's dimension-crossing theme. It reads as a single unified scene rather than three pasted-in Pokemon, which is part of why collectors prefer it.
Full art layout with the holo treatment running across the whole card face and the Tag Team GX framing. As with all full arts from this era, the foil sits over the entire surface, so handling marks and edge whitening show up fast against the dark cosmic palette.
It is the alternate, collector-preferred art on a card that already carries enormous competitive weight. You get the deck-defining legend and a piece of art that is not the one stuffed into every binder. That combination is exactly what alt-art chasers look for.
BackgroundAbout Arceus and Dialga and Palkia GX Alternate Full Art
Arceus, Dialga, and Palkia are the heart of Sinnoh's creation myth. Arceus is treated as the originator, Dialga commands time, and Palkia commands space. Putting all three on one Tag Team GX was a deliberate flex for the set that closed the Sun & Moon era, and it landed. ADP looked important and played important.
- ›Three of the most recognizable legendary Pokemon on a single card
- ›Carried a dominant competitive deck for an unusually long stretch
- ›The creation trio has deep lore weight from the Sinnoh games
- ›Tag Team GX cards were the marquee format of the late Sun & Moon era
- ›Centerpiece of the ADP archetype in Standard and Expanded play
- ›A defining card of Cosmic Eclipse, the final Sun & Moon expansion
ADP was a backbone of competitive Pokemon during its run, valued for the permanent boost and extra-prize pressure from Altered Creation GX paired with Ultimate Ray's energy acceleration. The card is no longer Standard-legal, but its Expanded and historical footprint is a big part of why collectors still care.
Own it wellCollector guide
Dark, full-bleed foil is unforgiving. Check the corners and edges for whitening, look across the surface under angled light for print lines and scratches, and inspect the holo for indentations. Centering on full arts from this era can be off, so judge the borders top-to-bottom and left-to-right before you pay a premium.
Worth grading if the copy is genuinely clean, since the gem-grade premium is real and growing. If there is visible edge wear or off-center framing, you are usually better off keeping it as a sharp raw copy than paying grading fees to land a lower grade. Read the grading guide →
Sleeve it in a penny sleeve inside a top loader or one-touch the moment you get it. The full-art surface scuffs from binder pages and loose handling, so do not shuffle it around bare. Keep it out of direct sunlight to protect the foil. See the storage guide →
Confirm you are buying number 221, the Special Full Art by Kouki Saitou, not the 5ban standard Full Art or the Rainbow Rare. The listings get mislabeled constantly. For higher spend, buy graded from a reputable seller, or buy raw only with clear, well-lit photos of all four corners and the surface. See the singles buying guide →
Counterfeit ADP exists because the card had money and hype behind it. Compare the foil pattern and texture against a known-good full art, check the back's blue swirl gradient and centering, and feel the card stock. The light test helps: a genuine card has the black core layer and will not pass light the way a thin fake does. When in doubt for serious money, buy a copy already graded by a major company.
Protect your card
High Chase Score — protect and consider grading. · Amazon affiliate links · Storage guideWord on the streetCommunity sentiment
Collectors generally view 221 as the better-looking ADP and a card that earns its place in a Cosmic Eclipse master set. Competitive players who ran the deck have a strong attachment to it, which keeps demand broad rather than purely speculative.
Discussion tends to center on which ADP version to chase, with the Saitou alternate art and the rainbow rare both having their camps, and on grading the full-art surface cleanly. Mislabeled listings are a recurring complaint.
Good to knowFrequently asked questions
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