How Ken Sugimori designed the most powerful Pokémon ever created a story where science met art.
The Pokemon That Was Never Born
Mewtwo wasn’t born it was manufactured. In the ruins of a lab, scientists used Mew’s DNA to create what they believed would be the ultimate Pokémon. It was humanity’s attempt to design perfection a fusion of biology, technology, and control.
From those experiments came something that broke free of both science and nature.
Mewtwo was born as an embodiment of human ambition, a reflection of what happens when creation surpasses intention.
“Created by genetic manipulation. Its rage made it savage.”
— Pokémon Base Set (1996), Card Text
Before Charizard’s flames or Pikachu’s spark, Mewtwo stood for something different: power through consciousness. It wasn’t made to live it was made to dominate.
Ken Sugimori — The Mind Behind the Monster
The first Mewtwo card ever printed appeared in the 1996 Japanese Pokémon Base Set, illustrated by Ken Sugimori, the visionary art director at Game Freak.
Sugimori, who hand-painted all 151 original Pokémon, brought Mewtwo to life using his trademark watercolor and ink style a balance between precision and emotion.
The original Mewtwo TCG Base Set card (No.150) is minimalist yet profound. It shows Mewtwo floating in a swirl of cosmic energy, its sleek form illuminated by a soft violet glow. There’s no fire or chaos only power contained within thought.
This design embodies the philosophy of Foil Tavern’s collector displays: restraint over spectacle, emotion over excess.
Just as our HexCase handcrafted displays celebrate craftsmanship and subtlety, Sugimori’s art found beauty in calm precision.
From Sketch to Sentience
Mewtwo’s concept was co-created by Shigeki Morimoto, who envisioned it as a genetic clone of Mew a being too perfect to be natural. Sugimori refined that vision, giving it a humanoid posture, psychic poise, and intelligent expression. His art didn’t just define Mewtwo’s look it gave it a soul.
The Base Set Mewtwo captures that exact idea:
A living experiment that questions its own existence.
That same philosophy inspired future TCG art by Mitsuhiro Arita, whose emotional brushwork shaped cards like Charizard and Pikachu.
(You can explore more of Arita’s influence in our article)
The Emotional Power of Intelligence
Unlike most early TCG designs, the Mewtwo card didn’t rely on visual chaos or action poses. Its stillness made it iconic. Collectors describe it as “the quiet storm” intelligent, introspective, and timeless.
It’s this subtlety that transformed Mewtwo’s art into collector card lore.
While Charizard may represent fire and Pikachu symbolizes light, Mewtwo embodies thought — the mental force behind Pokémon’s mythology. In a world of graded cards, PSA displays, and high-end collector displays, this one remains unmatched in emotional value rather than price. It’s not just a collector TCG item it’s a philosophical piece.
Displaying the Mind of a Legend
At Foil Tavern, we believe early Pokémon art should be treated as collectible art, not just memorabilia. Our HexCase premium card display was designed to echo the same craftsmanship and restraint seen in Sugimori’s original work.
Placing a 1996 Mewtwo Base Set card in a HexCase handcrafted display transforms it from a collectible to a piece of cultural history. The wood-acrylic structure, magnetic closure, and hidden magnets preserve the essence of the card while elevating it visually.
Whether mounted on your wall or displayed on a desk stand, each HexCase is a premium card display precision-made to protect art that defined generations.
Because like Mewtwo itself, perfection deserves a vessel worthy of its creation.
Before the Fire and the Light, There Was Thought
Before Pokémon became a global empire of flame and lightning, there was a creature born of intellect a being made by hand and mind.
In that same spirit, every Foil Tavern collector display is hand-built — merging form, function, and philosophy. We preserve nostalgia through craftsmanship, just as Ken Sugimori preserved imagination through art.
Because art, like nature, deserves to be seen — not hidden.
💭 Which Mewtwo would you enshrine in your HexCase?
🔗 [Explore handcrafted collector displays at Foil Tavern — where nostalgia becomes design.]