There are numerous styles of Pokémon card art, but arguably none as immediately recognizable as the work of Yuka Morii. A clay artist, cards featuring Yuka Morii’s work showcase physically sculpted Pokémon, often in natural settings, such as trees, grass or other settings appropriate to the Pokémon they feature. Yuka Morii began providing whimsical, charming art for the Pokémon Trading Card Game since the Neo Discovery set in 2001, and her work can be found on cards in new Pokémon sets to this day! As her work is often on cards at more common rarity levels, focusing on Yuka Morii cards is a fairly affordable way to build up a subset in your Pokémon collection. With over 100 Pokémon cards (not counting reprints or Japanese variants, which more than double that number) illustrated by Yuka Morii, which ones are the most valuable? Let’s find out!
10. Jumpluff – Aquapolis, Holo Rare, H13/H32
This Jumpluff is a good, early example of a Yuka Morii Pokémon card, having been released as part of the Aquapolis set in 2003. It’s a shame that the image is reliant on such heavy post-processing on its photo (and the foil treatment doesn’t help!), obscuring Morii’s background photography, but the Jumpluff clay model itself is nicely showcased on this card.
9. Pikachu – Skyridge, Common, 084/144
It seems that the Pokémon Trading Card Game of this era (it’s another card from 2003) had less confidence in letting Yuka Morii’s photography shine on its own merits, as this is another card which features a heavily processed photo, this time of a Pikachu in the wild. It’s from the Skyridge set, which was the final release to feature e-Reader scanning strips along the left and bottom sides of the card. These were used to scan cards through Nintendo’s Game Boy Advance e-Reader accessory, and would allow expanded Pokédex entries, along with sounds and other information, to be unlocked on the console.
8. Venusaur & Snivy (Tag Team GX) – Sun & Moon, Promo, SM229
Released in 2016, this Yuka Morii Pokémon card (a Promo from the Sun & Moon series) is definitely more representative of what you expect to see on one of the distinctive artist’s cards, albeit with the added bonus of it featuring two Pokémon, and also having full art too, allowing it to really shine! It’s a wonderful showcase for Morii’s unique, charming style, so it’s no wonder that it makes its way to the most valuable Yuka Morii cards list, despite being a more recent release than many of the other cards here.
7. Ditto – Origins 2007, Promo, 61/113
This Ditto, a Promo card from the 2007 Origins International Game Fair, features the named Pokémon in disguise as Charmander, albeit with the typical Ditto clue of the small, dot-like eyes! Though it doesn’t have full card art like the Venusaur & Snivy, it’s easy to see why this adorable photo, along with its relative scarcity, makes this such a sought after Yuka Morii Pokémon card!
6. Lanturn – Aquapolis, Holo Rare, H15/H32
This Lanturn card, another from the Aquapolis set, is another that I find personally disappointing, because its clay model is superimposed onto a background that makes it look out of place. One of the reasons that Yuka Morii is my favorite Pokémon card artist is that her work feels so naturalistic, tangible and real. I don’t get that sense with the effects added to this Lanturn card’s image at all. Though of course its age and scarcity (along with the classic, cosmos holo foil treatment) do make this a card that’s pretty valuable, regardless of my personal opinion of it!
5. Blissey – Neo Revelation, Holo Rare, 02/64
Another card which features Yuka Morii’s impressive model work against a disappointingly indistinct background, Blissey hails from the 2001 Pokémon set, Neo Revelation. With Blissey first being featured in the second generation Pokémon video games, Gold and Silver, it’s a Pokémon that’s heavily nostalgic, and this holo rare card is a no brainer for the most valuable Yuka Morii Pokémon cards list!
4. Happiny – Countdown Calendar, Promo, 52/123
A relatively early Yuka Morii card, this Happiny is from the 2007 Countdown Calendar. Despite its age, it does feature the classic touches you’d expect from a Yuka Morii card, being a photo of a clay Pokémon model in a natural environment, with no obvious post processing on the picture (aside from the snowflake stamp in the corner, denoting its Countdown Calendar status!). It’s worth noting that there are variants of this card which are much cheaper, such as the one printed in the Mysterious Treasures set.
3. Piloswine – Skyridge, Holo Rare, H22/32
It’s back to 2003’s Skyridge set for this excellent Piloswine card; a holo rare with a beautiful clay model. It also features a stone-style setting for the woolly mammoth-style Pokémon, as an early example of Yuka Morii’s iconic style as it developed.
2. Light Azumarill – Neo Destiny, Holo Rare, 013/105
This card from the 2002 set, Neo Destiny, doesn’t feature a standard Azumarill, but it’s specified as being a Light Azumarill. Why is there a Light Azumarill, but not a Dark Azumarill? Well, that’s because Neo Destiny featured numerous “Light” Pokémon, to counter the “Dark” Pokémon that were also part of the set. Light Pokémon are supposed to be “good” Pokémon, unlike their Dark counterparts, they’re incorruptible. This card has another excellent, early example of a Yuka Morii clay model, and the “Light” classification makes it feel especially unique, likely contributing to its relatively high value!
1. Raichu – Skyridge, Holo Rare, H25/H32
At the very top of the list of the most valuable Yuka Morii Pokémon cards is yet another from the Skyridge set. This Raichu looks particularly pleased with itself, having secured the coveted position as the priciest card here! It’s another holo rare too, with the iconic cosmos holo foil treatment.
Honorable Mention: Donphan, Deoxys – Holo Rare, 30/107
Given that Yuka Morii has long been my favorite overall Pokémon card artist, I thought I’d dig through my own Pokémon card collection to see what the oldest card I owned, featuring her artwork. This is the one; a 2005 Donphan from the Deoxys set. This one is a reverse holo (you can check out our guide to the difference between holo and reverse holo cards), but it’s still fairly affordable, like many Yuka Morii cards in general. Check out the full list of Yuka Morii Pokémon cards on TCGplayer, including Japanese cards, to see many more examples of her fantastic clay model work!
