Collector Favorites: Clefairy Card Art From This Artist's Works

In TCG ·

Clefairy card art by Ken Sugimori from Diamond & Pearl dp1-77, a nostalgic Ken Sugimori illustration

Image courtesy of TCGdex.net

Clefairy from Diamond & Pearl: A Nostalgic Spotlight on a Beloved Artist’s Work

When fans reminisce about the early 2000s polish of the Pokémon Trading Card Game, Ken Sugimori’s name repeatedly surfaces as the artist behind some of the most instantly recognizable creature faces. The Clefairy from the Diamond & Pearl era—cataloged as dp1-77 and released in a set that celebrated a new generation of gameplay and illustration—stands out as a collector favorite not just for its playful charm, but for the way it captures Sugimori’s timeless approach to line, form, and color. This basic Colorless Pokémon offers a quiet, confident appeal that makes it a perfect centerpiece for display shelves, binder pages, and casual battle setups alike ⚡🔥.

What makes this Clefairy special? The cards, the art, and the era

Firstly, the card’s basic nature belies a surprising depth of character. Clefairy (dp1-77) is a Basic Pokémon with 60 HP—a modest stat line that invites players to lean into clever timing and status effects rather than raw power. Its artwork, attributed to Ken Sugimori, features the soft, rounded silhouettes and glowing innocence fans associate with Clefairy across generations. The Diamond & Pearl set (dp1) marked a transitional moment where nostalgia and fresh mechanics met in harmony, and Sugimori’s Clefairy embodies that balance with a gentle pose that still reads vibrant in both solo and holo formats.

From a collector’s standpoint, dp1-77’s rarity is listed as Common, which means plentiful copies thinly dot binder pages across eras. Yet the artistic rarity—the signature Sugimori touch—elevates it beyond numeric scarcity. The card exists in several variants (normal, holo, reverse holo), each carrying its own charm and potential value for a display-worthy set or a budget-friendly entry point into Sugimori’s portfolio. The holo version, in particular, gleams with a touch that makes Clefairy pop on the page, inviting fans to linger and imagine its small, cheerful smile in greater light.

A quick deck-friendly snapshot

  • Category: Pokémon
  • Name: Clefairy
  • Dex: 35
  • Set: Diamond & Pearl (dp1)
  • HP: 60
  • Type: Colorless
  • Stage: Basic
  • Attacks:
    • Sing — Colorless: The Defending Pokémon is now Asleep.
    • Moon Impact — Colorless, Colorless: 20 damage; If Clefairy is evolved from Cleffa, this attack does 20 more damage (20+).
  • Weakness: Fighting +10
  • Retreat: 1
  • Illustrator: Ken Sugimori
  • Variants: Normal, Holo, Reverse

Strategically, Clefairy’s Moon Impact offers a subtle kick when you’ve progressed to Clefairy’s evolution line, providing an extra “oomph” if you’ve managed to stage Clefairy from Cleffa. While Moon Impact does not dominate the table, it’s a neat, timing-based tool in a small-Pokémon deck that leans on status effects and quick trades. Sing adds a sleep condition that can help you buy turns to assemble a more aggressive play—or simply stall the opposing threat while you develop your board. In modern play, these mechanics feel quaint, yet they carry a legendary feel that evokes the era’s slower, more tactical tempo. The appeal, however, is less about raw power and more about the story told by Sugimori’s lines and the card’s place in the Diamond & Pearl arc.

Art, influence, and the nostalgia factor

Ken Sugimori’s art anchors many fans’ affection for the Pokémon TCG. The Clefairy dp1-77 embodies his signature approach: soft, approachable forms with clean lines and a gentle palette that reads warm on a binder page or a display shelf. This is art that invites collectors to pause, tilt their cards to catch the holo shine, and imagine Clefairy’s signature winks and cheeks glowing in the glow of display lights. The art stands up not only because Clefairy is a beloved early-Eevee-adjacent classic but because Sugimori’s work often transcends the card it’s printed on, becoming a little piece of the franchise’s visual history.

Within the Diamond & Pearl era, dp1 sets a tone that blends classic charm with a more polished, contemporary presentation. Clefairy’s pose—playful yet serene—reflects the era’s aura: a time when players valued approachable favorites as core parts of their collections and casual decks. Collectors often curate Sugimori’s cards as “art books in card form,” and dp1-77 definitely earns a shelf-space nod for that reason. The common rarity might suggest “easy to find,” but the real collectible value comes from the image’s ability to evoke a memory: a vivid sense that you’re leafing through a binder of your childhood while the modern hobby’s price scales and condition demands are kept in check by the card’s accessibility.

Market vibes and value trends for the Clefairy dp1-77

For those curious about market dynamics, dp1-77 offers an interesting microcase. Data across major marketplaces show a spread between non-holo and holo/reverse variants. CardMarket’s average price sits around €0.42 for standard copies, with a low around €0.02 and a positive trend signal. On TCGPlayer, the non-holo normal prints show a mid-price around $0.44, with lower-end listings as low as $0.10 and holo or reverse-holo variants climbing higher, sometimes up to roughly $2.43 for the reverse holo. Market conditions shift with set rotations, demand for nostalgia pieces, and the ongoing appreciation for Sugimori’s classic art, but the dp1-77 Clefairy remains a stable gateway card for newer collectors stepping into the Diamond & Pearl era. The pairing of affordable entry points and the storied illustrator’s involvement helps maintain a steady, friendly upward drift in value—especially for holo variants that catch the light just right.

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