Sandile Alternate Art vs Full Art: Which to Chase?

In TCG ·

Sandile card art from Silver Tempest swsh12-111

Image courtesy of TCGdex.net

Sandile's Alternate Art and Full Art: A Collector's Dilemma

In the Pokémon TCG, the thrill of chasing a card often lies not just in its power on the table, but in the story told by its artwork. Sandile, a basic Darkness-type from Silver Tempest (swsh12), sits at an interesting crossroads for collectors and players alike. This Common little drifter of the desert gives us a neat field study in how alternate art and full art versions can tug at different corners of a collection: accessibility, play value, and aesthetic obsession. On the table, Sandile boasts HP 70 and a straightforward Bite for 30 damage—an unassuming stat line that nonetheless anchors a larger conversation about card art as a collectible force.

From a gameplay perspective, Sandile is a stepping-stone. As a Basic Pokémon, it sets up an evolution chain toward Krokorok and eventually Krookodile—a dark-type line that players often lean on for early aggression and mid-game pressure. The Bite attack, costing two Colorless energy, is simple and reliable, giving you a predictable option when you need to chip away at an opponent’s little threats while you set up your board. With a retreat cost of 2 and Regulation Mark F, Sandile in this Silver Tempest print is squarely in the Expanded-friendly zone, though the standard format recognizes it primarily as a bench-building piece rather than a one-hit knockout candidate. These mechanics mirror the overall sentiment of why players reach for alternate art or full art variants: the art can elevate a modest card into a personal centerpiece while the gameplay remains anchored in the same stats and rules.

  • Set: Silver Tempest (swsh12)
  • Type: Darkness
  • Stage: Basic
  • HP: 70
  • Attack: Bite — Cost: Colorless, Colorless; Damage: 30
  • Retreat: 2
  • Rarity: Common
  • Regulation: F (Expanded-friendly, standard eligibility varies by format)
  • Illustrator: Not listed in the provided data

When we pivot from raw stats to the art itself, the contrast between alternate art and full art becomes a lens on value and desire. Alternate art cards typically showcase a dramatic, often borderless image with a new scene or pose for the same creature. Full art versions, by contrast, emphasize the artwork across the entire card surface, sometimes with intensified color palettes and a larger, more immersive backdrop. For Sandile, an alternate art print would likely push the desert mood into a more dynamic moment—perhaps Sandile staring down a dune, or skidding across cracked earth with extra motion lines. A full art variant would deliver the same creature, but with the art filling the frame in a single, uninterrupted panorama, often accompanied by premium foil patterns in holo or reverse-holo forms. The result is that chase cards—whether alternate art or full art—become aspirational benchmarks for collectors, often unlocking a different price tier and a unique story when you slide the sleeve off a binder page to reveal it.

From a market standpoint, the Sandile card in Silver Tempest serves as a practical example. The data snapshot shows a spectrum of values that help illustrate the difference between common print runs and rarer variants. For the non-holo normal Sandile, the market price typically sits in the few-cent range, with a low around 0.01 EUR and a mid around 0.10 EUR, peaking near 1.49 EUR in some cases. The reverse holo variant edges higher, with low prices around 0.04 EUR, mid around 0.17 EUR, and highs that can reach roughly 2.58 EUR. In USD terms via TCGPlayer, normal (non-reverse) copies hover around a market price near 0.06 USD, while reverse holo versions sit closer to 0.14 USD on the market, with broader price movements depending on seller, condition, and demand. These numbers help frame the value gap you might expect when chasing an alternate art or a true full-art Sandile—variants that typically command a premium well above the common print, especially in highly assortive sets where print runs for chase art are more limited.

In practice, a player focusing on deck-building may not need to chase an alternate art or full art Sandile for performance. The card’s core identity—the energy costs, the Bite damage, and its role in the evolution line—remains identical across printings. The thrill for a strategist comes from how your deck evolves your bench into Krookodile and how you time your energy attachments to keep pressure on your opponent. For a collector, however, the difference is tactile and visual. A border-free, full-art Sandile can occupy a spotlight in a binder and a display case; an alternate art version can become a talking point in a trade or a featured piece in a collection, especially if it captures a distinctive moment in Sandile’s desert world. Either way, both versions carry the same stamp of identity—Darkness typing, a classic starter-line potential, and a place in Silver Tempest’s broad, evolving narrative.

For those who like to weave buying decisions into real-world purchases, consider how you’re using Sandile in your life. If you’re a casual player who appreciates the aesthetics and the story, an alternate art or full art Sandile can be a gateway into a broader set of cards that shares the same mechanical DNA but offers a different emotional impact. If you’re an archetype-driven deck builder, prioritize the card’s practical role first and let the art be the secondary thrill. Either path you choose, the Sandile in Silver Tempest is a charming reminder of how Pokémon TCG blends strategy, collection, and lore into one vibrant hobby. ⚡🔥💎🎴🎨🎮

And if you’re looking for something to complement your gaming desk while you plan your next big upgrade, check out a stylish, non-slip gaming mouse pad—smooth polyester with a rubber back—to keep your setup steady as you optimize your pull rates and playtests. It’s a small detail, but in the world of Pokémon TCG collecting and competition, every ounce of focus helps.

non-slip gaming mouse pad smooth polyester rubber back

More from our network