Tropical Wind (Nintendo Promo 26)

Tropical Wind (Japanese: トロピカルウインド Tropical Wind) is a Trainer card. It was first released as a Japanese Unnumbered Promotional card and has been printed several times in English, as part of the Nintendo Black Star Promos set and the DP Black Star Promos set.

Card text

Release information

• This card was first released in Japanese as a participation prize in the 1999 Tropical Mega Battle tournament. The 1999 print and all subsequent prints feature Psyduck accompanied by other Pokémon; this particular one also features Jigglypuff.
• It was reprinted in Japanese with updated Generation II artwork by the same artist on e-card stock for the 2001 Tropical Mega Battle tournament. It was also released in English at the same event in the unofficial Tyranitar Half Deck, though it was named Tropical Breeze. This print features Cleffa, Smoochum, and the Tropical Mega Battle mascot Exeggutor.
• The first official English version of the card was featured in the Nintendo Black Star Promos collection, with updated Generation III art by the same artist. The print features the Generation III starters.
• It was later reprinted with updated Generation IV art by the same artist as a DP Black Star Promo and given to participants at Worlds 2007. This print features the Generation IV starters.
• It was reprinted for Worlds 2008 with art by the same artist and features Buneary, Pachirisu and Croagunk. This is perhaps a reference to their appearance in the anime.
• It was reprinted for Worlds 2009 with art by the same artist and features Bidoof, Weavile and Shaymin Sky Forme. Shaymin is perhaps a reference to Pokémon Platinum, wheras Weavile was the Pokémon available for download that year.
• Since 2004, a nine-card commemorative collection has been given to participating players at the start of the tournament. The collection consists of seven prints of Tropical Wind in English, Japanese, French, German, Spanish, Portugese and Italian, along with two special cards featuring a themed design of the current World Championships; one advertising the forthcoming World Championship Decks and one advertising the date and venue for the following World Championships (except at Worlds 2004, which had the POP logo instead). Special stamped versions are also awarded to staff who helped oversee the event and to the top-ranking players in each division of the tournament.

Gallery

• Tropical Wind 1999.jpg

  Tropical Mega Battle 1999 version

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  Tropical Mega Battle 2001 version

• Tropical Wind 26.jpg

  Worlds 2004 spectator version

• Tropical Wind 26 Stamp.jpg

  Worlds 2004 participant version

• Tropical Wind 26 Staff.jpg

  Worlds 2004 staff version

• Tropical Wind 26 16.jpg

  Worlds 2004 top sixteen version

• Tropical Wind 26 8.jpg

  Worlds 2004 quarter-finalist version

• Tropical Wind 26 4.jpg

  Worlds 2004 semi-finalist Version

• Tropical Wind 26 2.jpg

  Worlds 2004 finalist version

• DP05 Tropical Wind.jpg

  Worlds 2007 participant version

• DP05 Tropical Wind Staff.jpg

  Worlds 2007 staff version

• DP25 Tropical Wind.jpg

  Worlds 2008 participant version

• DP25 Tropical Wind Staff.jpg

  Worlds 2008 staff version

• 

  Worlds 2009 staff version

Trivia

• Every version of the card features a Psyduck in a hammock (except the Worlds 2009 version), sharing it or often being disturbed by Pokémon that are relative to the generation the card was released in. On the Worlds 2009 print a Weavile has occupied the hammock, with the Psyduck looking on apprehensively.
• Beginning in 2004, even though the regular versions of this card are available in seven languages, the top-ranking stamped versions are only in English.
• The Worlds 2004 print is the only one to have a spectator version (i.e. with no stamp); cards produced for Worlds in 2005 onwards all have stamps.
• In Worlds 2004, the top-ranking versions were only awarded to the top 16 players. This was increased to the top 32 players starting at Worlds 2005.
• Two copies of each of the top-ranking versions are awarded to respective players across the three divisions making a total of 192 top thirty-two versions, 96 top sixteen versions, 48 quarter-finalist versions, 24 semi-finalist versions, and 12 finalist versions at each Worlds.
• An unknown quantity of the Worlds 2009 print were printed with the collection number "DP25" (the Worlds 2008 promo number), as opposed to "DP48". This error only affected the English cards, including the staff versions and each of the top-ranking stamped versions, creating a very elusive sub-collection.

Origin

This article is part of Project TCG, a Bulbapedia project that aims to report on every aspect of the Pokémon Trading Card Game.