TCG Fakes Faking Resources and Help - How to Make Your Own Pokemon Cards!

[bbninjas]

​

Welcome to the PokéBeach Faking Resources and Help thread! Whether you're a complete newbie to the world of Pokémon faking or an old pro looking to start up a new project, the information contained here should be helpful to potential fakers of all types and knowledge levels.

1) Table of Contents & Resources
2) Tutorials
3) Faking Critics, FAQ, Credits, & Changelog

Resources​

Our Resource section aims to provide you with all the tools you need to begin faking in a number of eras of the Pokémon TCG. Everything from card blanks to font guides is provided here for your use, however we do ask that you please do not alter the blanks provided here without the consent of their creator. If there's a particular resource you're looking for that isn't listed, feel free to make a post and ask about it, or ask around at the community Discord server!

Classic Era​

Classic Era is the very start of the Pokémon TCG and traditionally consists of all cards made during the 1st Generation of games, from the original Base Set days up to and including Gym Challenge. From a faking perspective, Classic Era is one of the simplest, as it contains the smaller number of types and is relatively uncomplicated in terms of mechanics and available cards.

Pokémon Blanks (all stages and types)
Trainer Blanks
Star Foil Holosheet (used for English Base, Jungle, and Fossil Cards)
Galaxy Holosheet (used for all Japanese cards and English cards from Base Set 2 onward)
Alternate Circular Holosheet
Photoshop (.psd) Font Guide | GIMP (.xcf)
Symbols Sheet (closest match for Classic)
Complete Fonts Pack (automatic download: contains fonts for all eras, including symbols font)
1st Edition Stamp

Gym Era​

The Gym Era is often considered part of the Classic Era, however some notable aesthetic differences means it deserves a special mention. This era introduced the Owner's Pokémon mechanic, featuring the eight Kanto Gym Leaders, and also the Stadium card, which has remained prevelant in the TCG ever since.

Pokémon Blanks (.psd) (all stages and types, plus Dark, Steel, Fairy and Ice)
Trainer Blanks
Galaxy Holosheet | Alternate
Software Non-Specific Font Guide
Symbols Sheet
Complete Fonts Pack (automatic download: contains fonts for all eras, including symbols font)
1st Edition Stamp

Neo Era​

The Neo Era was a relatively short-lived era at the beginning of 2nd Generation. Along with Gen 2 Pokémon, Neo also introduced many new mechanics into the TCG, such as Dark- and Steel-type cards, Baby Pokémon, Pokémon tools, and ultra-rare Shining Pokémon. Some aesthetic elements also changed, inducing different graphics for many parts of the card.

Pokémon Blanks | Japanese Version (all stages and types, including Babies)
Trainer Blank
Galaxy Holosheet | Alternate | Subtle Overlay
Shining Foil Holosheet (for use with Shining Pokémon)
Symbol Sheet
Complete Fonts Pack (automatic download: contains fonts for all eras, including symbols font)

e-Card Era​

The e-Card series changed the style of Pokémon cards rather dramatically in order to make use of Dot Code technology with the Nintendo e-Reader. As a result, some of the flavourful elements of cards were removed, such as Pokédex information. The e-Card era was also the first to have separate Poké-Powers and Poké-Bodies, and also featured the beginning of Supporters.

Pokémon Blanks (all stages and types, with symbol sheet)
Trainer Blanks
Galaxy Holosheet | Alternate | Subtle Overlay
Complete Fonts Pack (automatic download: contains fonts for all eras, including symbols font)

EX Era​

The EX era began with the 3rd Generation of Pokémon and lasted throughout it, making it one the longest Pokémon TCG eras. A great many new mechanics were introduced during this era, including Pokémon-ex, Pokémon ☆, Delta Species, and dual-typed Pokémon. Some older mechanics also returned, such as Owner's Pokémon and Dark Pokémon.

Pokémon Blanks (all stages and types, including Pokémon-ex and Pokémon ☆)
Dual Type Symbols (blanks themselves are not available unfortunately)
Galaxy Holosheet | Alternate
Photoshop (.psd) Font Guide
Symbol Sheet
Complete Fonts Pack (automatic download: contains fonts for all eras, including symbols font)
TCG Symbols Font (includes Energy and mechanic symbols)

DPPt Era​

The DPPt Era started with the beginning of the 4th Generation. Like each of the previous eras, there were significant aesthetic changes, as well as mechanical. The classification of Poison-type Pokémon as Psychic instead of Grass began in this era, and supporter and Stadium cards went through large design changes. Pokémon LV.X became the new Ultra Rare mechanic, Shiny Pokémon see a return to the TCG as secret cards, and Owner's Pokémon came back in the form of Pokémon SP. Arceus received a new mechanic all to himself in the Arceus expansion, which ended the era.

Pokémon Blanks (all types and stages, including Pokémon SP, Pokémon LV.X and Secret Rares)
Bonus Dragon, Fairy Blanks (includes Mega and Ultra Beast blanks for all types)
More Custom Types
Galaxy Holosheet | Alternate
Symbol Sheet + Holosheets + .psd Font Guide
SP Character Art is the official Sugimori Art
Complete Fonts Pack (automatic download: contains fonts for all eras)
TCG Symbols Font (includes Energy and mechanic symbols)

HGSS Era​

The HGSS Era was a rather short-lived era that began with the HGSS remakes. Many aesthetic changes were made, including switching borders over to a mottled gold and silver colour to replace the plain yellow of previous eras. LV.X Pokémon were replaced with 2 new powerful mechanics, Pokémon Prime and Pokémon LEGEND. LEGEND cards in particular are notable for requiring 2 cards to be put together in order to play. The English-exclusive Call of Legends reprint set also saw a return of Shiny Pokémon, this time as specially numbered secret cards.

Pokémon Blanks (includes all stages and types, as well as a Symbol Sheet)
Pokémon LEGEND Blanks (includes LEGEND-specific Symbol Sheet)
Pokemon Prime Blanks (older versions)
Pokemon Full Art Blanks (imagined by RuneScript)
Trainer Blanks
Galaxy Holosheet | Alternate
Photoshop (.psd) Font Guide
Complete Fonts Pack (automatic download: contains fonts for all eras)
TCG Symbols Font (includes Energy and mechanic symbols)

BW Era​

With the beginning of the 5th Generation of Pokémon came the BW Era and many changes to the Pokémon TCG. The English numbering system was altered to match the Japanese style, holo styles changed drastically, and Dragon-type cards made their debut. Pokémon-EX emerged as the new powerful Pokémon mechanic, and Full Art cards and UR Shinies were additions for collectors. Towards the end of the era, the Plasma Pokémon and powerful ACE SPEC Trainer cards were introduced, adapted from the Owner's Pokémon of eras prior.

Pokémon Blanks (all stages and types, including Pokémon-EX, Gold Borders, Restored Pokémon and Full Art cards)
Pokémon Plasma Blanks (older versions)
Trainer Blanks (includes Energy templates)| Full Art Trainers | ACE SPEC Blank | Plasma
BW Holosheet 1 | 2
FA Pokémon Textures | Secret Rare Shiny Pokémon | Energy Symbols
Photoshop (.psd) Font Guide
Symbol Sheet
Evolution Icon Sheet | DIY Guide
Complete Fonts Pack (automatic download: contains fonts for all eras)
TCG Symbols Font (includes Energy and mechanic symbols)

XY Era​

The XY Era was launched at the beginning of the 6th Generation. For the first time since 2nd Gen, a new Pokémon Type - Fairy - was introduced to the games, which arrived into the TCG under the same name as expected. Pokémon-EX from BW Era remained, but some new mechanics debuted, such as Ancient Traits, M Pokémon-EX as a representation of Mega Evolution, and Pokémon BREAK.

Snoop's Pokémon Blanks (all stages and types, including Pokémon-EX, Gold Borders, Restored Pokémon and Full Art cards, excluding Mega Pokémon-EX)
Ancient Trait Pokémon Blanks (includes Font Guide) | Full Art M Pokémon-EX (includes Font Guide)
BREAK Pokémon Blanks (also a .psd Font Guide) | Dual Types (Basics only)
Trainer Blanks (includes Energy) | Full Art Trainers
Diagonal XY Holosheet | Alternate | BREAK
FA Pokémon Textures | Energy Symbols
Photoshop (.psd) Font Guide | Software-Nonspecific (for Asche's Small Blanks)
Pre-ORAS Symbol Sheet | ORAS | BREAK | Dual Type
Evolution Icon Sheet | DIY Guide
Complete Fonts Pack (automatic download: contains fonts for all eras)
TCG Symbols Font (includes Energy and mechanic symbols)

SM Era​

The 7th Generation, one that broke many long-running series traditions, brought alongside the new SM Era. Aesthetics changed significantly for the first time since Gen 5, with a much-needed blank makeover and a new swirly holosheet. The era experienced a shift in focus on Evolution Pokémon with the new GX mechanic, similar to the Pokémon-ex, on which GX attacks made their debut, representing the new Z-Moves. Ultra Beasts make their debut, and the Lost Zone sees its return in the new Prism Star mechanic. Two Pokémon can tag up on one card in a new GX exclusive mechanic, Tag Team.

Larger Pokémon Blanks (all stage types, including Pokémon-GX, UB -GX, Prism Star and Gold -GX)
Tag-Team Pokémon Blanks
Trainers | Energy
SUNLAVA™ Holosheet
Rainbow GX Holosheets
Symbol Sheet
Complete Fonts Pack (automatic download: contains fonts for all eras)
TCG Symbols Font (includes Energy and mechanic symbols)

SWSH Era​

The SWSH Era continued what some might call the 'new age' of Pokémon TCG. The era scrapped Fairy-type in favour of a simpler Pokémon Type system: Fairy Pokémon became Psychic- and Poison Pokémon, reclassified for the second time since Base Era, became Dark-types. The long-held "300 HP" ceiling was smashed by a new VMAX multi-prize mechanic representing the powerful Dynamax. A period of stagnant metagame ushered in the fresh, new "Battle Style" mechanic, while old Gen 3 and Gen 4 mechanics were reimagined as V-Unions, V-Stars, and Amazing Rares.

Pokémon Blanks (all stage types, including Pokémon-V, -VMAX, FAs, Trainers, Energy, and Holosheets)
V-Union Blanks
V-Star Blanks
Custom Blanks (including Pokémon-Star, Light Pokémon and Dark Pokémon reimagined by RuneScript)
Symbol Sheet
Complete Fonts Pack (automatic download: contains fonts for all eras)
TCG Symbols Font (includes Energy and mechanic symbols)

Custom Blanks​

Throughout the years, many Pokémon TCG Fakers have designed their own custom blanks for use in different situations. Feel free to experiment with some of our favourites listed below!

Ancient Origins Blanks & Resources (remember Ancient Mew?) - aschefield101
Ancient Origins Font - Nekoban Ryo
Beta Classic Blanks (Japanese) - Nekoban Ryo
Beta Classic Blanks (English Remastered) - Nekoban Ryo
BW-era Delta Blanks - Shining Bill
Custom Mega Pokemon (PSD) - BigfootAUS
Galactic BW Blanks (PSD) - ShiningBill
Galactic Episodes Blanks - aschefield101
Horizontal Trainer's Blank - Nekoban Ryo
Lunar Eclipse Blanks - aschefield101
Multisided Blanks - Nod3rator
Neo-Gym Mash Custom Blanks - Nekoban Ryo
New Species Blanks - Nekoban Ryo
Rainbow Rocket Custom Blanks (SM-Era) - bartyboy6
Splattered Dual-Type Blanks (SM-Era) - bartyboy6
TCG Game Boy Blanks - Nekoban Ryo
Tempest Blanks (centre to page) - aschefield101
Welkin Blanks - Zygarde
Who Knows? Blanks (includes unofficial fairy) - Metagross101
WinchFall Blanks | Resources - aschefield101

Custom Resources​

Sometimes Pokémon TCG Fakers will design some random custom goodies for use on their blanks, and will share them with the community. Here's just one assortment of them below.

Alola Trainer Icons - Edwin Santander
Classic Fake Card Stamp - Nekoban Ryo
Classic Holofoil for Printed Cards - Nekoban Ryo
Custom Holofoils: Mosaic | Ripple | Rounded Rectangles | Star Rings - Nekoban Ryo
Custom Textures - TylerRVG
Modern Gym Leader Icons - Rune-Blad3
Neo Johto Gym Leader Icons - CMP
Retro-Style Textures Generator (.psd) - Nekoban Ryo
Team Names for BW-Style Trainers Pokemon - Nekoban Ryo
Villianous Team Icons - Rune-Blad3
SM-era Trainer Icons - Rune-Blad3

Custom Energy Icons:

3D - Nekoban Ryo
Battrio - Aschefield101
Classic - Nekoban Ryo
Dualtype - aschefield101
Glossy - Nekoban Ryo
Glowing - Nekoban Ryo
Textured - TylerRVG
Neo Classic - CMP
Neo Custom 1 - Aschefield101
Neo Custom 2 - Aschefield101

Other Resources​

The Common Wording Errors Compilation
The Common Attacks & Effects Compilation
Compilation of Pokemon Type Stereotypes
SM-era Rule Book (PDF)
Ruling Compendium
A Compilation of Great Artists for Fake Cards (who have given permission to use)

Looking for something from the old Faking Resources and Help thread? You can find it archived here.

 

[bbninjas]

Tutorials​

If you're uncertain on how to actually make a fake card with the resouces provided, or if you need specific help with a particular aspect of faking, take a look at some of our Tutorials! If you still need help with something, you're welcome to reach out to one of our Faking Critics, ask in the PTCG Faking Community Discord channel or post in this thread for advice.

Basic Tutorial: How to Make an Image Fake​

With such an extensive variety of resources available, jumping straight into image faking can be a bit daunting. It may be the prospect of attempting a new hobby, the burden of creating an official-looking card, or maybe you’re just unsure on where to start. Whatever it may be, this tutorial will guide you in making your very own, standard Pokémon TCG image fake.

Step 1: Choose your image editor software. If you can afford it, Photoshop is great for image faking due to its grand versatility. GIMP is the free alternative, capable of most Photoshop features and is suitable for faking. I’ll be using Corel PhotoPaint, yet another image editor software, throughout this tutorial. Interface and tools should look similar in all three software. It may be tempting to use the Paint program probably already installed on your computer, however it lacks many capabilities essential for effective image faking.

Step 2: Choose your era. There are seven main eras in the PTCG - Classic, Neo, E-Card, EX, DPPt, HGSS, BW and XY. The era you choose defines the wording style, the power levels and, generally, the resources you choose to use later on. The card I’ll be making in this tutorial will be of the XY era, as it is the era I am most familiar with.

Step 3: Design your spoiler. That is, design what will actually go on your card! This is where you choose the Pokémon, type, HP, attacks, retreat cost and the like. For officialism, try to avoid the 400 HP monsters that do 200 damage for a single [C]. Try to keep everything including HP, attacks and retreat cost realistic. Don’t forget your Pokédex details! You may like to refer to other official cards, especially cards of the same Pokémon, as well as our TCG Wording Guide and Common Attack & Effects resources.

For this tutorial, I’ll be using the following spoiler:

Spoiler: Blastoise

Blastoise - Water - HP140
Stage 2 - Evolves from Wartortle

NO. 009 Shellfish Pokémon HT: 5'03" WT: 188.5 lbs.

Ability Rehydration
If this Pokémon is your Active Pokémon and is Knocked Out by damage from an opponent’s attack, you may move up to 2 basic [W] Energy cards attached to this Pokémon to 1 of your Benched Pokémon.

[W][W][W][C] Hydro Rush 100x
Flip a coin until you get tails. This attack does 100 damage times the number of heads.

Weakness: Grass (x2)
Resistance:
Retreat: [C][C][C][C]
The jets of water it spouts from the rocket cannons on its shell can punch through thick steel.

Step 4: Choose and download your blanks and other resources. You will likely end up using the blank that belongs to the era you chose in Step 2, however there are also a bucketload of custom blanks you may like to try out. Download the blank you choose. Then, you’ll need to download the resources - the symbol sheet, fonts and, optionally, the holosheet - that corresponds with your blank of choice. To install the fonts, extract the font pack and follow this guide for Windows (see the tip) or this guide for Macintosh. For this tutorial, I’ll be using the XY resources that corresponds to the XY era.

Step 5: Open your blank in your image editor. This step is pretty straight forward. My personal preference is to open the blank with the image editor and then save it as a new document.

Spoiler: Screenshot - Step 5

Step 6: Add in the text. This is where the fun begins! You may want to download a font guide for this step and fill in the text that way. Otherwise, select your Type tool and click anywhere on the card. This should open a box where you can begin typing your text. Change the text to the correct font and an approximate size. Fonts are normally the same across all eras, so as a general rule this guide is a good font reference. Once you’ve got the text looking about right, move it to the rough position of where it will be in the final product. Don’t worry about getting it perfect at this stage - you’ll fix it up later. Once you’ve added all the text you need, move onto the next step.

Spoiler: Screenshot - Step 6

Step 7: Add in the symbols. Adding the symbols is a process similar to adding the text. Firstly, you’ll need to import the symbol sheet into your workspace. You’ll then need to cut out each symbol you need. This will include any Energy symbols, the rarity symbols and, depending if you added it as text or not, the HP. Once again, roughly positions the symbols but don’t worry about perfection, as that’ll be fixed up later. Once all symbols are added, move onto the next step.

Spoiler: Screenshot - Step 7

Step 8: Positioning, like, everything. This is probably one of the most time consuming parts of image faking. Making sure everything is the right size, the right font and in the right position is vital in ensuring your card looks not only neat and tidy, but also official. Using a software-specific font guide will make things much quicker. Otherwise, Jabberwock has written a detailed guide for do-it-yourself placements which you can find here.

Spoiler: Screenshot - Step 8 - Referencing

Spoiler: Screenshot - Step 8 - Placements

Step 9: Choose and add your art! Art is one of the selling points of your card, so choose wisely! Check out PB’s very own Smeagle’s Canvas for fan art pieces, otherwise you may like to search Google for some official Pokémon art or look around DeviantArt for fan art. Unless art is official Pokémon material, always make sure you have the artist’s permission to reproduce the piece in your card. We have compiled a list of artists who have given such permission here.

You must also make sure you have the illustration credit on the card, just like official cards. Not crediting the artist is plagiarism and will result in immediate removal from PB, and even other sites at their discretion. For this example, I will be using this nifty Blastoise piece by ishmam. You can see the artist lists his permissions on this page, however you will often need to ask the artist for permission directly.

Spoiler: Screenshot - Step 9

Step 10: Add a holosheet. This is an optional step, and is generally only used if your card is an ultra rare, a rare holo or a promo. Import the holosheet of choice much like you did for the symbol sheet. Position it underneath the blank but on top of the art. Then, erase parts of the holosheet so you can see just the Pokémon and any foreground effects of the art. It would be worthwhile to explore the clipping mask feature that all three software have, as with this feature you are simply removing visibility from certain parts of the layer, rather than erasing it completely. This means you can fix mistakes easier. Note that if your art’s foreground and background are separate, you can simply place the holosheet in between the two layers. Once you’ve erased sufficiently, make one and two more copies of the layer, and name them accordingly.

Spoiler: Screenshot - Step 10a

You would have noticed that at present the holosheet looks pretty awful - you can’t see the background, after all! To make the sheet mostly transparent and to add the holo shine, we will need to use some blending modes. The blending modes will vary depending on the holosheet. The source sheet description may list the best blending modes, however you may have to figure things out yourself. Generally you will end up using a combination of the Multiply and Colour Dodge, and potentially Screen, Soft Light, Overlay, Colour Burn and others. You will also need to adjust the opacity of each layer, if say the holo is too dark or doesn’t give enough colour. Experimentation is the key, but if you’re stuck, ask around - the community will give you tips. Once you’re happy, it’s time to move into finalisation.

Spoiler: Screenshot - Step 10b

Step 11: Proofreading time. You wouldn’t believe how many small mistakes can arise when creating a card. You may forgotten to turn a layer to visible, mistype an attack effect, position something a bit off or forgotten to crop the art so it doesn’t peek around the card edges. Double check - or even triple check - your card for mistakes.

Step 12: Export your card! Finally it is time to export (save) your card as an image! You should export your card as a PNG, as this is the most web-friendly format and has the highest quality. Name it appropriately, and make sure your export dimensions are the same as the original blank dimensions. Also make sure you have a layered version of your card backed up in its original format (.psd, .xcf or .cpt) just in case you want to make changes later.

Spoiler: Screenshot - Step 12

Step 13: Share your card. Upload your creation to an image sharing such as Imgur or Photobucket, so you can share it to the online world. You may like to upload it to your thread in the Imposter Professor Oak’s Fakes forum, if you have a showcase thread already. If you haven’t created a showcase thread, feel free to make one now.

Spoiler: Final Card

Tips:

• Get familiar with your software of choice. Once you’re familiar, you’ll be able to make cards even more efficiently.
• Remember to save your document regularly! Software can crash, and you don’t want to ever lose your progress. Using the Ctrl+S or Cmnd+S shortcuts make saving quick and easy.
• Don’t hesitate to refer to multiple scans as references throughout your faking process. You may want to use a variety for wording, placements and even art.
• Don’t be afraid to experiment with a faking method that works for you best. This tutorial is just a starting point.
• Be patient! Once you get the hang of things and/or have designed a template you like, you’ll be able to output cards much quicker.
• If you have any questions or are ever stuck, just ask! The TCG faking community always enjoys sharing their tips with new fakers.

Tutorial written by bbninjas

Advanced Tutorials​

We also have some more detailed or advanced tutorials available for projects. Check them out below!
Guide for DIY Fonts & Placements
Guide for Designing Ancient Traits
Glowball Tutorial for Pokémon-EX cards (pending addition)
Swirl Abstract tutorial (for artwork backgrounds)
Colour Wave tutorial (for artwork backgrounds)

 

[bbninjas]

Faking Critics​

If you'd like to get help with your faking, we have a number of knowledgable fakers here at PokéBeach that would be happy to look at your creations and give you advice. Available critics and their methods of contact can be found below.

Username: @aschefield101
Specialties: Advanced Image Faking, Placements, Resource Creating
Known Eras: Knowledge of all eras
Contact: Forum PM or DeviantArt

Username: @bbninjas
Specialties: Balancing, Creativity, Image Faking, Mechanics, Wording
Known Eras: BW and XY, some knowledge of other eras
Contact: Forum PM or Discord (Tag: bbninjas#4315)

Username: @Jabberwock
Specialties: Creativity, Fonts/Placement, Image Faking, Mechanics, Textures/Holosheets
Known Eras: Knowledge of all eras
Contact: Forum PM or Discord (PM me for Discord ID)

Username: @Nekoban Ryo
Specialties: Holosheets, Image Faking, Printing
Known Eras: Neo
Contact: Forum PM or DeviantArt

Username: @Nyan
Specialties: Holosheets, Placements, Wording, Image Faking
Known Eras: SM, XY
Contact: Forum PM, DeviantArt or Discord (Tag: Nyan | ❤ #1505)

Interested in becoming a Faking Critic? Feel free to fill out the following form and post it in the thread:

[b]Username:[/b] @
[b]Specialties:
Known Eras:
Contact:[/b] Forum PM or Discord (Tag: xxxx)

F.A.Q​

Q: How come ___________ resource isn’t available?
A: Either we haven’t come across such a resource or we haven’t received permission from the creator yet.

Q: How come ___________ resource was removed?
A: There was either a change in the title of the resource (check the changelog, located below), the resource has been improved or updated (also check the changelog), or the creator of the resource has retracted permission for us to advertise it within the thread.

Q: I would like to contribute my resource(s)! Where can I do it?
A: Awesome! Please PM a Creative Works staff member and we’ll review your resource(s).

Q: A resource seems to not have proper credit. Who do I contact?
A: Please send a PM to a Creative Works staff member with a link to the resource in question and we’ll review it.

Q: I’m not a fan of the layout. What can I do?
A: Please post any ideas below on what you would like to see. This thread is for you guys, so we would like to tailor the experience to what you might like (as long as it is reasonable).

Q: How come the link to ___________ resource isn’t working?
A: Either the hosting site is down or the resource has been removed by the creator. Please PM a Creative Works staff member if you come across any broken links.

Q: Is it alright to post the resource(s) I’ve made in my own thread?
A: Yes, you can still link any resources you create within your main fan-made art thread. This thread just serves as a hub for all the resources that the faking community can use.

Q: I’ve made a card, but what do I do with it now?
A: That’s great! You may like to upload it to an image hoster and create a new thread on PokéBeach’s Imposter Professor Oak’s Fakes to display your work. You’ll be able to get some great feedback and even followers this way.

Q: How can I easily communicate with others fakers besides this thread?
A: The faking community have a Discord channel set up specifically for resource help and discussion! Click here to join. Disclaimer: This is not an official PokeBeach channel, and is not the responsibility of PokeBeach.

Q: I have a question, but it is not answered here! Where should I ask?
A: Ask your question in this thread! We’d be happy to help.

Promotional Banners​

If you wish to promote this Faking Resources & Help Guide, feel free to use any of the banners below:

Spoiler: Large Banner by Jabberwock

Spoiler: Large Banner by Nekoban Ryo

Spoiler: Discord Banners by Nekoban Ryo

Spoiler: Signature Banner by Nekoban Ryo

Credits​

This project would not have been possible without the help of some very talented fakers who have donated their time, knowledge, and experience to putting these resources together. Please give them a warm thank you and feel free to check out their work.

aschefield101 - Blank & Resource Creator
[Forum Profile][DeviantArt Account]

Athena - Thread Writer
[Forum Profile][DeviantArt Account]

bartyboy6 - Blank & Resource Creator
[DeviantArt Account]

bbninjas - Tutorial & Guide Writer, Project Head
[Forum Profile][CW Thread][DeviantArt Account]

BigfootAUS - Blank & Resource Creator
[Forum Profile][CW Thread][DeviantArt Account]

Blui - Blank & Resource Creator, Project Head
[Forum Profile][CW Thread][DeviantArt Account]

Cascade Gonpory - Blank & Resource Creator
[DeviantArt Account]

CMP - Blank & Resource Creator
[Forum Profile][CW Thread][DeviantArt Account]

Edwin Santander - Blank & Resource Creator
[Forum Profile][CW Thread][DeviantArt Account]

Flaming Claw - Blank & Resource Creator, Original Thread Creator
[Forum Profile][DeviantArt Account]

Ice Arceus - Project Head
[Forum Profile]

Jabberwock - Main Banner Creator, Tutorial Writer
[Forum Profile][CW Thread][DeviantArt Account]

Kaleidophoenix- Blank & Resource Creator
[Discord]

Metagross101 - Blank & Resource Creator
[Forum Profile][DeviantArt Account]

Nekoban Ryo - Blank & Resource Creator, Secondary Banner Creator
[Forum Profile][CW Thread][DeviantArt Account]

Nod3rator - Blank & Resource Creator
[Forum Profile][DeviantArt Account]

Rune-Blad3 - Blank & Resource Creator
[DeviantArt Account]

RuneScript - Blank & Resource Creator
[Discord]

Snoops - Blank & Resource Creator
[DeviantArt Account]

The Ωmega One - Blank & Resource Creator
[Forum Profile][CW Thread][DeviantArt Account]

TylerRVG - Blank & Resource Creator
[Forum Profile][CW Thread]

Zygarde - Blank & Resource Creator
[Forum Profile][CW Thread][DeviantArt Account]

Changelog​

Nov 29th, '21: Added a long overdue SWSH section including Aschefield's standard blanks, Kaleidophoenix's V-Unions and RuneScript's V-Stars. Added custom blanks for SWSH and HGSS, designed by RuneScript. Fixed the Tag Teams link.

Apr 9th, '20: Updated the font pack to include Optima fonts for SM-era and Nekoban Ryo's Pokemon TCG Symbols font (2018 version). This link downloads the pack automatically.

Aug 8th: Added Tag-Team SM-era blanks created by Aschefield.
Apr 21st: Added Metagross' custom type DPPt-era blanks.
Apr 7th: Added Shining Bill's old HGSS Prime blanks and his take on Delta-species Pokemon for the BW era. Also added Nekoban's reimagined beta Classic blanks.
Feb 13th, '19: Major update. Added SUNLAVA™ SM-era holosheet. Added some bonus DPPt blanks edited by The Omega One. Neko updated the fire and psychic textures of his Gym-era templates. Many custom resources were added. Minor formatting changes.

Feb 12th: Replaced old versions of the SM Trainer and Energy blanks with Asche's revamped versions.
Jan 3rd, '18: Added some of Neko's new custom holosheets, and Asche's new SM blanks. Replaced the old SM blanks, the old BREAK blanks and the old Circular (Galaxy) Foil courtesy of Asche's revamps. Minor formatting changes (inc. switching "Skype" with "Discord").

June 28th: Added Edwin's custom Alola Trainer icons
June 23rd: Added Neko's Japanese version of his Neo blanks, and a Neo-Gym mash also by Neko.
June 16th: Added the Dark-type blanks of the SM-era as created by Asche.
June 15th: Added a SM-era Stadium blank by Asche and updated the old Neo-era Trainer blank (this) with CMP's smoother version (here).
April 25th: Added some beautifully modern custom energy icons made by TylerRVG.
April 5th: Added Asche's Ancient Origins blanks and resources that are based on the Ancient Mew card.
April 4th: Added Asche's large SM Colorless blanks, and Item, Supporter and Energy blanks, as well as Cascade Gonpory's smaller SM blanks. Added some custom textures kindly supplied by TylerRVG.
April 3rd '17: Added the SM and Dual Type blanks that have been so far completed and added a new Gym Era, SM Era and Custom Resources sections. Formatting was changed slightly to condense lists.

Dec 23rd: Zygarde gifts us with his beautiful Welkin custom blanks, as we say our farewells to him.
Sept 10th: Nekoban Ryo revamped his older TCG font to be higher quality, with even more symbols!
Aug 15th: Added a type stereotype compilation resource written by Jabberwock.
July 16th: Replaced the older DP blanks of Nod3rator (originals: [blanks]) and symbols of Latios101 (originals: [symbols]) with the DP blanks revamped by Metagross101, including SP and Lv.X.
June 10th: Added a BW evolution symbol sheet created by Metagross101.
April 21st: Added a compilation of artists who give the faking community permission to use their pieces on cards.
April 12th: A vast majority of XY and BW blanks revamped by Snoop (originals by Asche: [XY] [BW]), including Stages, EXs and Trainers, Symbols. Added Flare Gear, Secret Rares, Full Arts and Restored Pokemon.
March 14th, '16: Thread posted.

 

[bbninjas]

A Guide for Designing Ancient Traits
XY Primal Clash brought us a new mechanic and card style - Ancient Traits. Immediately, the similarities to the long-running Abilities were noticed. Due to these similarities, the things that make Ancient Traits unique are occasionally confused with Abilities among the faking community. This is a guide to explain what you need to keep in mind when making and interacting with Ancient Traits, so your original cards stay realistic.

Ancient Trait names are always a simple, short noun in front of an uppercase Greek letter, unless the uppercase letter is very similar to an English letter, on which the letter becomes lowercase (eg. Alpha). This letter is like a subgroup for Ancient Traits and is coded by its own colour. The official choice to reflect Greek letters is likely related to Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, so it may be ideal to take colour and letter inspiration from that. At present there are four official colours - Alpha, Omega, Delta and Theta.

Nothing - no attacks, no Abilities, no Trainers, no Ancient Traits - directly interact with other Ancient Traits. They are "safe" from any tampering, and shouldn't be used as a trigger for any form of effect. This lack of interaction is primarily used to create a mechanic or strategic core of its host card, which cannot be turned off and otherwise easily nullified.

It must be kept in mind that as Ancient Traits cannot be "turned off", they must not be to powerful. An Ancient Trait should effectively be treated as an Ability effect that would just be too weak as an Ability. This naturally makes some Ancient Traits quite situational (see Alpha Heal, Theta Stop). Alpha Growth, Omega Barrier and Omega Barrage do break this rule to an extent, as they are all quite powerful. However, this is because the effect, as an Ability, would not work effectively in a game where Abilities can easily be "turned off". Note that despite these effects being unblockable, they are not broken or overpowered. As a side-note, there is an exception to this rule. As Ancient Traits are considered "effects on the Pokémon", anything that would bypass "effects" will bypass an Ancient Trait.

Finally, Ancient Traits are selfish. They never will directly affect another Pokémon, and not even you and your resources, such as your hand! Think of Ancient Trait Pokémon as Pokémon that have developed abilities to survive solitarily - Ancient Traits exclusively assist the Pokémon that the Ancient Trait is on.

 

[bbninjas]

The first update! Snoops has recently uploaded his new, high quality 734 by 1024 BW and XY blanks to his DeviantArt, for the faking community! These are higher quality blanks to the smaller ones @aschefield101 had available and I hear from asche that Snoop's blanks are effectively as accurate.

The revamped:
- Basic, Stage 1 and Stage 2 (XY and BW)
- EXs and FAs (XY and BW)
- Trainers and FA Trainers (XY and BW)
- XY and BW Symbols
- A .psd font guide

The new:
- FA Stage blanks (XY and BW)
- Team Flare Gear, Team Flare Items
- Secret Rare blanks for everything (XY and BW)
- Restored Pokemon (XY and BW)
- FA Plasma blanks

Coming soon:
- Plasma blanks (non-FA)
- Team Flare-themed Trainers
- ACESPEC
- Megas (FA and non-FA)
- ATs (inc Megas)

 

[Athena]

Artists for Fake Cards

One of the major parts to creating a fake card is choosing the right art. Generally you'll need to search around for a good piece. Then, you'll need to ask that artist for permission, and then only if they allow it, can you use the piece. However, sometimes asking for such permission can be a bit tedious, or perhaps you just want to make a card quickly and don't want to wait. Eitherway, we have compiled a list of artists who have given permission to the faking community to use their art on fake cards. Remember, however, that you must credit the artist on any fake card you make.

Terms of Use
- You must always credit the artist on the card, and out of courtesy you should credit the artist in the post showcasing your fake. On PB, we will delete any fake cards that do not properly credit the artist.
- Any art used may not be modified in any way aside from cropping or resizing the piece so it fits in your art box, unless given permission by the artist.
- It is illegal to make a profit from fake cards anyway, but you also can't make a profit of art made by these artists (or anyone really without their permission).
- Artists like it when you let them know that you used their art. As such, letting them know would be a nice idea.
- If you are posting your fake cards on PB, remember to follow the rules listed here.

Pokemon Artists
- Xous54 [DeviantArt]**
- ishmam [DeviantArt]
- tatanRG [DeviantArt]
- steffenka [PokeBeach]***
- nintendo-jr [DeviantArt]
- Twime77 [DeviantArt]
- Togechu [DeviantArt]
- DrManiacal [DeviantArt]
- double o squirtle [PokeBeach]
- CuteSkitty [DeviantArt]
- scattered mind [PokeBeach]
- little-ampharos [DeviantArt]**
- BigfootAUS [PokeBeach][DeviantArt]
- hiko-kujaku [DeviantArt]
- X-Alex [DeviantArt]
- Metagross101 [DeviantArt]* **

Background Artists
- paulthepirateking [DeviantArt]

Free Stock Images ^
- Texture Ninja [link]
- Unsplash [link]
- Pixabay [link]

*Searching through the artist's gallery may be required.
**This artist's art often is missing a background, so we suggest you add a free stock background you find online, or a background of one of our listed artists, behind the background-less art.
***Some modification of the art using blending modes (e.g. Screen and Overlay modes) may be needed for better quality on a card. The artist has given permission for this type of modification.
^This compilation of images have been released under a free-to-use liscence. You don't have to credit these sources, although it is good courtesy to do so.

 

[aschefield101]

So it begins... fear the uglyness and my crazyness for doing them...

 

[Shiny Shinx]

Quick ex-Series Special Energy blank I threw together, not the best quality, but it's a start, considering that there are literally no other ex-Series Special Energy blanks out there.

~SS

 

[Kangaflora]

One question: Are the Evolution Icons for the respective Blanks going to be part of the Blanks? I'm looking for an up to date (Generation VI) versions of the TCG Evocon for the XY, but I couldn't find them anywhere.

 

[Shiny Shinx]

One question: Are the Evolution Icons for the respective Blanks going to be part of the Blanks? I'm looking for an up to date (Generation VI) versions of the TCG Evocon for the XY, but I couldn't find them anywhere.

Grab the Dream World art for that Pokemon, shrink it down, and stick it in the bubble.

~SS

 

[bbninjas]

Grab the Dream World art for that Pokemon, shrink it down, and stick it in the bubble.

~SS

That dream work art isn't the right art for the evo box. The evo art is actually some form of photo manipulation on Ken Sugimori's art. I know that at the moment these evo icons can be ripped from the TCGO software (screenshot the appropriate card and erase around the evo art); this is how I get the up-to-date evo art from Generation VI.

 

[Kangaflora]

That dream work art isn't the right art for the evo box. The evo art is actually some form of photo manipulation on Ken Sugimori's art. I know that at the moment these evo icons can be ripped from the TCGO software (screenshot the appropriate card and erase around the evo art); this is how I get the up-to-date evo art from Generation VI.

Nice! Any chance of uploading them onto Deviantart or PokéBeach (even if it means creating Abra and Kadabra Evolution Icons)?

 

[aschefield101]

They're simply Sugi original art (aka not dreamworld) with bevel/shadows added, nothing more. You might find some are new poses, but generally almost all are his stock images

 

[Shiny Shinx]

Who's ready for print-resolution Japanese Neo blanks!?

I'm not against it, but what I'm waiting for is for someone to come up with some nice quality ex-E-series blanks. Which apparently are not in very high demand...

- - - - - - - -

Gave it a sharpen and some smudging, then glued it to one of metagross101's borders, to come up with version 2 of my ex-series Special Energy!

~SS

 

[bbninjas]

Nice! Any chance of uploading them onto Deviantart or PokéBeach (even if it means creating Abra and Kadabra Evolution Icons)?

Metagross101 (as PKMNCardMaker264) did create some evolution sheets with the proper effects for the BW era, which although not 100% accurate, I reckon it's pretty similar. Link: http://i.imgur.com/c6VG8vF.png
Though, Asche's tips sounds good!

 

[Kangaflora]

Cool, though they don't exactly include the Generation VI Pokémon.

 

[bbninjas]

Cool, though they don't exactly include the Generation VI Pokémon.

That's why I said it was for BW era.

 

[aschefield101]

@Shiny Shinx - they'd require creating from scratch, EX era is one of the largest for blanks (due to sheer amount of variations and changes Nintendo made throughout). It's larger than the XY era, even with these dual types they've added

I honestly would love to make them, but time and willpower just aren't suited for me atm lol... that and I'd need HQ scans of DPPt basic cards (for the type texture background, as they both use the same) with as little text on as possible.

 

[Nekoban Ryo]

Here are print-resolution Gym blanks. I don't have HQ Gym Leader icons, so I guess this will just be for your own characters (OCs) for now. It's a PSD file, but it will also work in GIMP (although you won't get proper character width in GIMP).

http://icycatelf.deviantart.com/art/Print-Resolution-Gym-Blanks-567915364

No editable font guide (mainly because Power/attack size/alignment can vary drastically on older cards), but here are some tips:

Spoiler

 

[aschefield101]

Spoiler: for large madness, click here.