Paras Regional Printings: Exploring Art Differences

In TCG ·

Paras card art (FireRed & LeafGreen ex6) by Yuka Morii

Image courtesy of TCGdex.net

Paras offers a small, endearing window into the world of early Pokémon TCG art, where regional printings could swing the feel of a card even when the gameplay remained steady. This Grass-type Basic—the little mushroom Pokémon with its distinctive duo of spores—was illustrated by Yuka Morii for the FireRed & LeafGreen era. With 50 HP and two practical attacks, it’s a card that players remember for its simplicity and for the way art direction nudged collectors toward different moods in different markets. The artwork sits on a familiar frame, but the regional flavor can be unmistakable—subtle shifts in color, crop, or emphasis that become talking points for fans and investors alike. ⚡🔥

What a Paras card tells us about regional printings

In the ex6 FireRed & LeafGreen set, Paras appears as a Common rarity, a token of the era when players could reliably pull a dependable Grass-type from booster packs. Its basic stage, the two Attacks—Call for Family (cost: Colorless) and Toxic Spore (cost: Grass, 10 damage, with a coin flip for Poison)—and its weaknesses (Fire ×2) are consistent across printings, providing a stable gameplay baseline. Yet the art itself becomes a map of regional identity. Some markets favored warmer forest tones or different lighting in the background, while others kept the scene closer to a simple, straightforward forest floor vignette. This is where collectors find a rich braid of form and function: the same card, multiple iterations, each with its own personality. 🎴

Regional art differences aren’t just cosmetic; they influence how a card feels in hand and on the table. A Paras that reads as robust and mossy in one printing can look a touch brighter or more compact in another, inviting conversations about how regional palettes and cropping choices shape perception.

Illustrator, rarity, and the small details that matter to collectors

  • Illustrator: Yuka Morii, whose styling in this era emphasizes approachable, friendly Pokémon visuals that still carry a hint of whimsy.
  • Rarity: Common, which means it frequently appears in lots and drives price stability for casual collectors.
  • Variant potential: The card exists in normal, reverse, and holo variants within the set’s detailed print runs, a familiar pattern that helps collectors chase complete sub-collections.
  • Set context: FireRed & LeafGreen (ex6) placed Paras among many other classic Kanto reprints, contributing to a nostalgia wave that persists in modern markets.

For the practical collector, the card’s text remains a reliable anchor: Call for Family fetches up to two Basic Pokémon onto the Bench, enabling quick setup, while Toxic Spore adds a probabilistic poison threat for the Defending Pokémon. These mechanics stay legible across regional printings, even as the art invites new interpretation with each release. The card’s weakness to Fire remains a simple, memorable balance, underscoring Paras’s role as a small but steady option in Grass-type decks. 🧪

Spotting regional art differences in Paras

  • Some printings lean into cooler greens, others into warmer moss tones, subtly changing the mood around Paras’s habitat.
  • Cropping can shift Paras’s placement, affecting how prominent its mushrooms feel against the forest floor.
  • Background foliage and soil textures may vary, offering distinct textures under identical card names.
  • and reverse holo presentation can alter the perceived depth and sheen of the artwork.
  • Minor font and symbol adjustments can appear across regions, but the core attacks and text stay aligned in the same language.

For players, the consistency of the card’s gameplay is a comfort, but for collectors, the art-driven differences become a narrative thread—each regional print is a tiny time capsule from a specific market and release era. A Paras from one region might feel friendlier, while another version reads as more dramatic, and both are valid pieces of a broader FireRed & LeafGreen chapter. 💎

Market snapshot: value and how regional art plays into pricing

Pricing for Paras ex6-72 reflects its status as a common but beloved early-card. Here’s a quick snapshot from major markets (data current as of late 2025):

  • average around €2.49, with typical low around €0.50 and a visible positive trend around €2.82; holo variants show higher potential, with lows near €5 and holo averages hovering around €10–€11 for newer collectors. Trend and demand can drift with regional art interest and overall card condition.
  • normal (non-foil) pricing often sits in the $0.30–$0.50 range, with market price around $0.91; holo/reverse-holo versions push higher, commonly into the $9–$16 range, depending on readability, condition, and market fever.

For the modern collector, those numbers translate into a few practical tips: target near-mint examples for holo or reverse holo prints if you’re chasing art-centric variants, but don’t overlook a well-loved normal copy for a strong gameplay staple at a friendly price. The Paras card remains an excellent, approachable entry point into the early-era FireRed & LeafGreen collection, especially for players who appreciate a bit of regional flavor in their art. ⚡🎨

As you explore Paras across regional printings, you’ll notice that the art differences are as much a celebration of the card’s history as they are a reflection of market taste. Whether you’re building a nostalgia-forward binder or a deck aimed at quick setups in casual play, Paras remains a charming touchstone of a simpler era in the Pokémon TCG. 🎴

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