Posted in: Card Games, Games, Pokémon TCG, Tabletop | Tagged: pokemon, pokemon cards, pokemon company, Pokemon Company INternational, Pokemon TCG

A Holographic History Of The Pokémon TCG: Cracked Ice Promos

Over the years, the Pokémon TCG has featured many different patterns used on their holographic cards. Some patterns lasted for years, while others had short stays, making them markers for their short time in the franchise. In this next installment of A Holographic History of the Pokémon TCG, let's take a look back at a pattern that has been used for years but was never part of an era… but instead, came to define the look of a long-running product: the cracked ice (or "shattered glass") holofoil that came with Pokémon theme decks.

Theme decks have been a staple of the Pokémon TCG for many years. It's only now in 2021 that they have been replaced with V Battle Decks, which now include entirely new Pokémon V cards as Black Star Promos. In the past, theme decks would feature a holographic version of a card from an existing set that usually wasn't available as a holographic. Great examples are XY: Roaring Skies' Articuno, XY: Evolutions' Mewtwo, and the two final theme decks, Sword & Shield: Vivid Voltage's Drednaw and Charizard. These decks were mostly designed for players but they offered a version of an existing card that couldn't be found elsewhere, which was fun for collectors.

What made these decks extra special was the holofoil pattern, which was always totally different than the holo pattern used in the main sets. Much like the galaxy foil continues through many eras of Black Star Promos, cracked ice foil has continued through the run of theme decks. The name is somewhat self-explanatory, with the card's foil looking like gleaming, shattered ice when moved in the light. I love how the Pokémon TCG has kept things like this consistent for so long, with different patterns representing different kinds of products. Hopefully, one day, we'll see the cracked ice pattern live on in some kind of release… though I will say, as a lover of Black Star Promos, the new decks including those entirely new cards isn't a bad trade.

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