Posted in: Card Games, Games, Pokémon TCG, Tabletop | Tagged: Pikachu, pokemon, pokemon cards, Pokemon TCG, Pokémon trading

A Holographic History Of The Pokémon TCG: Pokémon V

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 at a style of card that debuted in the Sword & Shield era: the Pokémon-V.

The Pokémon-V replaces Sun & Moon's GX as the Ultra Rare of the Sword & Shield era. These cards are comparable in multiple ways to GXs:

• More artwork: These aren't true Full Art cards, but the border of the card is real low. The GX began this style when it replaced the standard EX of the Black & White and XY era. EX cards had a border that the Pokémon was breaking out of, while GXs lowered the border to about the lower fifth of the card. The same is true for Vs.
• Similar pull rate: V and GX cards are treated much the same. They are "Ultra Rare" pulls, which is better than a regular holo but not as good as a Full Art. In Sword & Shield era sets, Pokémon-V get both standard and Full Art versions. The standard cards have no texture, while the Full Arts have texture and a specific style that is consistent through the line. We'll do a full, dedicated piece to Full Art Vs later on.

The artwork of Pokémon-V cards is similar to that of GXs. These often use a 3D style, but the Pokémon TCG has since moved away from that a bit in the latest sets. The Vs of Evolving Skies, for instance, features flatter, more unique artwork that is beginning to give Vs a more distinct style from GXs. Overall, I'm finding Vs to be an improvement over GXs, even though I initially missed the previous style. With the Pokémon TCG set to release the incredible Evolving Skies set now in less than a week, I think many collectors will find that they agree when they see the incredible pulls this set has to offer.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!