Posted in: Card Games, Games, Pokémon TCG, Tabletop | Tagged: Paldea, pokemon, pokemon cards, Pokemon TCG, Scarlet & Violet

Cards Of Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet – Complete Set Review

Our Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet base expansion spotlight begins with a complete set review that focuses on the beginning of the new era.

The Scarlet & Violet era of the Pokémon TCG has begun. With Sword & Shield officially concluded, the Scarlet & Violet era kicked off in March 2023 with a focus on the ninth generation of Pokémon games and the new region: Paldea. It all began with the Scarlet & Violet base set, which was officially released in the United States on March 31st, 2023. In today's installment of this Scarlet & Violet base set spotlight, let's take a look at what this set brought to the hobby with a complete set review.

Major changes to the Pokémon TCG

This set introduced major, lasting changes to the hobby. Now, the borders of the cards have become silver, matching the Japanese releases. Another major change is that now each pack culminates in at least a holo-rare and two reverse holos. The major mechanic of this era is the lowercase ex, which features a double holographic pattern of a horizontal shine and a starry sparkle. Full Art exs now use a green, foil outline around the Pokémon. The Secret Rare section of expansions going forward feature Full Arts, Illustration Rares, and Special Illustration Rare exs, Full Art Trainers, Special Illustration Rare Trainers, and Gold Hyper Rares.

An Art-Driven Era

This set came out swinging rather than the slow rollout we saw with the more basic Sun & Moon and Sword & Shield base sets. The Illustration Rares and Special Illustration Rares are themed in that they are meant to depict Pokémon in their environment. This is interpreted in various ways by artists, with cards like Gardevoir's depicting its environment as the home while others depict jungles and aquatic scenes. Trainer Supporters also now get Special Illustration Rares here when previously they only got Full Arts.

Final Rating

9/10: This set carries over the focus on illustration, with Illustration Rares and Special Illustration Rares replacing Alt Arts. The fact that this expansion starts out with a heavy hitter bodes very, very well for the Scarlet & Violet era.

Stay tuned for the journey through this special set as we continue to spotlight the cards and artwork of Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet. Next time, the spotlight continues with the Secret Rare section of the set. You can read more about this iconic trading card game right here at Bleeding Cool.

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