Posted in: Card Games, Games, Pokémon TCG, Tabletop | Tagged: Eevee, Evolving Skies, pokemon, pokemon cards, Pokemon TCG

Opening A Booster Box Of Pokémon TCG: Evolving Skies: Early Review

The latest Pokémon TCG set, the Eeveelution and Dragon-themed Sword & Shield – Evolving Skies, will release fully on Friday, August 27th. Ahead of its release, the Pokémon TCG sent me a booster box of this exciting new set to open up and review. Let's crack it!

This is a set that I've been anticipating for some time, which I think is true of most Pokémon fans. Evolving Skies adapts three Japanese sets into English: Eevee Heroes, Towering Perfection, and Sky Stream. Eevee Heroes increased the intensity of the Pokémon craze in Japan all through the month of May 2021, making that set incredibly sought after and hard to obtain. Now, the English-language Pokémon TCG has combined the incredible Eeveelutions of that set with two Dragon-themed sets… which now brings Rayquaza, one of the most popular Legendaries of all time, into the picture. It says a lot that in a year that includes the release of Shining Fates and the upcoming 25th Anniversary set Celebrations that Evolving Skies may end up being the most exciting set.

The box itself is beautiful, with the set's mascots Umbreon, Sylveon, Rayquaza, and Duraludon displayed prominently. I had an idea of what cards would be in the set from covering Eevee Heroes content for Bleeding Cool, but I ended up going in relatively blind. I'd later find out certain cards had been cut from the set when I opened up the Elite Trainer Box and read the set list, but we'll talk about that later on today for that opening. I thought it'd be fun for this one to go in blank.

Now, a booster box contains 36 packs and you can generally expect between 11 and 17 hits (a hit being a holo or better) with 11 on the low end and 17 on the extreme high end. You aren't guaranteed a Full Art or a Secret Rare, but I personally find that a box without one is a rarity. My hope is always one Full Art and one Secret Rare and, with Sword & Shield-era sets, one or two VMAXes.

I was stunned to open my first pack and immediately receive a Secret Rare: the Rainbow Rare Trevenant VMAX.

Normally, such a hit up front would've been exciting, but there are so many amazing cards that could've been in here. I was personally hunting for an Eeveelution Alternate Art, with the Sylveon or Umbreon cards being the main goal, or potentially a Rayqauza. So while that was a bit of a shock, I decided to push on and keep appreciating the common, uncommon, and rare artwork of the set, which is great. The pastel Eevee card with the Kanto favorite looking up in the sky to watch Rayquaza fly by is a particularly amazing piece of work.

I was then taken off guard again when I got a second Secret Rare, and a card I was thrilled to see made the set. The Shiny Cresselia Gold card. This is, to me, the best Gold Card printed in the Sword & Shield era so far due to the strength of Cresselia's Shiny design and the incredible artwork. I was immediately satisfied with the box and surprised that I was getting two Secret Rares. My appreciation for Evolving Skies was growing. Imagine, for a moment, a set with a ton of Eeveelution Alternate Arts, multiple Rayquazas, and a Shiny Cresselia. It's an incredible time to be a Pokémon TCG collector.

The pulls weren't done, though. I had one of my biggest chase cards waiting just around the corner.

After a run of holographic cards and Vs, with a favorite of mine being the Sylveon V, I pulled my first Alternate Art of the set: the Umbreon V Alternate Art. This card, printed on beautiful, textured foil, showcases Eevee's Dark-type evolution seemingly calling a meeting of other nocturnal Pokémon. It's an absolutely lovely illustration that will be one of the most memorable cards of the year, without a doubt.

I was impressed by the sheer number of Pokémon-VMAX I pulled as well. I opened quite a few Chilling Reign boxes, and I found VMAX cards to be quite rare pulls in that set. Now, I can't take a single box as an indication of a pull rate, nor can I take seven, but I have to say how surprised I was to pull three VMAX: Umbreon, Rayquaza, and Glaceon. I actually pulled more VMAX than V, which is quite unusual and a nice surprise. It was great to at least ge this one Rayquaza card too because, while I'm here for the Eevees, Rayquaza is a personal favorite as well.

My early impression of Evolving Skies is pure excitement. I have to admit that when it was announced that this set would adapt Eevee Heroes along with the two Dragon-themed sets, I wondered if it would be too much. The sheer amount of Eeveelutions was already intimidating! However, this one box allowed me to shed that worry: it was, from the first to the last pack, some of the most fun and exciting times I've had opening Pokémon cards, and I've been doing it since I was a kid. With Evolving Skies, it seems as if there's a new and exciting card to pull around every corner, and the sheer variety makes it quite a dynamic box-opening experience.

While the set will have its wide release on August 27th, Pokémon TCG fans can seek out tournament-official game stores this weekend for pre-release events, where Build & Battle Boxes including packs of Evolving Skies will be sold.

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