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

Pokémon TCG Early Opening: Paldea Evolved Build & Battle Box

Tomorrow is pre-release weekend for Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet - Paldea Evolved. Today is an early opening of the Build & Battle box.

We are just one day away from pre-release events of the next Pokémon TCG expansion, Scarlet & Violet – Paldea Evolved. This is the second set of the Scarlet & Violet era, which has begun introducing Paldean Pokémon to the hobby for the first time. This era has made major changes to aspects of the Pokémon TCG that have been considered the norm for decades. For example, yellow borders and set symbols are out, replaced with silver borders and set codes to better match Japan's sets. The mechanic of this new Paldea-focused era is the Pokémon ex and Tera Pokémon ex. In these sets, Secret Rares include Full Arts (formerly counted within the set numbering, but now officially out of it), Illustration Rares, Special Illustration Rares, and Gold Hyper Rares. Scarlet & Violet – Paldea Evolved adapts three Japanese sets into this English-language expansion: the Paldean Starter-focused Triplet Beat and the Treasures of Ruin-focused Clay Burst and Snow Hazard. Clay Burst has been of major significance in Japan due to a highly coveted Iono Special Illustration Rare Trainer Supporter that depicts this new Gym Leader/Streamer with Pokémon plushies. Will the same hype for this card set this set ablaze in America? Well, The Pokémon Company International was kind enough to supply us with new Scarlet & Violet – Paldea Evolved products so we can give you an early peek of this set before it blows up. These products include a Scarlet & Violet – Paldea Evolved booster box, a Scarlet & Violet – Paldea Evolved Elite Trainer Box, and a Scarlet & Violet – Paldea Evolved Build & Battle kit. In this installment of our three-part early opening, we'll be opening the Build & Battle Box.

Build & Battle boxes or kits are sold during pre-release events. These offer players (and if your shop is cool, collectors!) an early experience with a  new set. They come with four packs as well as a deck-building kit, pictured to the left in the above image. The deck-building kit includes one SV Black Star Promo of four that can be collected. I got the Pelipper. Unlike most SV Black Star Promos, which use a cosmos foil, the holos within Build & Battle boxes use the standard holo pattern found within actual packs and are stamped with the set logo.

Scarlet & Violet – Paldea Evolved Build & Battle Box

My hits included:

• 4 holos

Ah! A dud box. This is very common with Build & Battle boxes because they are just four random packs with no guarantee. This isn't to say it isn't worth it. In fact, I end up buying quite a few of these myself on my hunt to pull all four promo cards. I've pulled a set's ultimate chase card from Build & Battles and I've pulled, as you can see above, nothing. They are completely random and quite exciting, as we generally have access to these before anything else from a set.

One thing that the Scarlet & Violet era is doing now that I missed in my reviews of the last set's Build & Battle boxes are cards with the pack art featured. I've always wanted to collect pack artwork but never wanted to keep packs sealed. This kind of recreation of the art that can now fit in a binder or top loader truly immortalizes the artwork in a brand-new way. I absolutely love this.

Be sure to check Bleeding Cool every day to follow our in-depth Pokémon TCG coverage as we explore the hobby's past, present, and even future with upcoming set reveals.

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