Posted in: Card Games, Games, Pokémon TCG, Tabletop | Tagged: Forbidden Light, pokemon, pokemon cards, Pokemon TCG, sun & moon

Pokémon TCG: Forbidden Light Complete Expansion Review

Bleeding Cool's journey through the Sun & Moon era of the Pokémon TCG continues. Now that our spotlight series has moved through the first six sets of this block (Sun & Moon base, Guardians Rising, Burning Shadows, Crimson Invasion, Ultra Prism, and Shining Legends), it's time to look at a set released in the middle of the era. Sun & Moon – Forbidden Light was released on May 4th, 2018. It had an array of focuses including Ultra Necrozma as well as the Kalos Legendaries of Zygarde, Yvelta, and Xerneas. This set also continued the inclusion of Prism Star cards which could be pulled by lucky collectors in the reverse holo slot. Now that we have covered all of the prominent cards in the set, let's take a final look at the set for a complete expansion review.

The Pokémon TCG Looks Back to Kalos

This set was released well into the Sun & Moon era, at a time when the Pokémon TCG had already devoted many sets to the new Generation Seven and its Alola region. This time around, they were able to look back and, without fully ignoring the new, pull in diverse focuses for their expansions. The strongest focus of this set is the Kalos region, which shows up in the set's chase card of Greninja GX. Other strong Kalos cards are the three Legendaries: Xerneas, Zygarde, and Yveltal, all of which get standard, Full Art, and Rainbow Rare GXs.

The Cards

Outside of the Kalos focus, which I find to be the strongest aspect of Forbidden Light, this set feels like it leans way harder on the Ultra Rares than most sets. There's simply not many unique cards in the common, uncommon, and rare section, with the best example of a standout to be being the beautiful Cubone card where it sheds a tear while observing a cloud that reminds it of its mother. Outside of that, this is really a GX chase, and the non-Kalos GXs are just okay. I like that this set includes Prism Stars which dramatically enrich booster box openings, and the Full Art Trainer Supporter selection of the set is good, but that's honestly true of almost every Sun & Moon-era set.

Pokémon TCG: Sun & Moon – Forbidden Light Final Rating

Sun & Moon – Forbidden Light focuses on Kalos and features my favorite Legendary Xerneas, but it doesn't quite bring enough unique artwork to stand up to the best of the Sun & Moon era. This is a middle-of-the-road set with some terrific standouts but a lot of filler as well. We're a few sets away from the arrival of Alternate Arts in Sun & Moon – Team Up, an inclusion that raises the bar in a way that Forbidden Light needed but didn't get.

FINAL RATING: 5.5/10

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

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