Posted in: Card Games, Games, Pokémon TCG, Tabletop | Tagged: Fusion Strike, pokemon, Pokémon card opening, pokemon cards, Pokemon TCG

Pokémon TCG: Fusion Strike Early Opening: Elite Trainer Box

We have something special on deck today for Pokémon TCG lovers. Ahead of the upcoming November 12th release, the Pokémon TCG has sent me products from their upcoming set Sword & Shield – Fusion Strike to show and discuss in exchange for a fair review. The largest Pokémon TCG set ever printed, Sword & Shield – Fusion Strike will bring a third Battle Style to the game, adding Fusion Strike to Rapid Strike and Single Strike. The set focuses on Pokémon including Mew, Boltund, Genesect, and Gengar VMAX with some of the best pulls being Alternate Art cards featuring Espeon and Celebi. First, you can check out my Booster Box opening here. Now, let's get going and crack open the Elite Trainer Box.

Whenever the Pokémon TCG releases a new set, that set's Elite Trainer Boxes is one of it not the single most popular item of all the associated releases. Standard ETBs come with eight packs of the new expansion, themed-sleeves, a code card, a booklet that serves as a guide to the set, and items to help Pokémon TCG players including damage counters and dices themed to the colors of the set's artwork. With this Sword & Shield – Fusion Strike ETB, Mew is the star. A pink Mew stands out vibrantly over a swirling pattern of purple and blue on the ETB itself, the booklet, and the sleeves. I'm a huge Mew fan and this exceeded my expectations when it comes to the design. The card-holding box is tied with the Sylveon/Vaporeon/Glaceon/Espeon-themed Evolving Skies box for the most beautiful ETB of the Sword & Shield era.

Now, the packs. Pokémon TCG collectors should know going in that when it comes to pull rates, purchasing an Elite Trainer Box is akin to purchasing eight loose packs. There are no guarantees! My worst ever Elite Trainer Box offered me just one single regular holographic card. (That was Sun & Moon – Crimson Invasion.) My best Elite Trainer Box, which was a recent Evolving Skies box I opened, offered me a Full Art, a Secret Rare, one holo, and two Pokémon-V. My hope here was to get something in-between those, and that's pretty much what happened.

I ended up with two holographic cards and a Crabominable V. If this had been a Mew V, I'd consider this a major win of a box. As is, the pulls met my hopes in quantity but the quality of them left a bit to be desired. If you're going to pull one Pokémon-V from an Elite Trainer Box, I'm thinking a double of Crabominable V isn't anyone's top choice. However, while I would've preferred seeing an Ultra Rare that was more emblematic of the set like Mew, Genesect, or Gengar, I'm continuing to have a ton of fun opening these packs. As I mentioned in my booster box review, Sword & Shield – Fusion Strike is the largest Pokémon TCG set ever printed, which leads to a dynamic pack opening virtually every time due to the sheer number of cards that can be pulled in the set. My only critique of this Elite Trainer Box is a critique I've had for every ETB that The Pokémon Company has released this year. The sleeves have a matte texture to them that fogs the artwork. When compared to sleeves from previous years which were glossy and fully clear, these new ones still look good but do unfortunately obscure the art a bit. I'd love to see the Pokémon TCG potentially keep the matte texture of the sleeve's backs for easy shuffling which switching the clear part to be glossy to avoid the fog problem. This remains a small quibble, though, as the rest of the product is every bit what I was hoping it'd be. I'd rank Elite Trainer Boxes right after booster boxes on my favorite items to purchase when exploring a new Pokémon TCG set, so this will likely not be my last time cracking one of these.

Overall, Sword & Shield – Fusion Strike is shaping up to be an enjoyable set and this high-quality, beautifully designed Elite Trainer Box is a must-have for any collection. Mew fans, your time is now! Best of luck with your pulls in this exciting new Pokémon TCG set.

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