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

Pokémon TCG Japan: Clay Burst Preview: Bellibolt Ex

Tadbulb and Bellibolt ex make their Pokémon TCG debut in Japan's Clay Burst which will be adapted into Scarlet & Violet - Paldea Evolved.

The next two sets of the Scarlet & Violet era are arriving on April 14th in Japan. The two sets, Snow Hazard and Clay Burst, will largely focus on the Treasures of Ruin Legendary group from the region of Paldea introduced in Scarlet & Violet. In this expansion, all four Treasures of Ruin (Chien-Pao, Ting-Lu, Chi-Yu, and Wo-Chien) will receive Pokémon ex. This set follows Pokémon TCG Japan's Scarlet ex and Violet ex and the subset Triplet Beat which were released in early 2023, kicking off the new Paldea-themed series block that will presumably run for the next three years. Snow Hazard and Clay Burst will merge with Triplet Beat as the basis for Scarlet & Violet – Paldea Evolved, the second English-language expansion set of the Generation Nine era, which will release on June 30, 2023. The Pokémon ex mechanic, the main mechanic of this new era, continues in Snow Hazard and Clay Burst, as does the layout of the Secret Rare section, which includes Illustration Rares, Special Illustration Rares, Full Art ex, Full Art Trainers, Special Illustration Rare Trainers, and Gold cards.  Today, let's take a look at another Illustration Rare revealed for Clay Burst featuring Bellibolt ex.

Bellibolt is the culmination of the Tadbulb line. They are all new species introduced in the Scarlet & Violet games. Tadbulb is a new Electric-type species that I would've thought would be dual Electric/Water-type. Its Dex entries read:

Tadbulb shakes its tail to generate electricity. If it senses danger, it will make its head blink on and off to alert its allies.

It floats using the electricity stored in its body. When thunderclouds are around, Tadbulb will float higher off the ground.

Artist Pani Kobayashi illustrates the Tadbulb to the left, Tika Matsuno is credited to the Tadbulb in the center, and PLANETA Yamashita contributes the Bellibolt ex to the right. Bellibolt's Dex entries read:

When this Pokémon expands and contracts its wobbly body, the belly-button dynamo in its stomach produces a huge amount of electricity.

What appear to be eyeballs are actually organs for discharging the electricity generated by Bellibolt's belly-button dynamo.

Bellibolt also gets a Full Art ex in Clay Burst.

Japanese sets often give us early ideas of what the English-language sets may include, so be sure to keep an eye on our coverage. You can stay tuned for previews of Scarlet & Violet cards as well as updates on everything Pokémon TCG right here at Bleeding Cool.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

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