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

Pokémon TCG Japan Reveals Ex Starter Deck: Houndoom Ex

Houndoom gets its ex early in the Scarlet & Violet era of the Pokémon TCG with Japan's upcoming ex Starter Decks set for July release.

A wave of Pokémon TCG ex Starter Decks are coming to Japan on July 7th, 2023. The ex Starter Decks will go for 550 yen and have not yet been revealed for English-language release. These will likely be brought into another Pokémon TCG expansion or even as SV Black Star Promos. The ex Starter Decks will include Decidueye ex, Clefable ex, Greninja ex, Vicitni ex, Houndoom ex, Melmetal ex, Miraidon ex, and Koraidon ex. There will also be two secret decks that have not yet been revealed. The Pokémon ex mechanic, the main mechanic of this new era, continues in these decks.  Today, let's take a look at the Houndour and Houndoom line from these products.

It may be because the Kanto and Johto releases were my childhood's eras of Pokémon, but I always feel like celebrating when a Johto Pokémon gets a strong focus. Here, we have a Houndour card and a Houndoom ex featured in the upcoming ex Starter Decks. Houndoom is an iconic species that debuted in the Gold & Silver games, and it gets a badass feature here as it bursts forth from the borders of this Dark-type card. Artist PLANETA Tsuji nods to Houndoom's secondary type of Fire by having flames burst all over the card. Fire is also blazing out of Houndoom's mouth and shining in its eyes. It's nice to see Houndoom already get its ex in the Scarlet & Violet era, as not all eras have been kind to this Pokémon. For example, the Sun & Moon era didn't give Houndoom a GX at all.

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.

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