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

Pokémon TCG Japan: Snow Hazard Preview: Trainer Illustrations

With Rainbow Rares gone, Special Illustration Rare Trainer Supporters are the hot new addition to the Pokémon TCG in Scarlet & Violet sets.

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 a pair of Special Illustration Rare cards from Snow Hazard.

One of the Secret Rare features of Scarlet & Violet-era sets is Special Illustration Rare Trainer Supporter cards. These are essentially Alternate Art Trainers, and they have proven quite popular so far. In the first English-language Scarlet & Violet set, the Miriam Special Illustration Rare is the chase card of the set at a current value of $70.18 as of this writing. Snow Hazard features two Special Illustration Rare Trainer Supporters, which picture Paldean Trainers Grusha and Giacomo.

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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