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

Pokémon TCG Japan: Violet Ex Preview: Iron Treads & Banette Full Art

Pokémon TCG Japan has released the first two sets of the Scarlet & Violet era. Violet ex features Iron Treads & Banette Full Art cards.

It's time for a new era. Pokémon TCG Japan has released two sets that kick off Generation Nine and bring Paldean Pokémon and Trainers to the Pokémon TCG for the first time. These two sister sets are Scarlet ex and Violet ex. These sets and as well as three 60-card Starter Set ex decks will be the basis of the English-language set Scarlet & Violet base coming out internationally on March 31, 2023. Starting with these sets, English-language versions of the sets will now more closely mirror Japanese expansions, using silver borders and set codes instead of set symbols. Scarlet ex and Violet ex also see the return of the original lowercase ex card type as well as the debut of the Terastal ex card type that will replace Vs and VMAX as Ultra Rares. We also now know that Illustration Rares and Special Illustrator Rares, a card type that debuted in Crown Zenith, will return with this set, with ex cards being the mechanic we'll see depicted. Today, we take a look at a pair of Full Arts from Violet ex.

Where Scarlet ex featured a Full Art and Special Illustration Rare for Great Tusk, Violet ex features the future counterpart of this Donphan relative with the same treatment: Iron Treads. We show the futuristic Iron Treads Special Illustration Rare, so here now is the Full Art, which uses a hot red color palette from longtime Full Art contributor 5ban Graphics. Classic, fan-favorite Ghost-type Pokémon Banette, the evolution of Shuppet, gets a Full Art illustrated by PLANETA Mochizuki.

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 TCGright here at Bleeding Cool.

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