Posted in: Card Games, Games, Pokémon TCG, Tabletop | Tagged: Ancient Roar, Morpeko, pokemon, pokemon cards

Pokémon TCG Japan's Ancient Roar: Hangry Morpeko Illustration

Hangry Morpeko turns the cute, Galarian Electric Mouse into a Dark-type in the next Pokémon TCG Japan expansion, Ancient Roar.

Pokémon TCG Japan has begun teasing the October 2023 Scarlet & Violet-era sister sets. These two sets are the Roaring Moon-themed Ancient Roar and the Iron Valiant-themed Future Flash. Both sets hit shelves on October 27th, just one month after the Tera Garchomp-themed Raging Surf, which is also currently being teased. These expansions will introduce the new Future and Ancient mechanics, which refer to Paradox Pokémon. We have previously seen Paradox Pokémon like Iron Treads and Great Tusk in earlier Scarlet & Violet sets, but the Pokémon TCG has been mostly holding these special species back for this next wave of expansions. It has already been confirmed that these sets will pair with Raging Surf to make up Scarlet & Violet – Paradox Rift, which will be our English-language Pokémon TCG set for November 2023. It is rumored that Scarlet & Violet – Paradox Rift will also combine with the cards from the upcoming Japanese ex Starter Sets featuring Tera Mewtwo ex and Tera Skeledirge ex, but we cannot yet confirm. Today, let's take a look at a pair of Morpeko cards from Ancient Roar.

Morpeko gets two cards in Ancient Roar, and both depict its Hangry form. This form is a Dark-type, which makes it function differently from the joyful and cute Full Belly Mode which is seen on other cards throughout various sets. Hangry Morpeko appears on both a holographic rare and an Illustration Rare in this set. The holo rare is dark and moody, with artist Cona Nitanda depicting this raging Pokémon scampering through the dark woods with a bite out of an apple.

The food theme continues in the Illustration Rare by Yuu Nishida, who depicts Morpeko sliding down a mountain of sweets as it attempts to satiate its all-encompassing hunger. Yuu Nishida began contributing to the hobby when she won the first-ever Pokémon TCG Illustration Grand Prix with the above Gardevoir card. A report from the official contest site says that Nishida wishes to "fill the viewer with warmth" with her cards.

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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