Posted in: Card Games, Games, Pokémon TCG, Tabletop | Tagged: Battle Region, heatran, pokemon, pokemon cards, Pokemon TCG

Pokémon TCG Japan's Battle Region Preview: Sparkling Heatran

This week, the Pokémon TCG will release a special Japanese set titled Battle Region which is named after the Hisui region and its dangerous Pokémon. This is likely to be the basis, at least in part, for the next English-language set, Sword & Shield – Astral Radiance, coming in May 2022. Battle Region has been confirmed to feature the return of Shinies with a new card type: Sparkling Pokémon. It will also continue the VSTAR mechanic that debuted in January's Star Birth and will continue to feature Character Cards and Character Super Rares. Today, let's take a look at the final Sparkling Pokémon card in the set with Sparkling Heatran.

When Battle Region was first announced, it was expected that this set, which is debuting Sparkling Pokémon, would… well, have a bunch of Sparkling Pokémon. Not the case. There are only three Sparkling cards in this set, including Sparkling Greninja, Sparkling Hawlucha, and the newly revealed card pictured above, Sparkling Heatran. This style of card uses a reverse holo pattern unique to Sparkling Pokémon and has texture on the character illustration reminiscent of Shining cards of the past. Now, Heatran is a bit of an odd choice considering how similar the Shiny is to the standard. The only major difference is the pink eyes, which here remind me of a scene from Pineapple Express where a character quips, "I just saw three students walking from back here with eyes as red as…" You know what, never mind. It seems as if this is just the start of Sparkling cards with these seemingly destined to follow the same pattern as Amazing Rares, likely to pop up in the Reverse Holo slot of upcoming English-language Pokémon TCG sets.

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 Battle Region 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!