Posted in: Card Games, Games, Pokémon TCG, Tabletop | Tagged: battle styles, blastoise, pokemon, Pokemon TCG, Sword & Shield

Pokémon TCG Product Review: Blastoise VMAX Battle Box

The newest set of Pokémon cards, Sword & Shield: Battle Styles, hit shelves on March 19th. This new set, the fifth main Sword & Shield expansion, introduces a new mechanic to the Pokémon TCG with Single Strike and Rapid Strike battle styles. This new mechanic will make this a highly playable set, but will it also appeal to collectors? We already reviewed a Booster Box and an Elite Trainer Box thanks to the Pokémon Company, and this time we're opening a new collection box: the Blastoise VMAX Battle Box.

The Promo

This box features the absolutely stunning Blastoise VMAX promo. This textured card shows off Blastoise's Gigantmax form for the first time in the Pokémon TCG. This was released at the same time as the Venusaur VMAX promo from the Venusaur VMAX Battle Box, with both cards completing the set of the three Kanto starter VMAXs that began with the highly coveted Charizard VMAX card from Pokémon TCG's third Sword & Shield era set, Darkness Ablaze. In addition to this stunning promo, easily one of the best of this current era, this collection box also offers a huge perk usually only available in Elite Trainer Boxes: sleeves! The box comes with unique Blastoise VMAX sleeves, but the huge bummer here is that these sleeves, like the ones in the Shining Fates and Battle Styles Elite Trainer Boxes, are matte. This is a poor change for the Pokémon TCG, as this style of sleeve mutes the holographic shine of the cards. This is now three products in a row with matte sleeves, but hopefully, they course-correct by the time June 2021 comes along and the next set debuts. I love that sleeves are included in this box and I hope this trend continues, but please… no more matte.

The Pokémon TCG Packs

This product came out at the same time as the Urshifu V boxes (one Rapid Strike and one Single Strike), and it beats out those boxes both in the quality of the promo and the pack selection. This box has two packs of Battle Styles, the newest Pokémon TCG set, with one pack of Darkness Ablaze and one Sun & Moon base set. Sun & Moon is an underrated set, offering a chance to pull Espeon and Umbreon cards as well as a terrific Full Art Lillie that we'll likely see increase in value over time like the Ultra Prism Lillie, which is skyrocketing.

Overall

Overall, the Blastoise VMAX Battle Box is tied with the Venusaur VMAX Battle Box as the best Battle Styles product beyond just a regular booster box. The promo is incredible, the pack selection is great, and, even though they're matte, the addition of sleeves is a huge plus.

Check out my Pokémon TCG: Battle Styles Booster Box review here.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!