Posted in: Card Games, Games, Pokémon TCG, Tabletop | Tagged: pokemon, pokemon cards, Prismatic Evolutions, Umbreon

Pokémon TCG Review: Scarlet & Violet – Prismatic Evolutions

Scarlet & Violet – Prismatic Evolutions, the most anticipated expansion of the Paldea era, is here. We opened packs. Let's see what we got.

Pokémon TCG has released its latest special set of the Paldea-themed era: Scarlet & Violet – Prismatic Evolutions. This set focuses on Eeveelutions, sort of as a spiritual successor to Sword & Shield – Evolving Skies… especially because its chase card is an Umbreon ex Special Illustration Rare. Outside of the Umbreon, all of the Eeveelutions get Special Illustration Rares, which are already proving to be highly sought-after cards. The source material for Scarlet & Violet – Prismatic Evolutions is Japan's Terastal Festival. The Secret Rare section of Scarlet & Violet – Prismatic Evolutions includes Full Arts, Illustration Rares, and Gold Hyper Rares in addition to the Special Illustration Rares. What makes this set incredibly unique, however, is that it also is the first English set to have textured, alternate Reverse Holos. The Reverse Holos can either be Poké Ball or Master Ball-themed. The Pokémon Company International was kind enough to supply us with new Scarlet & Violet – Prismatic Evolutions products so we can give you an analysis of this set. Let's dig into these.

First, let's get the elephant in the room out of the way.

Did I get anything amazing?

No.

Of all the products I've opened, which you can see below, the only big hit was the Crispin Special Illustration Rare. Outside of that, there wasn't even a standard ex.

However, it's worth noting that this isn't indicative of bad pull rates. In fact, PokéBeach purports that this set has a much higher Special Illustration Rare pull rate than other sets, so it appears that I was just unlucky.

Now, let's get into the products and cards.

A personal favorite right here. I am a complete set collector and I generally buy zip binders, but I just can't resist a themed binder. The Pokémon TCG did this kind of product with Scarlet & Violet – 151, and now we're getting another with Prismatic Evolutions. This, to me, is the perfect way to celebrate a landmark set. The binders are high quality and are unique to this set, which makes this a must-have for any collector.

Now, let's see the textured Reverse Holos. I didn't pull any Master Balls, but I did get plenty Poké Balls.

Now, I am not generally a fan of Reverse Holos, but these? Gotta have them. The fact that these are textured makes these stand out from the normal, flat Reverse Holos. While I struggled with the bigger hits, these added a major element of excitement to these packs.

Now, here's a breakdown of some more of the best products I opened.

Pokémon TCG Scarlet & Violet-Prismatic Evolutions Elite Trainer Box

This is the product for collectors hoping to get the highest number of packs upon release. Special sets don't have booster boxes, so the nine packs you'll get here is currently the best shot. However, after buying one or two, you may save more money by simply buying multiple Booster Bundles.

The Eevee Illustration Rare here is also a must-have.

Pokémon TCG Scarlet & Violet-Prismatic Evolutions Surprise Box

Finally, this is another must-have. This is a unique product that features one of nine Eevee or Eeveelution ex promo cards that are from the actual numbered set but are stamped with the set logo. This will surely be a product that people seek out in an attempt to get all nine stamped ex cards.

Be sure to check Bleeding Cool every day to follow our in-depth Pokémon TCG coverage as we explore the hobby's past, present, and even future with upcoming set reveals.

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