Posted in: Card Games, Games, Pokémon TCG, Tabletop | Tagged: Paldea Evolved, pokemon, pokemon cards, Scarlet & Violet

The Cards Of Pokémon TCG: Paldea Evolved Part 36: Illustration Rares

Our spotlight series of Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet - Paldea Evolved shifts to the Illustration Rares, which thematically connect.

With Sword & Shield officially concluded, the Scarlet & Violet era of the Pokémon TCG kicked off in March 2023 with a focus on the ninth generation of Pokémon games and the new region: Paldea. It all began with the Scarlet & Violet base set, which introduced major, lasting changes to the hobby. Now, the borders of the cards have become silver, matching the Japanese releases. Another major change is that now, each pack culminates in at least a holo-rare and two reverse holos. The major mechanic of this era is the lowercase ex, which features a double holographic pattern of a horizontal shine and a starry sparkle. Full Art exs now use a green, foil outline around the Pokémon. The Secret Rare section of expansions going forward features Full Arts, Illustration Rares and Special Illustration Rare exs, Full Art Trainers, Special Illustration Rare Trainers, and Gold Hyper Rares. On June 9th, 2023, the Pokémon TCG released the second set of this era, Scarlet & Violet – Paldea Evolved, which focused on the Paldean Starters and the Treasures of Ruin Legendaries. In today's installment of this Scarlet & Violet – Paldea Evolved art spotlight, we begin to move toward the Secret Rare section of this set.

The Secret Rare sections of Scarlet & Violet-era sets include multiple kinds of cards, including Full Arts, Tera Full Arts, Hyper Rare Gold cards, Illustration Rares, and Special Illustration Rares. It is the Illustration Rares and Special Illustration Rares, though, that define this era. These are like Alternate Arts but they stand out due to a unifying theme across all Scarlet & Violet-era sets. Standard Illustration Rares depict Pokémon in their habitat, whether it be in the wild or at a Trainer's home, but the TCG takes it a step further. All evolutionary lines in this era either visually connect to create a single image or thematically connect to tell a narrative story. This is especially important to Paldea Evolved, which is focused primarily on the evolution of the Paldean Starters. Our Spotlight series on this set will now shift focus to these gorgeous Illustration Rares.

Stay tuned for the journey through this special set as we continue to spotlight the cards and artwork of Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet – Paldea Evolved. Next time, the spotlight continues with the Secret Rare section of the set. You can read more about this iconic trading card game right here at Bleeding Cool.

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