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

Top Pokémon TCG Sets Of 2023: End Of Year List

As 2023 comes to an end, let's look back on how Pokémon TCG closed out the Sword & Shield era and kicked off Scarlet & Violet.

With 2023 wrapping up, it's time to look back at the adventures that Pokémon fans have taken this year. Bleeding Cool will count down the best that this beloved franchise has had to offer us, from the excitement (and controversy) of Niantic's mobile Pokémon GO game to the new era kicked off by the Pokémon TCG. Now, this is all personal taste, so please be sure to list your favorites in the comments as well. Today, let's count down the best Pokémon TCG sets of the year.

• #5: Scarlet & Violet – Obsidian Flames: In many other years, Scarlet & Violet – Obsidian Flames would've been the top set. It's a stellar set with fantastic art, and its introduction of Tera Pokémon with a Tera type differing from their normal typing evokes Delta Species of the past in a fun, cool way. It also has a Charizard chase card by AKIRA EGAWA that is better than many Charizard chase cards of the past… but the TCG released five sets this year that were all strong. Technically, I enjoyed opening and collecting this set more than the next set, but the next set brought incredible and meaningful changes to the hobby.
• #4: Scarlet & Violet: Normally, the Pokémon TCG starts a new era off slowly… but Scarlet & Violet went all out. Compare this to Sun & Moon and Sword & Shield, where there were a few Secret Rares, all of the same Rainbow Rare style. This set introduced Illustration Rares and Special Illustration Rares as the main chase cards of this era, putting them into the Reverse Holo slot to increase pulls. Full Arts became Secret Rares, Gold Cards became Hyper Rares and were also put in the Reverse Holo slot, the borders became silver to match Japan, and, of course, Paldean species debuted for the first time.
• #3: Scarlet & Violet – Paldea Evolved: Everything that Scarlet & Violet base set did right; this set carried that on in the strongest way possible. It gets this higher slot because of the way it uses a special feature of Illustration Rares. When an entire evolutionary line appears on Illustration Rares, they are done by a single artist and tell a story of evolution. The Paldean Starters feature on Illustration Rare sequences that are by far the most exciting cards we've seen so far featuring the new Scarlet & Violet-era Pokémon.
• #2: Crown Zenith: Illustration Rares actually began one set ahead of Scarlet & Violet, kicking off in this art-themed set that closed out the Sword & Shield era. This is a Top Five ever set candidate, and its place as the second-best set of the year just shows how strong this year was for Pokémon TCG releases. The Galarian Gallery subset featured 34 Illustration Rares, which feature some of the most unique art the hobby has ever seen, including a 9-card sequence by artist Kouki Saitou that connects into a single, gorgeous image. The set goes on to feature 22 Special Illustration Rare Pokémon V, VMAX, and VSTAR, debuting this card style as a worthy successor to Alternate Arts and CHaracter Super Rares. This card type then goes on to feature Trainers on cards like this for the first time, featuring ten Special Illustration Rare Trainer Supporters. Finally, it closes out with a sequence of Gold Hyper Rare Alternate Arts, the only card of this type featuring Arceus, Giratina, Origin Forme Dialga, and Origin Forme Palkia by AKIRA EGAWA. A stunning set by any estimation.
• #1: Scarlet & Violet – 151: It's 151 that takes the top slot, giving Kanto fans a set even more exciting than Celebrations. Truly, this set is better than the 25th Anniversary set, by a huge margin. I never would've thought yet another Kanto-set would be exciting so early in this Paldea-focused era, but the Pokémon TCG took it to the next level by featuring the original 151 Pokémon in Dex order. This is a WOTC-era collector's dream. We all used to toy with the idea of Catchin' 'em All by building a Dex order binder, and now Pokémon TCG released an official version complete with a stunning selection of Illustration Rares. While Crown Zenith is the more impactful and historic set, this one was pure, unadulterated fun that united collectors old and new.

Be sure to check back on Bleeding Cool for daily updates on all things Pokémon GO. You can also 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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