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

Will The Pokémon TCG Continue V & VSTAR In The Scarlet & Violet Era?

Later this year, the Pokémon franchise is set to grow with the release of the Scarlet & Violet games. These new main series games will introduce a new, as-of-yet unrevealed region along with Generation Nine Pokémon. This means that 2023 will see the Pokémon TCG begin a new series block with Scarlet & Violet-era sets, almost certainly starting with a base set titled simply Scarlet & Violet. Let's take a look at some possibilities and predictions for the Scarlet & Violet era.

• Will the Scarlet & Violet era continue V & VSTAR cards?: This has to be the main question, doesn't it? Right now, Vs are the standard Ultra Rare in the Pokémon TCG, with VSTARs being a textured, premium, even rare upgrade. Often, an era will leave its Ultra Rares behind and introduce a new card type, but that doesn't always happen. Let's take a look at the last few eras. The Black & White era introduced the Pokémon-EX, and that card type ran through that entire era and the entire XY era that followed. Then, Sun & Moon ran with Pokémon-GX for its length, but the Sword & Shield era shelved that card type and introduced V, VMAX, and later VSTAR. So we could see it go either way. Personally, I think we'll see Vs and VSTARs continue with VMAXes undoubtedly left behind in the Sword & Shield era. VSTARs seem too new and special to just last for a year, and with more people familiar with the Pokémon TCG than ever, retiring the ultra-recognizable Vs seems unlikely.
• What about Rainbow Rares and Alternate Arts?: I'm almost certain that we will see Rainbow Rare cards discontinued, as fan interest as fallen off for this card type which has now itself extended through two eras. Alternate Arts are more popular than ever, but I do believe we will see this card type disappear… for a while. Base sets that kick off eras tend to keep things simple, so I'm thinking we'll see Alternate Arts disappear for at least a year starting in 2023.

What are your predictions for the Scarlet & Violet era of the Pokémon TCG? Stay tuned to Bleeding Cool for more of ours.

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