Pokémon TCG Is Learning The Wrong Lessons From Sets Like Prismatic Evolution

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The 's continued push into special sets is hurting the game for both collectors and players. The is set to kick off 2025 with the special set. Unlike regular sets like the highly anticipated Surging Sparks expansion, won't have individually sold booster packs. Instead, fans will have the choice of purchasing special gift sets in addition to standard Elite Trainer Boxes. Based on 's timing at the beginning of the year,it means players will likely get a second special set release in 2025.

While the has had special sets as far back as 2012, they used to be relatively limited in size, with only 20 or 30 cards per set and an average release of maybe one per year. Since 2023, the has released two special sets per year, with some sets having as many as 207 cards. Functionally, these sets allow the game to publish more cards than ever, forcing both collectors and fans to keep spending money to keep up.

The Pokémon Company has yet to officially announce – only being revealed by – but its name suggests that it will feature Tera ex versions of Eevee and its various evolutions. The Eevee-related cards will come from the Japanese card set, a «High Class Set.» In Japan, High Class Sets feature booster packs with more cards, guaranteed pull rates, and special god packs that only contain rare and ultra-rare cards. 's set list will be filled out by cards released exclusively in Japan in special starter deck products.

Part of the problem is how the Pokémon Trading Card Game is distributed internationally. The Pokémon Company tends to mash multiple Japanese sets and products together to form a larger set for international distribution. Some of these sets turn out fine, like the cards, for example, but others end up bloated with filler cards. Occasionally, the Pokémon Company shifts the rarity of certain cards for international release, meaning that American pack openers might wind up with a card that's uncommon in Japan as their guaranteed rare card. So, while is a good set for