The base Scarlet and Violet tcg set will mark a lot of key changes to how sets are released outside of Japan starting with this era. The short gist of it is that cards and sets are going to mimic their original Japanese counterparts with the purpose of further unifying the card game on a global level according to TPCi.
New tcg eras always make a few changes to the layout of cards but these are going to be much more visible and significant. To match their Japanese counterparts silver borders will be replacing the yellow ones most players are used to as shown in the cards below.
As you can see this isn’t only limited to pokemon cards but trainer and energy cards as well. Another big change is the removal of set logos/symbols altogether. If you inspect these cards carefully you’ll notice they’re replaced by just a set code akin to how Japanese sets work once again. I have to confess that I’m not fond of set logos going away as they were a very good way to memorise and keep track of where each card came from but it looks like we’ll have to get used to it.
Lastly, it is confirmed that each pack will come with 3 holo cards guaranteed, however another change is that are normal rare cards will be upgraded to be foil so take that as you will. This change doesn’t come without a price (price being the literal word) as the official pokemon site confirms products in the USA will be getting price increases too. For example, booster packs will cost $4.49 instead of the usual $3.99. In a similar vein to Japan’s price increases this is done due to increased production costs and global inflation.
It is a bit illogical though seeing as they’re including more things than before, for example Elite Trainer boxes will come with an additional booster pack and obviously holo cards have a bigger production cost than a regular card. Either way, if products are going to cost more it’s good that at least you get more product for what you’re paying but do note these price increases are for the USA, we haven’t learnt anything about other markets besides Japan.
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