Pokémon cards from the next set are starting to be revealed, even though it’s not out until late May. That’s because we’re starting to see the spoilers for the Japanese set Heat Wave Arena.
This release comes out next week overseas, and its cards – when combined with Japan’s upcoming Team Rocket set – will form the newest Pokémon set Destined Rivals, due out on May 30, 2025.
One of the most anticipated cards from this set is Cynthia’s Garchomp Ex, a powerful fighting-type with 330-HP, making it one of the highest HP Pokémon cards. We’ve already seen this Pokémon and marvelled at its high damage attacks, ability to draw cards, and lack of a retreat cost, but now the gorgeous SAR and Secret Rare versions have also been shown off. The SAR in particular is worth highlighting, as it is likely to be the chase card of the set.
Other interesting cards include Crustle, which also gets its own Illustration Rare. Like Mimikyu and Aegislash before it, Crustle has an ability that makes it immune to attacks done by Pokémon ex. That might actually allow it to see play. I mean, most decks are probably going to be running Mimikyu if they want this power, since it’s a Basic, not a Stage 1. But if you’re worried about your sheet Pikachu getting sniped, the new Crustle card might be a good option.
Finally we have Hydrapple, another card with an amazing full art version. This one also has a very interesting attack, which asks you to jump through some hoops to unleash devastating power. Hydrapple doesn’t need to deal damage: its Hydra Breath attack can just KO any Pokémon. However, to use it, you need to discard six basic Grass energy cards from your hand.
Could be really valuable if Mega Exs become an important part of the meta. Using a single attack to claim three prize cards sounds pretty tasty. We’ll leave it to better deck brewers than us to figure out how to get the right energy cards into your hand. Probably it’ll take a lot of trainer cards like Night Stretcher and Superior Energy Retriever to pull off.
For more, check out our guides to the most expensive Pokémon cards, or the best Pokémon cards in the entire game.
Source: Wargamer
