If Black and White were your first Pokémon games, then you’ll doubtless be excited for the next Pokémon set. Or should that be Pokémon sets? Black Bolt and White Flare, releasing on July 18, is a ‘split expansion’ – two related sets that each have their own cardpool.
Combined, this collection does for Generation 5 what 151 did for Generation Wun (1). It has a card for every single one of Unova’s 156 Pokémon. Even better than that, though: every single Unovan Pokémon is getting a full art illustration rare.
Whereas 151 had just 23 illustration rare and special illustration rare cards, for popular creatures like the starters and Legendary Pokémon, in Black Bolt and White Flare there are at least 156 cards of this rarity. This is the most illustration rares a Pokémon TCG expansion has ever had, and it’s probably going to make this one of the most hyped up new Pokémon sets, in a year that is already rammed full of pushed releases.
Speaking of rarities, the set also has a brand new Pokémon card rarity type – the Black/White rares. These give a monochromatic take on a popular Pokémon, and we’ve already seen Zekrom and Reshiram sporting the new look.
Dual sets are a common feature in the Japanese version of the TCG. Just as the video games split the available Pokémon between two games, so dual sets or split expansions divide the available cards between two linked pack types. Anyone who’s tried out Pokémon Pocket will already be quite familiar with the concept.
The difference is that for the video games this is an outrageous con, a way to charge you twice for one game, but in the card game it’s actually pretty advantageous for the consumer. If you have a particular chase card you’re after, for instance, your odds of tracking it down go way up compared to if the entire cardpool was within one pack.
It does require a bit more investment, however, otherwise you can easily end up ripping booster packs searching for a card that’s in the other set!
Pokémon’s Generation 5 has always felt like a soft reboot to me. Black and White were the first games not to feature any Pokémon from previous gens, and even the Pocket Monster designs feel like imaginative remakes of old ideas – Klink feels like a new Magnemite, Zebstrika like a revamped Rapidash, and so on.
So it’s fitting that, after Kanto, it’s Unova that gets the 151 treatment, with all its Pokémon available to collect. No doubt there’ll be plenty of fans trying to complete their Pokédex and nab one of every single one of the Black and White Pokémon. Collecting every SIR, though, is going to be a lot harder.
What do you think of this new set – is it distilled perfection or just one too many gimmicks? Come share your views in our Discord. You should also give our guide to the most expensive rare Pokémon cards a good read.
Source: Wargamer
