The Pokémon TCG has just announced three full art Pokémon cards which will be exclusively available in China, and be prepared to get jealous, because there’s a brand new N card among them.
Two of these cards, N’s Plan and Hilda, are appearing in the Chinese version of Black Bolt and White Flare, which launches November 6 this year. We’ve got a fierce looking Hilda here, and an N with the blue lights of a city behind him.
The English version of N’s Plan remains one of the most sought after cards in Black Bolt, though perhaps not as pricey as some fans thought it would be for one of the most popular Pokémon characters of all time – generally going for about $50-60. In my view, this one’s significantly better, though your mileage may vary. It’s maybe not as pretty as the original, but I like the colors and the composition more.
Alongside the Chinese Blaze Black/White Flare release is Gem Pack 7, the country’s miniature booster packs that have only four cards apiece – with lots of different stamps and foil treatments. The selling point for this one, however, is an SAR version of Misty’s Psyduck.
The original Misty’s Psyduck SAR was beautiful, but this one is almost too cute. It features Psyduck chilling on a deckchair with a beachball, while its trainer walks up the beach to greet him. It’s bound to be a sought after card for Psyduck fans and Misty fans alike – basically anyone who loves Gen 1.
Unfortunately for everyone else, historically these China-only cards have remained region-locked; it’s unlikely they’ll be printed in English, at least not any time soon. If you don’t mind not being able to read them, you can still buy these cards on the secondary market, but it won’t be cheap. Some (like the Gengar Pikachu, priced around $2,000) are among the most expensive Pokémon cards of the modern day.
As its TCG releases rapidly catch up with the baseline, China seems to be getting a rather large proportion of exclusive content. Regularly, the region gets its own unique cards, but I was particularly envious of the 30th anniversary Charizard figurine from a couple months back.
Source: Wargamer
