The Pokémon Trading Card Game announces changes, improvements, and price increases for the Scarlet and Violet expansions

The Pokémon Company has announced several changes to the Pokémon Trading Card Game, starting with the first expansion in the Scarlet and Violet series that arrives in March. In addition to the previous gameplay mechanic announced for the series in August at the Pokémon World Championships, players can expect a number of changes to both the cards and the packs in them.

First, the yellow border that American gamers and collectors are used to will be a thing of the past. Starting with crimson and violet, the borders will be gray to match the Japanese cards. The move is said to provide a smoother experience for the Pokémon Trading Card Game, with more focus on the actual artwork of the cards. In addition, Trainer Cards will now have subclasses displayed in the upper left corner of the card to increase visibility across players’ hands. Examples given for this include booster, item, and playground. Primary power cards will have another power icon in the lower right corner for easy tracking during play, and expansion icons will be replaced by expansion codes and language icons on all cards.

However, there is some bittersweet news accompanying this announcement. The bitter part is that the price of the booster pack will go up from $3.99 to $4.49, a move that The Pokémon Company attributes to global inflation affecting the cost of materials and production. Other products may also cost more in the future. However, the silver lining in this news is that the Pokémon TCG will try to offset the increased prices by increasing the number of guaranteed chip cards per pack to three. All cards with “Rare” or higher rarity will now be turned into foil. In addition, larger chest items such as Elite Trainer Crates will include bonus items. For example, Elite Trainer Boxes will include an additional booster pack and a full-art promo card.

If you’re going to miss the yellow border, Sword and Shield expansion – Silver Tempest was released last month, and we’re expecting to get Sword and Shield’s final expansion, Crown Zenith, in January. Next, the Pokemon Trading Card Game is looking to change direction to fully embrace Gen 9 games, along with all the changes detailed above, with the first Scarlet and Violet expansion arriving on March 31st.

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Source – www.gameinformer.com