Pokémon Scarlet and Violet arrived on Nintendo Switch last month, and they were instant hits. The Gen 9 games passed 10 million copies sold in just three days, despite all the technical issues they quickly became known for. It was inevitable that Scarlet and Violet would make their way into the Pokémon Trading Card Game too, but after the success of the Switch games, we’re expecting a lot from the new cards. Fortunately, The Pokémon Company has plans to shake things up.
Brand new cards are a big part of that, of course. The TCG’s Twitter account has already called Scarlet and Violet “a new era” for the game. The attached teaser shows the Scarlet and Violet starters Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly, but American card players will likely notice something else beyond the Pokémon themselves. The classic yellow border on the Pokémon cards is gone, replaced by the silver border used for the Japanese cards.
According to The Pokémon Company, this change “further unifies the game on a global level.” In addition to the silver border, the Trainer card subcategory will move from the top right of the card to the top left. This move was made for player visibility reasons. The designs of Energy cards will be changing as well, and expansion logos are moving to the bottom left of new cards. The rules aren’t changing for the TCG, but the aesthetic definitely is.
The Scarlet and Violet expansions will hit stores on March 31, 2023. Beyond the three starters, we know that Legendary Pokémon Koraidon and Miraidon will also be part of the initial wave — they’re the first two EX cards, in fact. The Pokémon Company also notes that booster pack prices will be increasing in some regions “due to global inflation impacting the cost of materials and production.” In the United States, they’ll move up from $3.99 to $4.99 apiece.
