The next Pokémon TCG set has been announced and, yes, that’s right, it’s finally time to enter a new Generation, as the next TCG expansion is simply called Scarlet & Violet, focusing on Pokémon and the setting from the newest games. The new set releases worldwide on March 31, 2023.
As previously mentioned during the 2022 Pokémon World Championships, Pokémon ex are returning to the game, although they should be very familiar to anyone that has gone through Pokémon V as it’s essentially the same thing, where you gain 2 prize cards if you knock out an opposing Pokémon ex. However, unlike Pokémon V and the earlier Pokémon EX (capital EX) from previous sets, these are more akin to the old Pokémon-ex from the 3rd Generation, in the sense that evolved Pokémon ex exist. They’re not all Basic Pokémon anymore, well, at least the new iteration of Pokémon ex aren’t.
Design Changes Coming to the TCG
Although western players have long been accustomed to the signature yellow border present on most standard Pokémon TCG cards, in Japan, from around the original Diamond & Pearl expansion onward, standard cards have had a silver border.
Starting with Scarlet & Violet, cards worldwide will now have the same silver border that Japan has for their cards, providing a more consistent look across all languages.
On the topic of consistent look across all languages, Scarlet & Violet will do away with the infamous “expansion / set symbol” in the bottom corner of the card that is used to represent which set the card is from. Instead, it will utilize expansion codes in the bottom left, which might be something like SV1EN to represent the first set in the Scarlet & Violet series, and that the card is in English. This is similar to how expansion sets are labeled in Japan.
Basic Energy cards now show the name of the basic Energy as a title for the card, and also have the Energy symbol placed on the bottom-right of the card (as well as the top-right) to keep it more visible in more circumstances.
Trainer cards now show their subcategory—Item, Supporter, Stadium, etc.—in the top-left to keep them easier to spot while in your hand.
Pricing / Pack Changes
Due to global inflation and increased costs of production, the cost of booster packs will increase in select markets. Although a full list of price changes worldwide is not currently available, the official website does mention that the standard cost (MSRP) for booster packs in the United States has increased to $4.49, up from $3.99.
However, on the other hand, a positive change is that all packs going forward from Scarlet & Violet on will have three guaranteed foil cards—any cards that are “Rare” rarity or higher are now foil by default, so this means you’ll get more “good” cards while opening packs, despite them costing a bit more.
Additionally, some products will come with additional items, such as Elite Trainer Boxes containing an extra booster pack and a full-art promo card, although it has not confirmed whether these will be seeing a similar price increase (quite likely).