Hello trainer and welcome to the Alola Region! Pokemon Trading Card Game Online (TCGO) got an update over the weekend. This update introduces the Pokemon Sun and Moon booster set to the game, and includes Pokemon from the Alola Region. Not only does this update bring new Pokemon but it also brings new rules and moves! Surely, this booster set is poised to change the future landscape of all card battles to come.
Sun and Moon Booster Set
First and foremost, this set introduces over 140 cards to the game. This means not only new Pokemon, but new trainer cards, new abilities, new energies and also a new category of moves. These new moves, called GX moves, provide a powerful attack that you can use once per game. I’ll get to the GX cards a bit later, but they provide a new layer of strategy to deploy in your decks. Personally my favorite part of the new update is seeing all the new Pokemon in action. The Alolan region added some of the most unique Pokemon to the series, and seeing them translated to card form is exciting. This set includes over 230 unique Pokemon cards (this number includes holographics and foil), giving you plenty to collect.
In addition to the Pokemon, there are some new trainer cards as well. The Timer and Nest Ball additions provide interesting ways to get the Pokemon you need on your bench. Big Malasada provides a small heal and a status removal, Repel forces your opponent to switch out their Active Pokemon, and Team Skull Grunt can interrupt an opponent’s set up by allowing you to remove 2 energy cards from their hand.
This set also sports a lot a shiny, full art Trainer Cards! Including fan favorites Switch and Ultra Ball. The artwork on these cards is phenomenal and the vibrant color palette fits with the island theme. You can tell that extra thought was put into this booster set, in order to change up what had become a fairly stale formula.
Pokemon GX Cards
Arguably the biggest change that this booster set brings are the Pokemon GX cards. These full art cards are powerful variants of your Pokemon. They are not like EX cards which made previous Stage 2 Pokemon into Basic Pokemon. If you have a Stage 2 GX Pokemon, they will need to evolve as they would normally. It may seem a bit tedious when you can just slap down a Basic EX. Trust me though, they are worth the wait!
The Basic GX Pokemon have about 180 HP, the Stage 1 Pokemon have about 200 HP, and the Stage 2 Pokemon have a whopping 240 HP. This puts them on par or above most Mega Evolution Pokemon, and miles ahead of EX Pokemon. Additionally each GX Pokemon has a powerful moveset, and access to the ultra powerful GX Moves.
If you have played the Sun and Moon DS game, then you will be familiar with the concept of GX moves. They work similar to Z-Moves, in that they are super powered moves that you can only use once per game. These moves can be range from raw damage, to team support, to giving the player access to advanced tactics. With the amount of GX cards being printed in this set, it opens up a new strategy to pick the one that works best with your deck. There are a lot of Pokemon GX out there, so I encourage you to research and find the one that you want to build a deck around!
Conclusions
I have been waiting for the release of the Sun and Moon booster set for a few months now, and it has not disappointed me at all. I love the artwork on the new cards and am excited to see the changes that GX cards bring. It feels like a good way to bring back evolution and move away from the all EX meta. The Sun and Moon booster sets also provide a good entry point for new players. Since a new set of moves has been introduced, it almost levels the playing field for people trying to get into the game. One thing is for certain, my next few thousand player tokens will go towards unlocking as many boosters as possible. If you’re interested in the Sun and Moon theme decks, check out my reviews of the Forest Shadow, Roaring Heat, and Bright Tide decks.
How are you enjoying the Sun and Moon booster release? Do you like the new Pokemon GX cards? What GX Card are you looking forward to using the most? I would love to hear your thoughts about the expansion so let me know in the comments below!
