Paldean starter trio grace Pokémon Trading Card Game boxes ahead of Scarlet & Violet
Fuecoco gang roll up.
Pokémon is on the cusp of a new generation, both for its long-running video game series and the popular trading card game. Ahead of the new and as-yet unnamed Scarlet & Violet card set, The Pokémon Company has announced three promotional boxes containing the new starter trio from the Paldea region that will drop in January 2023.
Pokémon TCG: Paldea Collection will be released as three largely identical boxes - the only difference will be which ninth generation starter will appear on the cardboard packaging and promotional pin: the Fire-type lizard Fuecoco, urbane Water-type duck Quaxly or Grass-type cat Sprigatito.
As specified on The Pokémon Company’s website, these will be promo cards, likely meaning they won’t be an early peek into the Scarlet & Violet era of Pokémon’s trading card game. Those cards, teased during the recent World Championship held in London, will first arrive in Japan before releasing to the rest of the world a few months later. The publisher has been tight-lipped with hard dates, so far.
The Paldea collection box will contain a promotional foil card for Fuecoco, Sprigatito and Quaxly, an oversized foil card of either Miraidon ex and Koraidon ex (The ex-card feature will return in force with Scarlet & Violet’s official card sets), a collector’s pin featuring the starter critter on the box, four booster packs for the Pokémon TCG and a digital code card that can be used either in the Pokémon TCG Online or Live apps.
Again, don’t get your hopes up that any of the four included boosters will somehow be brand new Scarlet & Violet packs. The most likely candidates are the latest releases from the past year - Astral Radiance, Lost Origin and the forthcoming Silver Tempest closing out the Sword & Shield era.
A pre-order page on US video game seller Gamestop lists each box at $19.99, which would fit previous promotional packages like the Paldea Collection. The Pokémon Company currently expects these to hit local game stores and other retailers on January 6th.