Pokemon TCG Prismatic Evolutions – Hands-On Preview

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Summary

  • Prismatic Evolutions is a highly anticipated Eevee-focused Pokemon TCG expansion with hard-to-find products.
  • The set showcases Eevee on a white background, featuring motif pack arts and stunning Special Illustration Rare cards.
  • Despite reports of poor pull rates, the expansion is considered a hit with impressive artwork, making it a worthwhile purchase.

For quite some time now, I’ve been a passionate collector of the Pokemon Trading Card Game. It’s hard for me to remember an expansion that stirred as much excitement as Prismatic Evolutions. Granted, Celebrations, with its 25th-anniversary theme, also generated quite a buzz, but this Eevee-centric set has taken anticipation to a whole new height.

Due to high demand for the Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket and its resemblance to the popular Evolving Skies, obtaining this product has become incredibly challenging. In fact, Pokemon had to issue a statement stating they will print more of it.

Today marks the release, and I was fortunate enough to get a preliminary feel of certain items, courtesy of The Pokemon Company. I can vouch for the fact that it lives up to its hype. However, I must warn you, it’s bound to bring quite a bit of discomfort.

The Product Presentation

In the Scarlet and Violet era, nearly every product showcases vibrant, striking colors. However, Prismatic Evolutions deviates from this trend, instead emphasizing the highlighted Pokémon, specifically Eevee, over any bold or contrasting color scheme.

Each item showcases an oversized Tera-Eevee from Pokémon, against a softer white backdrop. This shift adds emphasis to the Pokémon character, as it plays a significant role across the entire collection.

The pack arts offer a similar pattern, with each of the evolutions used as the motif for the packs.

The Pulls From 25 Packs

It’s expected that the Prismatic Evolutions expansion will cause quite a bit of debate due to its challenging nature in obtaining the rare Special Illustration cards. Among these hard-to-get cards are Umbreon, Espeon, Jolteon, Vaporeon, and Flareon, as well as several non-Eevee art pieces. The issue lies in their apparent scarcity.

Online chatter about Prismatic Evolutions having low success rates was widespread before its launch, and upon trying it myself, I must admit there seems to be some validity to these reports.

It’s important to mention that the number of packs I’ve opened is quite limited, but based on these few instances, my results haven’t been particularly good.

Throughout my collections, I didn’t obtain a Super Rare (SR) card from any pack, and I could only get four full-art trainer cards and three common ex cards instead. All in all, it was quite an underwhelming haul. Fortunately, the reverse holo Poke Balls provided some relief from the disappointment.

I successfully obtained a total of ten Poke Ball reverse holographic cards and one Master Ball within my 25 packs, which isn’t too bad. Additionally, the promotional cards in this set are quite appealing, and I even got a Glaceon ex card from my Surprise Box.

Overall Thoughts On The Set

I have a suspicion that the introduction of Prismatic Evolutions by The Pokemon Company might be a clever strategy rather than just an innocent release. Last year, I noticed some difficulties in the TCG market. It seems quite strategic to rekindle fan and collector interest with a Pikachu set and then an Eevee set at this point. The varying rates of pulling cards like normal cards, reverse holo Poke Balls, Master Ball reverse holos, and the sheer volume of cards to collect only serve to fuel my skepticism.

Without a doubt, Prismatic Evolutions is an instant success! I find the cards and their artwork fascinating, making it an excellent choice even if you’re not aiming to finish a full collection. Just wanting to open a few packs? Look no further – this expansion is perfect for you! In fact, I’ve gone ahead and ordered some packs myself, eagerly anticipating another exciting dive into the game.

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2025-01-17 13:38