Pokemon TCG – Stellar Crown Hands-On Preview

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Pokemon TCG - Stellar Crown Hands-On Preview

Key Takeaways

  • Stellar Crown is the latest Pokemon TCG set, featuring the new Stellar type created by Terapagos.
  • The packaging is sleek and features Lapras, with stunning new Tera-type rainbow-bordered cards.
  • Despite mixed pulls, Stellar Crown is shaping up to be one of Scarlet and Violet’s best sets with 175 cards.

As an experienced gamer with a long history of collecting Pokemon Trading Card Game sets, I must say that Stellar Crown has certainly piqued my interest. After a series of mixed pulls and lackluster openings in recent sets, it’s refreshing to see The Pokemon Company bring out something as visually appealing as this one.

As a die-hard Pokémon Trading Card Game enthusiast, I can hardly contain my excitement as the much-anticipated Stellar Crown set is about to drop! This is our first taste of fresh cards since Shrouded Fable, and it’s all about the brand new type, Stellar, crafted by none other than Terapagos. Can’t wait to see what this innovative addition brings to the game!

Due to The Pokemon Company’s generosity, we were given a sneak peek at the collection, and indeed, it includes many impressive cards.

The Product Presentation

While not quite as exciting as previous sets, Stellar Crown’s packaging is sleek.

Of course, this collection primarily revolves around Terapagos, the Pokemon that forms its core. The blend of silver and blue in its design is particularly effective.

As a dedicated fan, it’s truly exhilarating to find a not-so-commonly featured Pokémon like Lapras gracing the forefront of these packs!

The Pulls From 49 Packs

As a gaming enthusiast who’s delved into the Pokémon Trading Card Game before, you might have noticed that my fortune swings like a pendulum – sometimes I strike it rich, other times, not so much.

Shrouded Fable was a complete washout, as were Astral Radiance and Temporal Forces. Obsidian Flames was a little better, with me pulling three Charizards, and Brilliant Stars rainbow rare Charizard also saved the opening. I hit the jackpot in Fusion Strike and Paradox Rift, pulling the Espeon VMAX alternate art and Roaring Moon ex, respectively, and Scarlet and Violet 151 blessed me with two Zapdos ex. Like I say, it’s a mixed bag.

In terms of quality, my Stellar Crown pull was likely comparable to those from Twilight Masquerade, right smack in the middle of the range.

I managed to pull a SIR card, Daschbun, which is great, but it is the one I least wanted of them all. Beggars can’t be choosers, though. I also managed to pull the Squirtle AR, which is great and easily my pick of the bunch.

In the comparison of images, it’s clear that the Booster Box in the second photo had more favorable pull rates compared to both the Elite Trainer Box and Build & Battle Kit shown in the first picture. Although the Lapras card in the collection is quite impressive, I didn’t have much luck with it.

Thoughts On The Set

Pokemon TCG - Stellar Crown Hands-On Preview

Although the items I selected from Stellar Crown weren’t particularly exceptional, I believe it will turn out to be one of Scarlet and Violet’s strongest collections in the end.

1. The latest Stellar Tera-style cards, featuring their vibrant rainbow edges, are truly captivating and give the cards a striking appearance, even the regular ones. Moreover, The Pokemon Company has excelled in designing the other cards within this set. The SIR cards among them are exceptional, and there’s an array of beautiful ARs too.

What matters most to me as a collector is that the Stellar Crown set isn’t oversized. It’s particularly compact because it was released shortly after the previous set, Stellar Crown, has just 175 cards in total, including all secret cards. This makes it much smaller than any other set during the Scarlet and Violet era except for Shrouded Fable, a holiday set. Prior to this, Temporal Forces was the smallest at 216 cards, while Paldea Evolved was the largest with 279 cards. In comparison, Stellar Crown boasts a substantial reduction of 103 cards compared to Paldea Evolved, resulting in less repetition and more anticipation.

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2024-08-30 15:08