In case you haven't been following the Pokémon Trading Card Game scene lately, a recent art contest for it became mired in controversy when it was suspected several entrants had submitted AI generated artwork. While The Pokémon Company has not explicitly commented on the matter, it has since ?confirmed that some of the contest's finalists have been disqualified.

Over 10,000 pieces of fan art were submitted for the Pokémon TCG Illustration Contest, with 300 of them making it to the first round of the finals. A link to the results was shared on June 14 via Twitter, and the replies were soon filled with accusations that some of the chosen pieces were made with AI. It was even claimed that several entries had been submitted by the sam?e person going under slightly different names, which is against the contest??'s rules.

A follow-up post from the Pokémon TCG Twitter account on June 25 states that select entrants have been disqualified for violating the rules. However, it stops short of confirming it was because these entrants submitted AI art, only concluding with, "We're committed to upholding the integrity of the Pokémon TCG Illustration Contest and appreciate fans' continued support as we celebrate the artistic abilities of the talented Pokémon community."

Regardless, the general response from fans has been positive, with most people assuming the AI generated art will be removed. What's more, new finalists will be picked to replace the disqualified ones, so those who missed out originally have a second c??hance. At the time of ??writing, though, the pieces of art commonly alleged to be AI generated are still present among the top 300 on the contest's website.

It's perfectly understandable why the community got up in arms about some of the finalists potentially being AI generated. So many people probably spent hours crafting and refining an art piece that could match the same level of quality as a professionally made trading card, only for their work to be passed over for something that was made in far less time by someone typing a prompt into an art generator. No??t to mention many artists argue that these AI art generators effectively steal from others' work since they scrape the internet for existing art to base their creations on.

Hopefully, there won't be any further contro??versy surrounding the contest. I can't imagine what the uproar would be like if an AI generated piece of art won one of the top prizes, which is to have your art be turned into an official card for the TCG.

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The Pokemon Company has revealed Pokemon TCG: Scarlet & Violet - Shrouded Fable, the next set in the beloved TCG. This set will add a selection of new cards in August 2024, some of which were first seen in The Hidden Treasures of Area Zero DLCs.

Pokemon TCG: Scarlet & Violet - Shrouded Fable is set to add a bunch of new cards for competitive players to add to their decks and experiment with, as well as some incredibly desirable collectibles. Perhaps most exciting of all, it's going to add a new foil variant to shiny cards that are going to make foil pulls from packs even more exciting. All Pokemon TCG fans should be kee??ping an eye on this one because it's going to really change the game when it drops.??

When is the release date for Pokemon TCG: Scarlet & Violet - Shrouded Fable?

The release date for the Pokemon TCG: Scarlet & Violet - Shrouded Fable is August 2, 2024. This is when retailers will be able to sell products from the set, though there could be prerelease events leadin??g up to that date that will allow fans to get their hands on cards early, depending on what their local game stores offer.

The only exception to this is the Pokemon TCG: Scarlet & Violet - Shrouded Fable Booster Bundle, which will go on sale on September 6, 2024.

What is the Pokemon TCG: Scarlet & Violet - Shrouded Fable set?

The Pokemon TCG: Scarlet & Violet - Shrouded Fable set will introduce brand new aspects to the TCG, including Pecharunt. This Pokemon was originally discovered in The Hidden Treasures of Area Zero DLCs for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, and it's coming to the TCG as a Darkness-Type.

Player?s will be able to use Pecharunt ex to let them switch in another Darkness-Type Pokemon that's currently benched with its Subjugating Chains ability. It can also be paired with the Pokemon you'll recognize from when you first encountered it, Okidogi ex, Munkidori ex, and Fezandipiti ex for various combos.

What I think might be the most exciting part of this set is the fact that it adds another unique foil pattern. These will still be Parallel Foils, but they'll feature a new foil style surrounding the artwork of the card. You can check if you get one of these using the expansion code in the bottom left-hand corner of the card. It should show an illustrated white box with black text if it's one of these new variants from the Pokemon TCG: Scarlet & Violet - Shrouded Fable set.

Where to buy the Pokemon TCG: Scarlet & Violet - Shrouded Fable set

Your local game store is the best place to purchase any products from the Pokemon TCG: Scarlet & Violet - Shrouded Fable set. These stores help keep the game alive and offer exclusive opportunitie?s to collectors. However, they're not available to everyone, especially if you live out in the sticks like me. So, for those of you who need an online retailer, t?hese are the best ones to use.

• The Pokemon Center Online (US & UK): The Pokemon Center Online is the most reliable retailer of Pokemon TCG products. It's also a great place to check in for exclusive products that you might not be able to get elsewhere. I've seen particularly good deals on there from time to time, but they sell out fast.
• Chaos Cards (US & UK): I've used Chaos Cards before for TCG products, and they've always delivered my goods on time. This is a good retailer to choose from when it comes to pre-orders because you can collect points to get discounts on future purchases.
• Magic Madhouse (US & UK): Magic Madhouse is a great retailer from which to get TCG products, provided you pre-order them early. If you don't, you'll be paying a premium. However, everything I've ever ordered has always arrived on time and intact, which is the most important thing.

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When it comes to card games, it’s easy to get bogged down thinking that it only applies to a standard 52 card deck involving royalty and numbers, but there’s a whole world of card-based games out there that can prove hilari?ously enjoyable with only two players. 

While most of the entries on this list can be played with more than two players, they’re also very fun to play with just one other person - I know, because I’ve tried. I’ve got a soft spo?t for card-based games, especially one??s that make me laugh, so here are some recommendations.

Pokémon Trading Card Game

As far as two-player card games go, there’s none more iconic than Pokémon. The rules are simple and easy to grasp, your decks are ever growing and evolving, and you aren’t ever committed to a single set of cards. The replayability of Pokémon makes it a game that you can go back to time and time again and with new cards coming out regularly, there’s no end to the combinations. Whether you spend all of your time building the perfect deck or simply love collecting the cards, the Pokémon card game is one of the best available. 

Poetry for Neanderthals

Imagine bei?ng a neanderthal who only knows words of one syllable, trying to explain things like “Pink Panther�to a fr??iend while being unable to use any of the words on the card, or use bodily actions to emphasize a point. On top of all this, imagine your opponent being armed with an inflatable “no�club which they can use to bonk you over the head if you break the rules.

Poetry for Neanderthals is that, and it can also become a hilarious drinking game. Used a word with more than one syllable? ??Drink. Tried to use your hand?s to emphasize what you’re saying? Drink. The more you drink, the more Neanderthal-ish you become and the harder it gets to figure out what on earth your opponent is trying to describe. Cue blank staring and hilarity.

How do you describe P?ink Panther in this way, you ask? Well, “red and white mix ?big cat go roar start with P�was my attempt.

Dumb Ways to Die

The hit mobile game created by Metro Melbourne to encourage people to be safe around trains has taken on a life of its own, and now Dumb Ways to Die can be played in card format. The aim of the game is to draw cards, with the hopes of avoiding a gru?esome death. With cards like ‘Psycho Attack�and ‘You Died� you’re never more than a couple of cards away from being out of the game. 

May Contain Butts

Like snap, but with butts involved. You deal cards for each player and then have to match the adorable butt to the face of an equally adorable cartoon animal. Each player gets a draw pile, ??taking turns to place them around the ‘poop patchâ€? If the butt and the face of the same animal appear face-up at the same time, the first player to slam their hands down over both but?t and face wins those cards, which then get added to their draw pile. 

Just be careful not to ?get too s?lappy, or hand injuries and bruised egos may occur. 

New Phone Who Dis

Technically New Phone Who Dis is better played with ?more people, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not possible to enjoy it with only two people. It just means you have to get creative - like adding two cards each to a pile, shuffling them and voting for a winner. If one card is voted for by both people, that player gets 2 points, if the vote is split, each player gets one point. 

Okay, so playing with two people means bending the official rules a little, but New Phone Who Dis still? results in some hilarious text conversations that definitely don’t ever need to happen ?in real life. 

Trash Pandas

A card game in which you are a Raccoon and you must stash away the most trash-based items, such as leftover pizza and fish in order to have the most points at the end of the game. When all the cards are gone from the deck, the game is over and players compare their points. The player with the most stashed trash wins??. 

It gets a little complicated when you consider the tokens and dice rolls, but there are six tokens which correspond with the?? sides of the dice. Each token has an action associated and, ultimately, they help you to gather as much trash as possible. Each card also has its own associated abil?ity. 

Danger Danger

Danger Danger is a fast-paced card game with each round lasting only sixty seconds. The aim of the game is to end up with more cases than your opponent (or opposing team). There are two colored decks of cards, one yellow and one pink. In order to win Danger Danger, you have sixty seconds to draw as many cards from your pile as you can and add them to any stack (yours or your opponents), as long as the number on the existing top card of t??he stac?k is one higher or one lower than the one on the card you’re trying to place down. 

The issues arise when both teams are tryi??ng to place cards on the same stack pile, meaning that things ge??t a little messy and a whole lot of infuriating. On top of that, you have to guess-timate how long sixty seconds actually is, because while you can use your phone to time a round, you’re not allowed to look at the timer and if you’re still flipping cards when the timer goes off, you instantly lose no matter how many cases you have on display. 

No pressure, then.

Swear Snap

If you ever played Snap as a child, then you’ll know the rules of this game without any trouble. Swear Snap?? is, basically, just S?nap, except the entire deck is a collection of curse words and rather than yelling “SNAPâ€?when you get a matching pair, you yell out the curse word that you’ve just matched. 

I honestly can’t recommend playi??ng this one around children or particularly ??prudish relatives, but it’s definitely a good option if you have a lot of pent-up frustration and need to vent it using expletives. You might also get some funny looks if you decide to play this in public, and you’ll need to answer some concerned questions from those who overhear you.

Man Bites Dog

Let’s be honest here, tabloid headlines can be a little absurd at the best of times, but Man Bites Dog takes it to a whole new level. 

Each player begins the game with five cards and the aim is to compile the most ridiculous headline possible from the cards you’ve been dealt. Each ??card contains one word and has a fixed number of points associated, so you need to balance making a headline that makes sense while trying to score the most points. The first player to reach 500 points is th??e winner.

Power Hungry Pets

In Power Hungry Pets?, you only ever have two cards to play and you must decide which card you’re going to use to backstab your opponent(s). Each card carries a number between 1 and 10, with each card also having an ability to use when you play the card. You have to play one card each turn and the player holding the card with the highest number at the end of the round wins. So yes, while it may be tempting to play your 10 cards in order to reap the benefits of the vicious ability, you need to quell that desire for chaos while remembering to hold on to a high number card for the end of the round. 

A game of Power Hungry Pets is over when the draw pile? has been diminished and the player who won the most rounds wins the game.

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Pokemon Cards can be incredibly valuable depending on a few factors. For example, somethin?g as simple as featuring Charizard can boost value, along with the card's condition, or any printing defects. It's a minefield for anyone opening packs who finds a rare card because they need to know how to grade Pokemon Cards immediately, or they might lose out on opportunities to sell or trade.

How to determine if a Pokemon Card is rare

To grade a Pokemon Card, you need t??o first check that it's worth being graded, and then use a well-known company to have the card graded and sealed in a plastic shell. There are a few factors that will determine?? whether your Pokemon Card should be graded. I've listed these below so you know that if your card checks all of these boxes, you should seriously consider getting it graded.

• Check that your Pokemon Card is worth grading. This can be subjective, such as with cards that have sentimental value. However, the most common reason to grade a card is because it's rare. You need to do your research and really know if you've got a rare card, so it helps to keep up to date with what content creators are saying is rarest, meaning you know those cards by sight while opening packs.
• Once you have a rare card, you need to check that it's a good version and is going to be worth the money you'll spend grading it. These factors are:

  • Does the card have straight corners with no signs of wear or bending?
  • Are the edges crisp with no signs of fraying?
  • Is the surface of the card free from scratches?
  • Is the art and text centered on the card? Usually, you want it to be, but misprints with odd placements can be valuable and worth grading.
  • How does the card look overall? If there's something off with it that makes it look like one you wouldn't want to buy, it's probably not worth grading.

• If your Pokemon Card passes all the checks above and seems worth grading, send it to a reputable grading company.

Who should you send Pokemon Cards to for grading?

The best-known company for grading Pokemon Cards, but also most TCGs, is PSA. It's a trading card game authentication and grading service that will assess any card you send. Once the card has been graded, it'll be sent back in a clear plastic shell that?? protec?ts it. That shell also states the quality of the card according to an easy-to-understand grading system.

Each card is graded on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best. That grading is based on the condition of the card, whether it's be?en bent, how crisp the edges are, if there's any light damage, and even checks for damage caused by finger oils. That's why it's best to sleeve every card you get to avoid causing any damage at all.

Finally, PSA also provides a certification number. This is incredibly ?important because it gives your card a paper trail. You can show the transaction on your bank account or physical receipt to say you purchased the pa??ck the card was in. You can then use the certification number from PSA to show any potential buyers the exact process it's been through. They can check that with PSA if they want to, ensuring they feel protected when buying your card.

BGS is another well-known trading card grading compan??y. It offers the same 10-point level scaling service, so you're getting the same overall product regardless of whe?re you go. We can't say if there's much of a difference in which company gives out more high-quality grades than the other.

The only thing that should sway you between one company or the other is what you intend to do with the card. If you're just trying to protect the card for sentimental reasons or because you really like it, go for the cheapest service. If you want to sell the card you're having graded because you think it'll be worth a lot of money, you should figure out which grading potential buyers will trust more. The most common gradings I've seen are from PSA, but that might ??just be because more people know and trust that brand.

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Pokemon has always diversified the ways you can explore its world, with Pokemon TCG being one of them. During today's Pokemon Presents, the company revealed Pokemon Pocket, an upcoming new way to enjoy t?he trading ca?rd game.

Although Pokemon TCG Online already exists, Pokemon TCG Pocket will introduce new elements that'll ap??peal to players who aren't particularly invested in the competitive side of things and take more delight in the artwork of the cards.

The game will allow you to open digital packs and feel the excitement of discovering what new cards you can add to your collection on your mobile device. On your hunt for your favorite cards, you'll also be ab?le to trade with other players also hoping to perfect their collection.

Experience Pokemon TCG like never before

The upcoming game is being developed via a three-way collaboratio??n with Creatures Inc., the Pokemon Company, and DeNA which a company also involved with Pokemon Masters EX.

According to the CEO of Creatures Inc., Yuji Kitano, care is being taken to show off the cards with effects only available digitally. One of the ways this is being done is through an immersive experience th??at lets you leap into the illustrations, which should be a blast when applied to full art and rare cards.

The competitive element of Pokemon TCG hasn't been eliminated, and you'll still be able to battle with friends??. However, Kitano explains that ??the rules have been streamlined to allow for quick battles.

We don't have details regarding any monetization strategies, though it is revealed that you'll be able to open two packs a day for free. It launches in 2024, so TCG fan?s should prepare for the all-new experi?ence coming soon.

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Pokemon has announced that a new set of accessories are now available at the Pokemon Center. The new drop features everything you need to prove you're a Pokemon professional.

The new accessories feature new designs f??or card sle?eves and playmats, including some showing off the Paldean legendaries Koraidon and Miraidon. Fans who have been there since the beginning aren't forgotten, so you also get products with Porygon.

For something a little more varied, grab the products featuring Garchomp, who used to be a competitive titan. There's also a Kanto ver??sion featuring Fire, Water, and Grass throughout the generations.

These are far from all the new designs that have been added, and you'll have to check the rest out at the Pokemon Center. It appears Pokemon is setting the ground for new players to gain interest, as we also got the Pokemon TCG: My First Battle product to teach players the basics.

You can look forward to more Scarlet and Violet products, including Paldean Fates which hit stores this week (26 January) as we head int??o 2024.

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Although Pokémon TCG had a busy year, it wasn't one I enjoyed too much, in part because Paldea never real??ly captured my heart. Despite this, there have been a f?ew gorgeous cards released, and you should consider yourself lucky if you managed to score one.

For collectors and players, there were a few changes to get used to this year. Some were aesthetic; for example, the cards from the Crown Zenith set, which was released in January, are the last to feature yellow?? borders. Add?itionally, the name of each Energy card is now printed on the top of the card alongside a new subtype tag.

Of course, there are also price changes to get used to. The?? MSRP for booster packs went up from $3.99 to $4.49. To make up for this, each booster pack now has three guaranteed holofoil cards and an extra booster pack has been added to Elite Trainer Boxes.

When it comes to the quality of the artwork, it's all subjective. Like I said, I'm not much of a fan of Paldea, but some beautiful artwork has nevertheless been released this year. We also got the 151 set which allowed us to experience Kanto's stars again. The following Pokémon TCG cards of 2023 are some of the best released this year:

Pikachu (Secret Rare) - Crown Zenith

Crown Zenith was one of the first sets released this year and arguably contained some of the best artwork of 2023. You don't have to be a Pikachu fan to appreciate this full-art secret rare. Not only does it have the yellow rodent leaping into action, but you also get creatures like Krobat and Hisuian ?Zoroark in the background. It's colorful, it's action-packed, and it's filled with fan favorites. What more could you ask for?

Oricorio (Galarian Gallery) - Crown Zenith

Another standout from Crown Zenith is the Oricorio card from the Galarian Gallery. I like the colorful, slightly psychedelic artwork that accentuates the bird's b??eauty. There are plenty of great cards from the Ga??larian Gallery, so Oricorio was facing some tough competition.

Miriam (Special Illustration) - Scarlet and Violet

It's a trend within Pokémon TCG for Trainer cards to become the most popular and sit among the most valuable. Sometimes, it's due to how much the character is loved by fans. Other times, the artwork is just that good. Miriam's special illustration card from the Scarlet and Violet base set falls into the latter scenario, and presents her tripping and dropping her research. It's a fairly valuable card on the market, as TCGPlayer reveals, but? ?nowhere near the ridiculous price tags on other "waifu" cards.

Magikarp (Full Art) - Paldea Evolved

As one of the most innocuous Pokémon, it's always nice when Magikarp gets good cards. The fish gets one in the Paldea Evolved set, and the art style is as distinctive as it is colorfu??l. It's an amazing addition to any collection, and ??also fairly valuable on the online marketplace.

Charizard (Full Art) - Pokémon 151

The dragon-that's-technically-not-a-dragon gets enough special treatment from the franchise, so for the sake of fairness, it'll be getting one entry alone. Charizard's full art card from the Pokémon 151 set is serene, y??et showcases the monster's majesty. The art style is minimalistic, and it'??s beautifully implemented.

Dragonair - Pokémon 151

Quite a few stunning cards came from the Pokémon 151 set, and it's my second favorite after the Crown Zenith set. One of the Pokémo?n lucky enough to get a beautiful card is Dragonair. The Pokémon is depicted slithering in water - a tranquil scene that makes an amazing addition to any collection.

Scream Tail (Full Art) - Scarlet and Violet

The Scarlet and Violet video games introduce the Paradox Pokémon that come from the past and future. They're variations of the Pokémon we already know, but sometimes in a much more powerful form. Not many Paldea Pokémon impress me, but Scream Tail is one of the few exceptions, and it has a lovely full art card from the Scarlet and Violet set. It's so colorful!

Next year, we'll be getting plenty more sets, including the Paldean Fates set which has already been a??nnounced. Hopefully, there'll be more beauties to be added to the collection.

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The Pokemon Company has revealed one of its first sets for 2024. The Scarlet & Violet - Paldean Fates set arrives on January 26, and it shines a spotlight on the Shinies of the Pokemon world.

According to The Pokemon Company, the upcoming set will feature over a hundred Shiny Pokemon, including Pikachu, Tinkaton, Ceruledge, and Dondozo. You'll also get a chance to score Shiny Pokemon in their Tera form, such as Charizard, Forretress, ?and Espathra.

It's a relatively large set that will feature over 240 cards, including six hyper-rare Pokemon ex cards. You can also hope to find Ancient and Future Paradox Pokemon such as Great Tusk and Ir??on Treads, as well as eight special illustration rare cards featuring Shiny Pokemon ex or Supporter cards.

The hunt for Shiny Pokemon begins!

The following Paldean Fates products have been announced:

Available January 26

• Scarlet & Violet—Paldean Fates Pokémon Center Elite Trainer Box: It contains 11 Booster Packs, two copies of an illustration rare-style promo card featuring Mimikyu, and all the other goodies you typically get with Elite Trainer Boxes
• Scarlet & Violet—Paldean Fates Elite Trainer Box: The box contains nine Booster Packs, one Shiny illustration rare promo card featuring Mimikyu, and all the regular Elite Trainer Box gameplay items.
• Scarlet & Violet—Paldean Fates Tech Sticker Collection: The product features three Booster Packs, one Shiny promo card featuring Fidough, Maschiff, or Greavard, and one large sticker.

Available February 9

• Scarlet & Violet—Paldean Fates Mini Tin: You'll get two Booster Packs, one sticker sheet, and one art card featuring Maushold, Smoliv, Tinkatink, Finizen or Flamigo.
• Scarlet & Violet—Paldean Fates Tin: It contains four Booster packs and one Shiny Pokemon ex promo card featuring Tera Charizard ex, Great Tusk ex, or Iron Treads ex.
• Scarlet & Violet—Paldean Fates Premium Collection: You'll score eight Booster Packs, two Shiny promo cards, one Shiny Pokemon ex promo card featuring Meowscarada ex, Skeledirge ex or Quaquaval ex, one oversized Shiny Pokemon ex card, and one three-card display.

Available Feburary 23

• Scarlet & Violet—Paldean Fates Booster Bundle: It features six Booster Packs.

Thanks to the copious amount of Shiny cards in the set, collecting them will be much easier than it is in the franchise video games where you have to rely on tools such as Shiny Charms to help make the odds a little better.

As you look toward next year, don't forget that there are still plenty of Pokemon TCG products you can pick up this year. This includes the recently released Paradox Rift set.

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It's been an eventful year for Pokemon TCG, and there's still plenty more planned for the rest of the year. The highly anticipated Pokemon TCG Classic set has just received a release?? date - November 17 - ?and it comes with a $399.99 price tag.

There are a few reasons why fans are so eager for this set. Many cards are inspired by the base set, but you'll also get "quintessential cards from throughout the game’s long history." With Energy cards being the only exception, the cards aren??'t tournamen?t-legal, making them mostly collector's items.

By the looks of it, the set has already sold out at the Pokemon Center online store. If you missed it, don't despair, as the cards will be released in a separate product scheduled for February 2024.

A Pokemon TCG set for collectors

First-edition Pokemon TCG cards are extremely valuable, with the Charizard card being especially coveted. T??he set includes 3 decks - one for each Kanto starter. You can a?lso expect the following:

• 3 deck boxes
• 3 sets of card sleeves
• 1 two-player game board
• 1 toolbox case with randomizer
• 2 sets of damage counter cones
• 2 sets of condition markers

While you're waiting for the Classic cards, you can purchase the Pokemon 151 set which is slated to launch on September 22. It'll also be revising Kanto ?and shining a spo??tlight on the creatures that started it all.

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Pokemon has always inspired fan art, whether it be recreations of beloved creatures, or new dreamed-up critters and evolutions. The Pokemon Company is celebrating all the beautiful art fans create by bringing back the Pokemon TCG Illustration Contest. This year, the theme ??is "Magical Pokemon Moments."

To join, you'll have to illustrate a Pokemon enjoying its day, or in a cool pose. The competition runs from October 12, 2023, at 06:00 a.m. PDT to January 31, 2024, at 5:59 a.m. PST. There are over a thousand Poke?mon, but the competition has limited entrants to the following creatures:

• Absol
• Bidoof
• Charizard
• Eevee
• Feraligatr
• Flygon
• Koraidon
• Melmetal
• Pikachu
• Toxtricity (Amped Form)

Pokemon TCG Illustration Contest 2024 will allow more fans to enter

The 2022 Pokemon TCG contest was open to the United States and Japan. This year, it ha??s expanded to include the United Kingdom, Canada, Australi?a, and New Zealand. There are big prizes available for artists who manage to win.

• Grand prize winner - $5000 cash prize
• One Best Standard Card Illustration - $3,000 cash prize
• One Best ex Card Illustration - $3,000 cash prize
• Six First Place Runner Ups - $1,000 cash prize
• 15 Judge’s Awards - $500 cash prize

The winner of 2022's contest featured Arcanine with a Fletchling resting on it, and the first runne??r-up feat??ured Greninja in a thinking pose. This year's contestants have a high bar to surpass if they want to outdo their predecessors.

The post Show off your skills in the 202??4 Pokémon TCG Illustration Contest appeared first on Destructoid.

During the August 8 Pokemon Presents, The Pokemon Company announced two classic Pokemon titles are coming to Nintendo Switch Online. First up is the Pokemon Trading Card Game which came out on Gameboy Color in 1998. The second is Pokemon Stadium 2 which hit N64 in 2000.

Both titles are coming to the Nintendo Switch Online service today, August 8. While it appears Pokemon TCG will be available on the base NSO service, Pokemon Stadium 2 requires the Expansion Pack.

While Pokemon TCG certainly isn't one of the traditional Pokemon games like Red, Blue, Yellow, etc., it's still fantastic. In fact, I remember playing it after those titles and thinking it was such a unique take on Pokemon. Instead of choosing a Pokemon at the start, players choose? from one of th?ree different TCG decks and begin their adventure to become the world's greatest TCG player. Similar to traditional games, you head out to defeat the eight Club Masters and earn their Medals, comparable to Badges.

Pokemon Stadium 2 is a sequel to the original which is actually the first time we saw Generation II Pokemon in full 3D. Back in 2000, the popular sequel was also the only Pokemon title to use the N64 Expansion Pak. In Pokemon Stadium 2, player?s focused more on Pokemon battles rather than catching? them all.

Overall these are two great Pokemon titles being added to the service. Hopefully, this will also pave the way for the more traditional Pokemon GBC titles to come later.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QiLe4pTHAE

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Fighting with friends (and strangers)

It's been a banner couple of days for Pokémon fans as this weekend marked the return of the Pokémon World Championship. Like with most everything else that's fun in the world, the long-running tournament was postponed in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19. This was a year of change for the event with Pokkén Tournament DX making its final appearance at the show while Pokémon Unite and Pokémon Go both made their official debut. As the PWC is all about competition, the Pokémon Company used the occasion to debut a new trailer for Pokémon Scarlet & Violet that ??highlights some of the new items players can use to turn the?? tide of battle.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6zFq5nd0tU

The Loaded Dice item seems a tad unfair, but I have to say I'm excited about the possibilities something like Mirror Herb will have on my, admittedly, poor competitive Pokémon play.

If you're more into the Pokémon Trading Card Game than its video game brethren, there is news for you too. Pokémon TCG will be getting new cards based on Scarlet/Violet starting in 2023. I haven't been paying attention since Pokémon cards were red hot during the pandemic and guys with terrible YouTube channels would strip the shelves bare at Target and Walmart, but I hope these will be easy to find next year. Though, if this story about adults buying Happy Meals to get the Pokémon cards in??????????????????????????side i??s anything to go by, you should probably start making plans now.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCO94IFsY8M

As for the next Pokémon World Championships, during the closing ceremonies of the year's event, ?it was announced the 2023 showcase will be held in Yokohama, Japan, marking the first time the PWC will take place in Japan.

//twitter.com/playpokemon/statu?s/1561383485323055109

The post Pokemon Scarlet and Violet get competitive in a fresh trailer from the Pokemon World Cham??pionships appeared first on Destructoid.

Digital card packs should hopefully cause less of a commotion

The Pokémon Trading Card Game is getting a revamped digital app, called Pokémon TCG Live. Th??e new free-to-play app was announced for iOS, Android, PC, and Mac today, arriving soon.

Pokémon TCG Live boasts some features like avatar creation and daily quests. Cards can be ??acquired by scanning code cards, purchasing in-g?ame booster packs, or by other means like completing those daily quests.

Of course, there was already another Pokémon Trading Card Game app. In an FAQ, the Pokémon Company confirmed that the previous app will be removed from the App Store, Google Play, and the Pokémon website prior to the launch of Live.

//twitter.com/PokemonTCG/status/143993994351893??7097

Existing players will be able to transfer their account and data to Pokémon TCG Live, though it does specify what will and will not transfer over. Cards from certain series will make it over, though not from the HeartGold & SoulSilver series, and any in-game currency and unopened products won't transfer either. So if you're sitting on a mountain of packs in the other TCG app, it might be a good time to open them.

Under a section answering why the TCG Online app is being taken down for Pokemon TCG Live, the company says Live is an opportunity to update the game and its underlying techn??ology, while also offering an easily accessible app. It also highlights the "suite of improvements" including a new card logic engine, Ranked Ladder, Battle Pass, and updated visual effects.

At least for fans of playing the card game, this should offer a shiny and fancy new way of playing the game. That's probably a good thing, given the massive spike in popularity the physical version of the TCG received.

As someone who enjoyed the virtual versions of the Trading Card Game when I was younger, a digital version definitely sounds appealing, even if it has some of the m?odern free-to-play tr??appings around it. Though honestly, I'd be a little more inclined to check it out on the Switch than anything else.

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