The Pokémon TCG loves dropping gimmicks into a few sets a year to spice up the product release schedule, and Scarlet & Violet—Paldean Fates is bringing back a popular feature with more than 130 Shiny Pokémon cards when it drops on Jan. 26, 2024.
Much like its inspirations in Hidden Fates and Shining Fates, the main appeal of Paldean Fates is the dozens of Pokémon such as Pikachu and Charizard with Shiny variants that will be harder to pull. This will also be the first time players can pull cards like Shiny Ceruledge, Shiny Tinkaton, Shiny Dondozo, Shiny Tatsugiri, and others from Gen IX’s Pokédex.
In total, 11 Pokémon ex will be available in Shiny variants, along with seven new Pokémon ex and three Tera Pokémon ex. Additionally, three illustration rares and eight special illustration rares will feature Shiny Pokémon ex or Supporter cards—though the specifics for those cards have not been shared yet.
The Pokémon Company also noted that six “Hyper Rare” Pokémon ex will be included in this set with a new raised foil effect not seen in previous releases.
Because this is a special expansion, players won’t be able to get a booster box of Paldean Fates, but Elite Trainer Boxes, Mini Tins, Promo Tins, Booster Bundles, and a Premium Collection will all be available. The ETB will go on sale on Jan. 26, 2024, while the other products will be spread out with launches on Feb. 9 and Feb. 23.
The Paldean Fates tins will feature one Shiny Pokémon ex promo card featuring Tera Charizard ex, Great Tusk ex, or Iron Treads ex. These won’t be available until Feb. 9, 2024, but if you want to get a guaranteed Shiny Charizard promo, you should keep your eyes out early before all of the tins get scooped up.
The mini tins will feature Illustration Rare promos for Maushold, Smoliv, Tinkatink, Finizen, or Flamigo depending on which tin you get—along with two packs. Meanwhile, the Premium Collection will also have three variations, one for each of the Paldean Starters, Meowscarada ex, Skeledirge ex, or Quaquaval ex, to pair with an oversized Shiny variant card too.
The Paldean Fates expansion will be added to Pokémon TCG Live on Jan. 25, 2024, a day ahead of the physical release.
For fans of the Pokémon TCG or collectors, this set will feature over 240 cards, more than 130 Shiny Pokémon, and cards from Japanese sets that were cut from previous English products. This will likely be the most popular and hardest-to-find set in recent years, so if you want to get some product, trying to pre-order some ahead of time would be worth it.
Published: Nov 16, 2023 05:23 pm