Changes being made to the Pokémon Trading Card Game for the upcoming Scarlet and Violet expansion will make it easier than ever to collect Holo cards. The new expansion, named for and based on the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet games, will introduce Paldean Pokémon to the Pokémon TCG. This will even include a group of Pokémon-ex cards inspired by Scarlet and Violet’s new Terastal phenomenon, bringing a card type to the game that has been absent for many years now.
Holo, or Holofoil, cards have always been an important part of the Pokémon TCG experience. Cards with a rarity of ‘Rare’ or higher have a chance of being a Holo card, with the rarest types of cards, like the TCG’s returning Pokémon-ex cards, being guaranteed to be holographic. Additionally, in recent times, all booster packs have included a Reverse Holo version of a card. This means that instead of the card art itself being holographic, the remainder of the card is. On the other hand, actual Holo cards have maintained their rarity, not guaranteed to be found in any one booster pack.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet TCG Boosters Will Guarantee Holos
However, the Holofoil status quo will soon be changing in the Scarlet and Violet expansion. As revealed by Pokébeach, the new expansion’s booster packs will be guaranteed to contain three cards with the holofoil treatment; one Holo card and two Reverse Holo cards per pack. Holofoil greatly enhances the appeal of cards like the Pokémon TCG’s new Illustrator Rare cards, and it seems that this new set will now make it much easier to collect the TCG’s more visually impressive cards. The root of this change, according to The Pokémon Company, is inflation; it is intended to offset the rising costs of booster packs from $3.99 to $4.99.
Pokémon TCG Boosters Are Changing To Fit New Holo Cards
It is worth noting that it was previously announced that every Rare card in the Pokémon TCG will now also be Holofoil, presumably to accommodate this increase in Holo card numbers. According to Pokébeach, booster packs will also see a decrease in the number of Common cards from six to four per pack for the same reason. Other changes being made for the new set include the removal of Rainbow Rares and card borders becoming gray rather than yellow, in line with the original Japanese versions; the Pokémon TCG’s Paldea Collection boxes included several promotional cards as a preview of this.
It will soon be easier than ever to collect Holo cards with these changes to booster packs. The reduction of Common cards as a counterbalance to maintain pack size may ironically make them slightly rarer, but improved access to the Pokémon TCG’s distinctive Holos and Reverse Holos will doubtlessly be worth it for many fans. Holofoil cards can be very beautiful objects, and this change means that they will now have a much greater presence in collections. Although prices are set to rise for booster packs, this adjustment to their contents should ensure that for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet and beyond, Pokémon TCG expansions remain good value for money.
Sources: Pokébeach, The Pokémon Company, The Official Pokémon YouTube channel/YouTube