Lately, I’ve found myself in a new era where I’m bold and trying new things. This covers everything from discovering I like eating Tomato at thirty-one years old to starting to watch anime for the first time and, even more recently, trying out TCGs (trading card games) for the first time.
Let me preface this by saying I went through a Magic the Gathering phase in my early twenties. Still, it was highly short-lived and more about collecting than playing. So when I picked up Pokémon Sword & Shield TCG, it was the first time I gave the genre of games a far shot.
To further preface this review, I will say that although I don’t have experience with TCG games, it is a system I’m familiar with, but that’s not why I decided to try out Pokémon Sword & Shield TCG. No, I decided to try out Pokémon because of the video game integration – something I’ve been dying to try out ever since I first heard of it.
Now for the basics. Pokémon TCG Sword & Shield Expansion is an expansion of the Pokémon TCG. The Sword & Shield base set was first released in February of 2020 and saw the Galar region introduced to the Pokémon TCG. Because of that, it also debuted an entirely new era of cards in the game.
For those unfamiliar with the core material, let’s cover some basics. Firstly, The Pokémon Trading Card Game is, as the name suggests, a trading card game primarily aimed at children. The game is designed for two players to compete head-to-head in battle using card decks of 60 cards each.
Players will build card decks featuring various Pokémon, then take turns pitting those Pokémon against each other to defeat their opponent. And then, of course, you get what drew me in, The Pokémon Trading Card Game Live.
In a nutshell, Pokémon Trading Card Game Live is the perfect way to learn to play the game and be able to play the game wherever you are without having to worry about carrying cards or having enough space to play.
Pokémon Trading Card Game Live can be downloaded for free on iPhones, Android, PC or Mac. Once players have the app, they can follow step-by-step informative and interactive tutorials that teach them how to play the game in the most digestible way possible.
But the game becomes truly special in its cross-compatibility with the physical game. Whenever you buy any of the Pokémon Trading Card Game card packs, they come with a scannable QR code, giving you half a booster pack worth of cards to play with inside the game.
You don’t get the exact same makeup of cards that’s randomised, but it’s still a satisfying way to grow both your physical and digital card collections.
Pokémon Trading Card Game Live is compelling for new players like me because it automatically enforces the rules, allowing anyone to pick it up and start playing immediately without feeling lost.
Now I don’t have much prior experience with the Pokémon TCG. Still, from the online conversation surrounding the Sword & Shield expansion, it seems this release breathed new life into the TCG and added just the right amount of fresh, classic and fan-favourite Pokémon to the game.
One of the other things that everyone was talking about was the Pokémon V and VMAX cards that replaced the popular GX mechanic. Standouts in this were Celebi V, Victini V, Lapras VMAX, and Snorlax VMAX.
I can’t comment on the cards that these replaced. But the full art versions of these new cards are some of the most unique and beautiful cards I’ve seen, and the collector within me wants to buy or catch them all.
It’s also not necessary to play Pokémon Trading Card Game Live to have fun with your Pokémon TCG cards. Still, it is a fun little addition that put the TCG on my radar. If this had been available back when I was collecting Magic the Gathering cards, I would have stayed with it for a lot longer than I did.
Overall, I’d be lying if I said that Sword & Shield didn’t creep under my skin and make me look at TCGs with entirely new eyes, which were utterly captivated by the beautiful art and compelling cross-play capabilities.
I enjoyed playing around with the new VSTAR cards bundled with the new VSTAR Power rules, which are special ultimate abilities that can be used once per game.
The next era of the game is here with the Scarlet and Violet Base Set that was released at the end of March and saw the door close on the Sword & Shield series. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t interested in seeing what this new era for the game will bring.
