Lost Origin Set Review

With Scarlet and Violet on the horizon, our days with the Sword & Shield era of the Pokemon TCG are numbered. That doesn’t mean taking the foot of the pedal, though, as the next expansion takes us back to somewhere we’ve not ventured into in many years. We’re headed back to the Lost Zone in Sword & Shield: Lost Origin, and it’s going to shake up the game in a massive way.

As the name suggests, Lost Origin’s big hook is the reintroduction of the Lost Zone, last seen in Sun & Moon: Lost Thunder. This works as something akin to a ‘super discard pile’, or Pokemon’s equivalent to Magic: The Gathering’s exile and Yu-Gi-Oh!’s banished, but don’t worry! Although a card entering the Lost Zone is pretty much gone for the rest of the game, there are lots of ways to turn those isolated cards into value elsewhere!

For example, having enough cards in your Lost Zone allows you to play the Supporter card Fantina, which reduced any damage your opponent’s Pokemon V can deal by a whopping 120. Meanwhile, Stonejourner’s Lost Shot attack lets you dump cards directly from your opponent’s deck into the Lost Zone, which could prove devastating.

With the Lost Zone coming back to the TCG, brand new decks are going to suddenly become viable. Fortunately, every card that uses the Lost Zone in some way now has a cool, wispy, blue, pink, and purple pattern on them to help you identify which things you should be looking for.

Of course, it isn’t just the Lost Zone that makes Lost Origin such an exciting expansion. More of the stuff that has made the Sun & Moon era so fantastic is back in full force, such as new V, VMAX, and VSTAR cards. This set may only introduce on new VMAX card, but it is a Kyurem VMAX which you’ll definitely not want to miss out on. Also keep an eye out for the set’s cover star Giratina, as it gets new, incredible-looking V and VSTAR cards that fit right into your new Lost Zone deck! The alt-art Giratina V by Shinji Kanda is particularly incredible, with an abstract, bold new look at its Origin Forme probably being one of the most sought-after cards in all of Lost Origin.

As you may have guessed from Lost Origin’s love of Giratina, we’re also heading back to Legends: Arceus’ Hisui region to visit some of the faces we didn’t get the chance to when we were last there in Astral Radiance. Hisuian Zoroark is available in both V and VSTAR, with the latter also being found as one of the expansion’s ultra-rare golden foils. Lots of Hisuian denizens also show up too, with Volo, the Miss Fortune Sisters, Iscan, and Arezu all putting in an appearance. Maybe Hisui was the Lost Zone all along and we just didn’t realise it?

For the collectors, you’ll be pleased to hear that both the Trainer Gallery and Radiant Pokemon are back for Lost Origin. A new set of 30 Pokemon and their iconic trainers are up for grabs, with big names including Leon and his Charizard, Cheren and his Castform, Bugsy and his Orbeetle V, Chairman Rose with “his” Eternatus V (we all remember how that went) and, best of all, Red and his massive, chonky Pikachu VMAX. That’s right, the biggest of boys is bac, giving you another chance to find him if you missed out in Vivid Voltage.

It wouldn’t be a Pokemon expansion without ultra-rare printings, and Vivid Voltage is delivering it in spades. Alongside the Trainer Gallery, we’ve got multiple golden cards (with Giratina VSTAR and Hisuian Zoroark VSTAR leading the way), and even the return of the striking black-and-yellow art style we saw in Shining Fates on Eternatus VMAX. This time we get two cards that have defined the recent game: the chunky Pikachu VMAX, and the absolute powerhouse that is Mew VMAX.

If you’re excited to venture into the Lost Zone, there’s a few ways you can get stuck in to Lost Origin. Alongside the usual booster boxes and Elite Trainer boxes, this expansion is including a Build & Battle Box that includes everything you need to make a prerelease sealed deck, such as four boosters and supporting cards (such as staple Supporters and Energy cards).

There’s also a whole array of Checklane Blisters, which give you not just a booster, but also specific cards and limited-edition flipcoins. This expansion’s two main Checklanes feature three booster packs each, with one also featuring a Regigas card, and the other a Weavile. The others include the 3-card Turtwig family, the three-card Infernape family, and the one-card Scorbunny and Groagunk packs. Whether you want to kickstart a new deck based on your favourite Pokemon, or just get some extra bang for your buck, Checklane blister packs are a fantastic way to go!

Pokemon Sword & Shield: Lost Origin launches on September 9. Don’t forget to preorder your singles and boosters through Magic Madhouse today!