Pokémon Go Set Review

Do you remember the summer of 2016? What was soon to be the biggest mobile game of all time just launched, and people were out and about catching Pokémon in the real world. Pokémon Go was an absolute phenomenon, and to this day has a loyal and active fanbase.

Despite that, Pokémon Go hasn’t really crossed over into other aspects of Pokémon. We had Let’s Go! Eevee & Pikachu borrow some ideas, sure, but other than that Go has very much stayed its own thing. That is, until the Pokémon Go TCG expansion, which brings the two cultural megahits – Pokémon GO and the TCG – together for a whole expansion for the first time.

Like last year’s Celebrations or Shining Fates, Pokémon TCG: Pokémon GO is a special expansion, with an expanded range of products to those we normally see for the game. Those packs use a lot of the same mechanics we’ve seen from other recent expansions, though, such as the classic V and VMAX, and the newer VSTAR (from Brilliant Stars) and Radiant Pokémon (from Astral Radiance). This is an otherwise normal expansion, just with that hint of extra juice to make it feel more special.

Following their debut in the recent Astral Radiance, Radiant Pokémon have made a comeback. As last time, you’re only allowed one Radiant Pokémon in your deck, but they count as basic Pokémon (allowing you to get a fully evolved Pokémon out straight away), and offer powerful abilities. In Pokémon GO, all three of the first-generation starters get the Radiant treatment, with Blastoise, Venusaur, and Charizard all up for grabs. Of course, any long-term collector will see the word “Charizard” and immediately get excited, as no matter where it appears, that dragon is usually a huge pull.

While every card is stamped with the Pokémon GO logo, the highlights are easily the cards that recreate that mixture of reality and fantasy that made the game so special. For example, Snorlax is sleeping on a random person’s porch, being just an obstruction as he would’ve been in Cerulean City. One of the biggest pulls is Mewtwo V, giving a dramatic pose looming above a city. If you were a fan of Detective Pikachu, and want to imagine what it would be like if Pokémon were real, these cards will definitely scratch that same itch!

There is one more surprise tucked away in Go, and it’s possibly the most out-there card we’ve ever seen in the game: Ditto. That loveable pink blob is a huge part of this expansion, as he’s the first-ever peelable Pokémon card. Every once in a while, you might run into a card with a Ditto symbol in the bottom left corner. Peel the face away, and underneath you’ll reveal the true, gelatinous form underneath! Keep in mind that, if you’re playing in organised play, you’re not allowed to use the card stuck on top of Ditto. You’ll need to peel it away and run that perfect pink friend in all its glory before putting it into your deck.

Magic Madhouse has loads of ways you can buy Pokémon Go: TCG. The first are the humble booster packs, which include ten cards each, and the Elite Trainer Box, which features ten booster packs, a Mewtwo promo card, dice, sleeves, acrylic counters, and a card to redeem ten packs on Pokémon TCG Online (or the upcoming TCG Live).

But this is a special set! Why not pledge allegiance to your Pokémon Go team with one of the three team collections? The Team Valor, Team Mystic, and Team Instinct packs each include a pin of your team, a full-art promo of that team’s leader, and six booster packs. I’m a Team Instinct guy, myself.

Alternatively, there are the two Battle Decks, which include decks you can play straight out the box. One is based on Mewtwo V, while the other is Melmetal V (a Pokémon who debuted in Pokémon Go!). These decks can be bought individually, or as a double set that also includes two booster packs.

Alolan Exeggutor gets some love here, with the Exeggutor V Collection Box including four booster packs, a promo Alolan Exeggutor V in all his palm tree-y glory, a ginormous jumbo card version of it, and a… Wooloo print? Not quite on-brand, but who cares? Wooloo is adorable.

If Exeggutor isn’t your thing, the Radiant Eevee collection will be. This is a monster of a pack that includes a Radiant Eevee promo card, a shiny pin, eight booster packs, and an entire playmat featuring a shiny Eevee! The illustration on this mat is gorgeous, and with this collection being the only way to get the mat, it’s definitely a collector’s piece.

Finally, there are the mini tins. If you don’t want to drop too much cash but want to get your hands on some Pokémon Go, this is for you. Each tin has an adorable cover (Snorlax is my favourite), and includes two booster packs, an art card, and a metallic coin. The coolest part is, if you get all five of them, the tins line up to make a panoramic image of the Pokémon frolicking in a field!

Pokémon GO: Pokémon TCG launches on July 1. Preorder your singles, boosters, and that adorable Eevee mat through Magic Madhouse today!