Pokemon TCG Pocketis about to launch its ninth set overall, called Wisdom of Sea and Sky, which is dedicated to the region of Johto and the beloved Gen 2 critters that are so nostalgic for many players. Wisdom of Sea and Sky will feature Ho-Oh Ex as well asLugia Ex inPokemon TCG Pocket, and they come from the dedicated Ho-Oh and Lugia booster packs, respectively, with over 200 new cards to collect in total, according to the official website. The new expansion will again feature some shiny cards, and one of them is likely to stir a controversy regardless of how it turns out.
Shiny cards came with the release of Shining Revelry, and ever since, they’ve been a staple of each set. However, shiny cards after Shining Revelry have all been “reprints,” in the sense that the only thing that changes is the art on the card depicting the corresponding shiny Pokemon, but the card is not mechanically unique. Whether this changes or not withPokemon TCG Pocket’s Wisdom of Sea and Sky remains to be seen, but the one shiny card that was shown in the trailer is bound to cause some issues because it’s dedicated to the iconic “Red Gyarados.”
Pokemon TCG Pocket is Shooting Itself in the Foot With Shiny Gyarados
Red Gyarados in Pokemon gamesis mentioned in reference to the shiny Gyarados event triggered in Pokemon Gen 2 games where players would always encounter this critter by progressing through the story. This is a big deal because not only is Red Gyarados one of the most iconic encounters in Pokemon games, but also because Gyarados remains one of the most beloved pocket monsters in the series. The fact that Wisdom of Sea and Sky features a shiny Gyarados card is great, but it poses two big problems. This new shiny Gyarados card is not a reprint, which means:
What follows is that no matter the scenario,Pokemon TCG Pocket’s A4 setmay be doomed to be met with mixed reception when it comes to its shiny Gyarados. A mechanically unique Red Gyarados would be interesting to see and fit the in-game event from Gen 2, but unless the card is given for free to players upon completing some missions, it would create a very bad precedent that incentivizes a pay-to-win approach.
On the other hand, if the Red Gyarados in the set is just a shiny version of a new Gyarados card, which again is not handed out to players for completing in-game missions, getting the shiny would be near impossible without opening a lot of packs. Purchasing it withPokemon TCG Pocket’s Pack Pointswould also be a tall task, as players only get 5 Pack Points per booster pack they open, and shiny cards typically cost upwards of 1,250 points to be exchanged for.
Why Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Red Gyarados in Set A4 is Unlikely to be a Promo
Finally, considering that a Red Gyarados card was shown in the teaser trailer for Wisdom of Sea and Sky, the notion that this card will be free for all seems far-fetched, as trailers never show promo cards. This doesn’t mean there won’t be a shiny Gyarados promo in the set, and in fact, it would be a great way to make good on the games' charm, but it’s not something that can be assumed for the time being.Pokemon TCG Pocket’s promo cardsare also another pain point due to the FOMO attached to them, so an event dedicated to Red Gyarados would need to be easily accessible for all.
