The next era of the Pokémon TCG begins on March 31 as the first Pokémon Scarlet and Violet set brings in a new generation of Pokémon, reworked pack layouts, and plenty of mechanics to change things up. And, thanks to The Pokémon Company, Dot Esports got an early look at just what SV’s base set has in store.
Fans who just want to open packs will love the new pack setup, as every individual booster pack will now contain “three guaranteed foil cards” that will make getting to the back of your pulls a bit more exciting—especially since the holos are all at the end of each 10-card pack too.
As for the cards themselves, SV is stacked with a number of incredible chase cards that collectors will be looking to pull like the new Illustration and Special Illustration Rares. However, on the competitive side, there is a lot to look for in the common slots along with those some of the revamped Pokémon ex cards.
While the set wasn’t out just yet, we opened a full booster box of the Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet expansion. And, just based on some early looks at the set and speculation from players, here is the best of the bunch from that opening.
Our best pulls from Pokémon TCG Scarlet and Violet
Out of 36 packs, the two best pulls we managed to grab were a pair of Special Illustrator Rare cards. The Penny SIR is not only a beautiful card, but it also has some deck builders looking to the future for how its effect to essentially reset a Basic Pokémon and its resources to your hand could play into strategies.
We also pulled a Jacq SIR, which also depicts the professor napping away in his office. This one isn’t as exciting (especially since the Arven and Miriam SIR have more competitive potential and is a better money card) but the art is still cool.
Out of all of the “chase cards” for the set, which are almost entirely in the SIR section, Penny is right up there with Miriam as the most in-demand. Outside of Trainers, Miraidon ex and Gardevoir ex are at the top.
Related: All Pokémon Scarlet and Violet TCG money cards
From there the pulls dip pretty heavily, with the next-best pull being a full art version of Professor’s Research featuring Professor Turo. We also got Illustrator Rare Bombirdier, Greavard, and Kirlia, along with a full art Magnezone ex.
Other than that, all of the other pulls were normal holos or commons, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t good.
If you are interested in picking up any of the cards that have potential competitive implications out of the first SV set, a lot of them can be picked up as commons and regular holos.
All of the Supporter, Item, and Stadium cards you could want are easy to pull. We got full playsets of Electric Generator, Mesagoza, Beach Court, Arven, Team Star Grunt, and Miriam from our pulls, along with at least two copies of Nest Ball and Defiant Band.
Our Pokémon pulls were a little bit worse when it comes to some of the better pulls, but a Gardevoir ex and multiple copies of Revavroom, Hawlucha, and Klefki rounded out a solid opening.
Based on the pull rates for booster boxes, this was a pretty good intro for the first SV set. Outside of maybe getting lucky with another high-end SIR or grabbing some additional Pokémon ex like the highly sought-after Miraidon, there isn’t much more you could ask for.
Dot was provided this product by The Pokémon Company ahead of release.
