In 2016, nothing was bigger than Pokémon Go. Mobs of people roamed cities and parks, disrupting traffic in the name of finding the next Pokémon needed to inch closer towards a completed Poké Dex. While the mainstream fervor surrounding Niantic’s smash hit has settled significantly, it’s still one of the most popular mobile titles in the app stores, surpassing $6 billion in revenue last month.
The Pokémon Trading Card Game has recently released special collections commemorating the 25th anniversary of the franchise, the Detective Pikachu movie, and plenty more, but it feels long overdue for Pokémon Go to finally get an expansion devoted to it. That changed this month, as the Pokémon Trading Card Game finally released a special collaboration with the popular mobile title. The expansion is not available through standard booster packs, instead offering boosters exclusively through Elite Trainer Boxes, Battle Decks, Collections, and Tins.
We were sent several boxes of this special expansion. As I opened the cards, I noticed the cards tend to feature more Pokémon from Gen I than other generations, which makes sense given the game’s peak popularity. That said, various cards I pulled featured Pokémon like Tyranitar, Dragonite, and Blissey, who have, at one point, stood atop the in-game meta of Pokémon Go. It’s nice to see those homages, alongside the most iconic Pokémon, the human characters from Pokémon Go, and items like Egg Incubators, Lure Modules, and PokéStops, which are essential parts of the mobile game. This pack also features peel-away Ditto cards, Pokémon exploring photorealistic settings, and Radiant Pokémon. And of course, there’s Meltan and Melmetal, who both debuted through Pokémon Go.
You can see the large collection of my favorite pulls from this expansion in the gallery below.
The Pokémon Trading Card Game: Pokémon Go expansion launched on July 1. For all things Pokémon Trading Card Game, head to our special hub by clicking on the banner below!
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