Pokémon TCG: Sword and Shield—Brilliant Stars

Are Promo cards and Alternate Art Cards going away?

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JandPDS

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I am beginning to wonder if Promo cards and Alternate art cards are going to be phased out in the Gift box sets that Pokémon releases to retail outlets.

In the past few months we have had two gift sets released with out a promo, but just the exact same card that was available in the set.

First there was the Psychic Metagross. It was out at the same time as the Gyrados, but the Gyrados was an alternate holofoil (the Rotom treatment form SV) while the Metagross was just the holo version that was released in the booster packs.

Now we have the Celibi "Prime" from Triumphant in a gift box. And it is not any different then the cards that came in the booster pack either.

So now that we have two booster boxes with featured cards that are not unique in any way.. Can we expect to get more gift boxes with normal set cards in the future as well? So are promos going to be gong away in the future?
 
(I'm going to assume this was typed on a phone or something from the sheer number of spelling errors...)

I wouldn't count on it. Looking at the Reshiram & Zekrom tins coming out in Black and White, it looks like alternate art is still going. Of course, those are just alternate backgrounds....
 
Yea but I wonder if the Metagross and the Clebi are not being released as tests to see if the sales go down or stay the same if a normal card is featured instead of a promo card or an alt?

So if sales are good on these cards will we see more sets released without unique cards included with them?
 
I don't see why.
It doesn't cost them any more to print a unique card than it does to print an alternate foil card.
 
The Metagross was printed with an alt foil pattern. Just, the amount of those printed didn't exactly "match" the amount of those special boxes made.
 
On the bright side, if for some reason there are no longer exclusive promo cards then we won't see good cards like Toxicroak G go up to such silly prices in the future.
 
The Metagross was printed with an alt foil pattern. Just, the amount of those printed didn't exactly "match" the amount of those special boxes made.

IF you have an alternate foil Metagross. I would love to see a picture of it. I have seen about 200 boxes at about a dozen different stores and I have not seen any alt holofoil Metagross, so I doubt they exist.

I mean they had not problem printing enough of the Gyrados so why would you think that the Metagross would have been printed in limited supply?

They know how many gift boxes they are going to make in advance, so I find it very hard to believe that they would not male enough of each for each gift box.
 
I really don't think so. There's new promos on the way- HGSS24 Hitmonchan and HGSS Hitmonlee. And we just got Porygon and Porygon2 with with the last set. They don't seem to be cranking them out as hard and heavy, but that could just be a temporary shift. I'm sure we'll have plenty come Black and White.
 
I don't see why.
It doesn't cost them any more to print a unique card than it does to print an alternate foil card.

Well the actual printing may not cost more, but deign and development costs for an alternate card will make its overall cost higher then just reprinting a previously existing trading card.
 
IF you have an alternate foil Metagross. I would love to see a picture of it. I have seen about 200 boxes at about a dozen different stores and I have not seen any alt holofoil Metagross, so I doubt they exist.

Which one? The Psychic or the Metal?

The Psychic is hard to see in a scan because of how dark it is, but if you look just above the claw arm on the right you will notice the vague tell-tale shape of the 3D foil treatment. You can also see it fairly clearly in the "swoop" between the name and the HP.

And it's 4 booster boxes that had nothing unique, not 2. You forgot the Legend boxes with Darkrai LV.X, Cresselia LV.X, Dialga G LV.X, and Palkia G LV.X.
 
Which one? The Psychic or the Metal?

The Psychic is hard to see in a scan because of how dark it is, but if you look just above the claw arm on the right you will notice the vague tell-tale shape of the 3D foil treatment. You can also see it fairly clearly in the "swoop" between the name and the HP.

And it's 4 booster boxes that had nothing unique, not 2. You forgot the Legend boxes with Darkrai LV.X, Cresselia LV.X, Dialga G LV.X, and Palkia G LV.X.

Yea that is right we have had a ton of normal cards realesed as of late.

As for the Metagross, the metal with the gravity pokebody is an alt holo card, but at least here in Western Washington, there have not been any alt versions of the Psychic one with the Phychic float pokebody, just the normal version only in the Gift packs. I have had 3 other people in my League looking too and no one has been able to find any Alt holo Metagross anywhere, just the Gyrados only.
 
I got mine at Toys r Us in a more expensive $30 gift box along side another gift box which had the equally hard to find Magmortar. They've done this before, like the holo POP set Kirlia and a few others. First time I've seen regular set cards featured on an American box set.
 
I have yet to see a single box without something unique in it.

That Metagross box? Some may have been mispackeged, but some weren't, the intention was clearly to have the alternate foil card in there (and yes, I have the card it does exist)>

The Celebi box? Unless I'm very much mistaken we've never had a Jumbo Zoroark card before. Or any Zoroark card ever. Some people might say that box was pretty special seeing as how we got the first ever Generation 5 card.

The Dialga G/Palkia G and Darkrai/Cresselia boxes? Jumbo Legends, with the full art joined together as intended.

Bear this in mind and see if you can find any box that actually doesn't have anything unique in it.
 
^ The jumbos I agree are really neat (I'm thinking about breaking down and filling the few holes in our English Jumbo collection), but there isn't as big of a market for them collector wise and most players could care less.
 
Just because something doesn't have a huge market doesn't mean they aren't unique.

If Jumbos aren't your thing, just don't buy those boxes, don't start a thread complaining that every single gift box doesn't have something you want in it.

There isn't that big of a market for trophy cards, since most people are unwilling to pay the high prices to get them, but it doesn't mean they shouldn't give them out.
 
If Jumbos aren't your thing, just don't buy those boxes, don't start a thread complaining that every single gift box doesn't have something you want in it.

Very good point!

Jumbos would be much more sought after if there were good ways to protect them. As of now I don't know of any soft sleeve, hard case, or binder page that'll accommodate them.

The 3d foils they've been releasing are great though!
 
The psychic Metagross definitely has the alternate holo pattern like the other promo's, but it is very hard to see. Tilting the card in a specific way in bright light shows the pattern. I have scans of both cards on my website too, and you can see some difference in the scans, but it is hard to spot.

The normal one from the set: http://www.pokemon-paradijs.com/ruilkaarten/ruilkaart.php?serie=hs-unleashed&image=04.jpg

The promo: http://www.pokemon-paradijs.com/ruilkaarten/ruilkaart.php?serie=hs-unleashed&image=04ah.jpg
 
(I'm going to assume this was typed on a phone or something from the sheer number of spelling errors...)

Yep, three spelling errors sure is so many! gmab.

Anyway, I dunno, I don't pay attention to the promo market all that much, so I can't really speak on the subject. I don't see why they would phase out unique promos though.
 
Very good point!

Jumbos would be much more sought after if there were good ways to protect them. As of now I don't know of any soft sleeve, hard case, or binder page that'll accommodate them.

The 3d foils they've been releasing are great though!

I have heard that at least at one time Ultra-Pro released either Toploaders, binder pages or both for A5 cards (the standard Jumbo size). Never able to find any though.

I also have some A4 binder pages that hold 4 cards each, which are perfect for the Jumbo Box-toppers from Legendary Collection and the e-series.
 
I have heard that at least at one time Ultra-Pro released either Toploaders, binder pages or both for A5 cards (the standard Jumbo size). Never able to find any though.

I also have some A4 binder pages that hold 4 cards each, which are perfect for the Jumbo Box-toppers from Legendary Collection and the e-series.

Those can be found very easy in my area. Binder pages top loaders and soft sleeves.
 
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