The Pokemon Company International are run by literal incompetent clowns and have been for years.
Unlike JP which prints all kinds of things for players and where playing is integral, TPCI prints products that are worthless for everyone that just sits on shelves and then the normal products that...
Always amazed when people make comments without understanding set makeup.
Sure, you can complain, but there would have never been random one-offs just sprinkled in for no reason.
If this is your first time with Japanese high class sets, they are mostly reprints.
Iron Valiant and Iron Crown are confirmed to be in the set already and then from SV3a-SV7 there are cards like Scream Tail, Sandy Shocks, Cornerstone Ogerpon, Iron Boulder etc
They are different rarities, so of course people will feel the reduction in hits.
Dumb from JP and if it's compounded in ENG, which is looking likely, it's also dumb.
I think they are English/international exclusive. Both Greninja ex and Kingambit were cards that would not have traditionally been reprinted in this year's EOY set. Neither are playable, so there is no reason to reprint them in JP, especially even further into the future.
They might/will...
Just looking at the numbering between ENG and JP.
187 main set + 12 supporters (ENG press release) + Leafeon + Ogerpon - there's no space for ARs where they would traditionally be.
ENG also removed any mention of illustration rares.
No ARs is disappointing.
Peak JP seems to have been VMAX Climax and VSTAR Universe.
Looks like they don't have the budget to cover Pocket and their actual TCG. Sad.