One major fact is that the international TCG will never ever had more or less than 4 sets released a year, and they are always released in February, May, August, and November, with margin of error of one month. So releasing 5 main sets is out of the question. Releasing 3 main sets is really out of the question. The best they could do is combine a bunch of sets.
Japan would probably release BW9 in March, and BW10 in July. They probably won't release a BW11 in September, considering it is so close to the XY video game release. What I hope is this. They release XY TCG set in October, so we can release ours in November. We try to combine BW8, BW9, and BW10 together. If BW10 is a single set, then we can probably combine BW9 and BW10 together. We'd probably see some BW9 stuff released along BW8 just to balance things out. BW8 has around 100 cards, and BW9, and maybe BW10, if it is a single set, rather than a double set, would each have 70 cards. So if 20 cards from BW9 moved to BW8 to make our August set, which is our BW9, then we would have a 120 card set. Then their BW 9 and BW10 would be our BW 10 set, with 20 cards from their BW9 missing from our BW10 set. Then we sprinkle some promos and precon cards to make them both 130 to 140 card sets. Japan would release XY2 in January, let's say, and we can release ours in February. Now it seems like we "caught up".
We could also say that because of the release of Emerging Powers, we now have to play Catch up with the Japanese sets, and we are forced to squeeze a 3 Japanese sets into 2 international sets.
As a matter of fact, I don't even know if simultaneous or 1 or 2 month gap of TCG releases between us and Japan is even possible. If it's impossible, then I'm afraid to say we might see XY1 TCG set in February. Considering how EX Delta Species exists, I'm pretty sure they have them all translated long before the release of the japanese set.
Japan's Plasma Gale has around 79 cards and we have 135 cards. Could it be possible that some of those 56 cards come from Spiral Force/Thunder Knuckle?
So what I predict is, in May, we get a 160 card set. August, we get a 150 card set, then November is XY1. The total number of cards for our May and August sets would be 310 cards, because for everything to fit, you'd have to look at 150+ card set. The predictions I made are probably too small anyway. If anything we would probably look at 170+ card sets.
For Japan, let's say BW8 is 116 cards, BW9 is 80 cards, and BW10 is 100 cards. This totals to 296 cards. This leaves 14 extra cards for promos and precons. That is, unless BW10 happens to be a small set, then it would make it easier.
It doesn't matter if my numbers are wrong, what I predict is that our May and August sets will be huge, and you'd probably better be prepared for the biggest Pokemon set since Aquapolis and Skyridge. Ok, probably not that big, but around that size. Like 170 cards.
So I want some input from you. Would you rather wait until February to see XY1, or would you go through 2 170+ card sets? A third option would be, would you want to completely omit an entire Japanese set?
