'Matchless Fighter' Revealed as March's Japanese Set!

ApricornNut

Optimistic Trainer/Collector
Member
Do I even need to say it? TPCI has slammed the ball out of the park AGAIN with the SRs! I'll dish on some personal highlights for me...

1. FA Blaziken V: I love how the fire trail contrasts with the bluish-green background, which gives the piece an almost tie-dye look to it!

2. Alt. Art Galarian Birds: It goes without saying, but the Alt Arts are truly where the SRs have been shining as of late. These three cards are stunning and unexpected for regular old FA cards. This is the kind of art you would expect to see on Japan's card sleeves! My favorite is the Galarian Moltres AA FA; Shibuzoh. managed to create a composition and image that could just as easily be found on a stained glass window! Beautiful stuff!

3. Alt. Art Galalrian Slowking: Tomokazu Komiya has always been one of my favorite illustrators for the TCG. His works make extensive use of primitivism, which results in works that look pretty bizarre and unorthodox when compared to the works of other illustrators. He really does have a way with paintings, though, and his works are always beautiful in their own way! His take on G. Slowking, for instance, exhibits great attention to shading and colors. The surrounding botany and river really pop off the card! I really hope Komiya-san is able to open up an exhibit of his works somewhere in the future, because he's certainly a resident Norman Rockwell in the Pokemon TCG. Godspeed!

4. ALL of the FA Supporters: FA Supporters will never not be my favorite kind of card to collect in the TCG. They showcase our favorite Trainers in stunning compositions! The only repeat offender here is Karen, who's getting her second FA in this set courtesy of Hideshi Ishikawa. To say that this will literally be a hot card to get is an understatement. Consumers beware! Making their TCG and FA debuts are everyone's favorite Galarian a-holes, Klara and Avery. Klara is given treatment by Naoki Saito, who I fondly remember for creating dynamic, in-your-face pieces that nonetheless have a degree of cuteness to them! Meanwhile, kirisAki tackles Avery with a rather standard-looking piece that captures the character's smug essence nicely. Finally, there's Brawly with his first FA, and he's really popping off with those multiple fists flying at the viewer! Fantastic work by Sanosuke Sakuma!

5. Alt. Art Blaziken VMAX: Once again, the AAs are exceptional among the many SRs of recent sets. The colors and shading of this piece are exemplary, and the perspective is very much dynamic and in character for Blaziken - it's been known to leap over buildings in a single bound! The addition of the other Pokemon watching from the rooftop adds further charm to an already charming piece from the board of Shigenori Negrishi!

6. SR Shiny Snorlax: I'm so glad that these gold SR Pokemon have expanded to more than Legendary and Ultra Rare Pokemon. This is a guilty favorite of mine; who's gonna argue with Snorlax?!? Once again, this will be a card that will result in the usual scalping chaos, so be aware of what prices you're paying for with this set!
 

steffenka

Miss Vaanjie
Member
I love the alternate art Full Art cards, especially the Slowking! The Supporters look really nice too, and the Snorlax is super cute! :D
I will say, not really happy about the SR Energy, I think they're kinda boring. I remember pulling a Fighting Energy in Guardians Rising, felt kinda underwhelming :/
 

novadragon07

Lost in my own mind, please send help...
Member
How is there not more mention of that Karen card! She looks like a total boss, and the perspective on this art is fabulous. She is in charge and she wants you to know it. If this is not the most expensive trainer in the set I will be genuinely surprised.
 

ApricornNut

Optimistic Trainer/Collector
Member
How is there not more mention of that Karen card! She looks like a total boss, and the perspective on this art is fabulous. She is in charge and she wants you to know it. If this is not the most expensive trainer in the set I will be genuinely surprised.
Exactly! I'm fully expecting this card alone to be the reason why the scalping will continue with Matchless Fighter. The one thing you should NOT do when collecting Pokemon cards is underestimate the power of the Waifu Tax!
 

The Fish

0.o
Member
They finally gave Komiya an alt art to make. Galarian Slowking is definitely my favourite, hopefully it won't be toooooo expensive
 

zzzeraora

Aspiring Trainer
Member
26 secret rares. The Japanese sets become what the English one have become.
So you might need to open 50+ boxes to even have a small chance to complete the set.
It is really tempting to open a box or 2, because there are 6 cards I would really like to have and not 1-3 like usually. But spending $200 (=2 boxes) just to have a chance is too expensive.
Sucks for players too because it fotces us to not be able to do anything. Nobody wants to pay scalpers, but buying singles is too expensive. God this TCG sucks.
 

TATECE1234

gotem
Member
26 secret rares. The Japanese sets become what the English one have become.
So you might need to open 50+ boxes to even have a small chance to complete the set.
It is really tempting to open a box or 2, because there are 6 cards I would really like to have and not 1-3 like usually. But spending $200 (=2 boxes) just to have a chance is too expensive.
Keep in mind that full arts here are secret rares over there
 

Oddish22

Aspiring Trainer
Member
I know. So it's "only" 16 from this set, but there will be 10 more in each of the next two main sets. And another similar amount from Eevee heroes. So before the next English set releases, there will be about 50 secret rares on the waiting list.

And the amount did increase. A year ago, the largest number of SR in a main set were 16, now both the sets that made Battle Styles had 21.

I like how the cards look, but it becomes so strange that a set has twice as many secret rares as normal holographic cards, when it started with 1-3 SR in the past.
 

Mistwalker

Master of Martial Arts
Member
Man that Karen full art is sick. The Slowking alt art is a must for me as well. Not a fan of the Blaziken alt art though, I prefer the base art.
 

silversalamence10

Top Hat Regulator
Member
Not gonna lie, I do like Karen FA. The perspective shown makes it clear that she is not a person to be messed with, and the background colours further illustrates this.

That being said, Brawly also looks pretty neat as well, the flurry of fists makes the action pose pop off much ore than if they were not present, it also fits the Rapid Strike label that the card was given as well.
Another hit for me is the Blaziken V FA. The blue background which contrasts to the flames makes said flames look more visible, but also automatically makes it look cooler as well as a result as blue flame do have their appeals. The SwSh sets have consistenly knocked it out of the park when it comes to the colours chosen in the FAs
 
Top