There’s no use in me telling you why Pokémon: TCG remains to be so popular, or why I’d recommend buying this booster set. You know what you’re getting: a slew of vibrant new cards to add to your collection, the thrill of ripping three packs at a discounted price, a limited edition Tinkatink foil promo card you can’t find anywhere else. On the other hand, if, somehow, you’ve come across this review and you don’t yet have a Pokémon card collection, this product would be a great way to start one. If that is the case then… come on, jump on the bandwagon already! Your wallet will hate you for it, but the rush you’ll get after pulling a halfway decent card is incomparable.
When the Paldea Evolved expansion released in June 2023, it was met with great enthusiasm by Pokémon fans as it added some super cool chase cards still sought after two years later, like the Magikarp special illustration rare (worth around $200, if you’re interested in that kind of thing). Not only that, but there is a lot more for your deck to long for like nine sleek looking gold etched hyper rare cards or a humorous Eiscue SIR that I’m particularly fond of. And, as much as I hate that one dung beetle Pokémon, they’ve given him a pretty cool card too. With a whopping 279 cards included in this expansion (including 86 rare ones to seek out), Paldea Evolved remains one of the community’s favourite TCG subsets. Plus, a big set like this means your chances of getting… *shudders* doubles… are pretty slim.
Bulkabulk
However, a bigger set also means a bigger amount of bulk that, let’s face it, is gonna sit in your collection, squished in the middle of a lot of other cards you don’t really care about. Why, for instance, are there four separate Tinkatink cards here? And that’s not including the promo! I get that Tinkatink was omitted from the original Scarlet and Violet base set (for reasons known only to the Pokémon company) but I think five separate variants in one set is pushing it. On top of that, there are so many Scarlet and Violet Pokémon with multiple cards in this set. I get that the Pokémon company want to show off these new designs, but why not get rid of a Nacli or a Shroodle, and give Chingling its first card in 16 years (I’m serious – Chingling hasn’t had a card since Supreme Victors in 2009!). In fact, Chingling has been around since Generation IV, and only has 3 TCG cards – there are more Tinkatink cards in this one set than there are of Chinglings in its 18 years of existence. If you think that’s bad, Pichu (literally baby Pikachu) hasn’t had a card since 2010. Baby Pikachu! The pre-evolution of the most recognisable Pokémon, neglected for two dung beetles, two brown Woopers, two of whatever the hell Glimmet is.
Scalpers begone!
As Paldea Evolved is a couple of years old now, it’s also safely out of sight from scalpers. Those vultures are usually preoccupied with selling out the newest sets as well as hunting down ones from older eras to sell on for astronomic prices. Paldea Evolved is in that sweet spot where they are currently going unnoticed, with no rise in price to tackle any would-be scalpers. So, if you’re just keen on ripping some packs for a cheap price and still getting your hands on some cool and under appreciated cards, you’re in the right place.
EX cards > ex girlfriends
This set continues with the inclusion of EX cards from their reintroduction in the Scarlet and Violet base set (for the first time since the X and Y era, like 9 years ago). Since 2016, we’ve had to put up with the wannabe GX cards in the Sun and Moon expansions, and then the joke that is V cards throughout Sword and Shield. Personally, I only really started collecting again in this current era after stopping sometime around the height of Black and White, so it doesn’t really feel like much has changed re: EX cards. But they still feel a lot better than the V cards I get from whichever SwSh packs I can get my grubby hands on. Even if that’s just the nostalgia talking, I ain’t complaining – I love nostalgia! I got pretty lucky opening my 3-pack booster, getting two EX cards. Even though they’re both for the same Pokémon, echoing what I said before, I think that if they’re both EXs, that kinda cancels the problem out.
Tera-ble
Scarlet and Violet also introduces a new mechanic for TCG which keeps things different… I guess. Honestly, the Tera type cards introduced in this era don’t massively change much about the gameplay. All Tera cards have the same ability (“As long as this Pokémon is on your bench, prevent all damage done to this Pokémon by attacks (both yours and your opponent’s)”) and, while it’s a decent enough ability, I think it would have been more interesting for each Tera card to have something different, and not just the same one shared throughout. Plus, this one mechanic doesn’t really even make sense if you’re comparing it to the Tera Pokémon in the Scarlet and Violet mainline games. In the video games, Terastallizing a Pokémon changes its type around – nothing to do with preventing damage. I don’t actually play the card game (unless you count TCG pocket) so maybe I have no idea what I’m talking about, but I’d be surprised if I notice its absence in the next mainline era of the games (I’m putting in my guess for their names now: Light and Dark? Sweet and Sour? Ceiling and… Floor? Maybe I need to think about it a bit more).
I know that Pokémon: TCG is tried and true, and they don’t have to change much for people to keep handing over their money, but I think maybe the time has come for a big change? And not ‘big’ as in those novelty sized cards you can’t put anywhere. They try and change things up every era, whether it’s EX, GX, V, Tag Team, Tera, or the newest Partner Pokémon from 2025’s Journey Together expansion. But, let’s be honest, it’s all been the same stuff over and over again for nearly 30 years. A colourful bit of card with a funky looking animal on it, and then some moves, if you can be bothered to learn how to actually play the game. But what am I saying? I have no real ideas and they’d just fall on deaf ears anyway. And I’m still gonna spend my wages on packs upon packs, so I suppose it’s doesn’t really matter.
Final thoughts
Paldea Evolved is a pretty strong set with some nice cards; if you’re a Tinkatink fan, then even better (but also, why?). The inclusion of Tera cards also give you something else to collect and look out for if you’re a fan of the mechanic or the artwork (which I’ll admit, does go pretty hard). Get it or don’t get it – like I said up top, you know what you’re in for. If you’re a fan of the TCG, you’re probably gonna get it anyway, so have I just been wasting my time?
Scores
Overall rating: 72/100
Artwork: 4/5
Complexity: 2/5
Replayability: 3/5
Player interaction: 3/5
Component quality: 4/5
5 things I like:
Artwork
Continuation of what we’re used to
Good quality
A lot to collect, small chance of doubles
Easy for beginners to get into
5 things I don’t like:
Little effort for any change
A lot of bulk
Tera ability is the same for every Tera Pokémon
Could lock out beginners due to lack of instructions if you wanted to play the game
Promo card could be cooler
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