Twilight Masquerade is the eighth expansion for the Scarlet & Violet era of the Pokémon TCG and, as any Pokémon card fan could guess, it’s more of the same. Although, to these same fans, that’s probably a good thing. With 226 new cards to collect, including 59 secret cards, the set meets expectations and is pretty solid over all. This expansion focuses a lot on the first Scarlet & Violet DLC, which introduces a few new Pokémon, some of which are shown off on the packaging itself, namely Ogerpon, Sinistcha, and Bloodmoon Ursuluna. There’s also Dragapult who’s a bit of an odd one out as he was introduced in Sword & Shield, but they have quickly become a fan favourite, so I’m sure no one minds.
It’s all Ogerpon.
Fans of the actual Scarlet & Violet games are being fed with this expansion, with many of the newer Pokémon being paraded front and centre. Ogerpon is the main focus of this expansion with its four variations becoming available to collect in card form. If Ogerpon doesn’t sound familiar to you, don’t fret. This legendary Pokémon was introduced in the first DLC for the Scarlet & Violet mainline games, named The Teal Mask. As hinted by its title, Ogerpon has four masks it can don which change its typing. Twilight Masquerade pretty much goes out of its way to ensure you’ll get at least some Ogerpon action as there are a whopping 14 different Ogerpon cards in this set, including four regular EX cards each, four special illustration rares each, as well as four ultra rares each. And to top it all off, the Teal Mask variant has its own standard rare card as well as a hyper rare gold card for good measure. There’s also an Ogrepon themed trainer card of all of that wasn’t enough. That’s a lot of Ogerpon.
What else?
If Ogerpon doesn’t float your Poké-boat, then don’t worry as there is still plenty to love. Ace Spec cards see a continuance here after their return in the previous expansion (Temporal Forces), and these gorgeous looking trainer cards would look great in anyone’s collection. And if you’re a fan of playing the actual card game, some of these cards are pretty powerful. Not only that, but there are some really cool chase cards to be hunted down in this set. The star of the show is easily the Greninja ex SIR, which is still being sold for upwards of $300 nearly a year after its release. My personal favourite card in this set is a much more affordable Keith Haring-inspired Tatsugiri. I love that little fish. Twilight Masquerade also shows its love in illustration rare-form for some of the more under-appreciated Pokémon from previous generations, like Heliolisk, Timburr, and even a Lairon.
Aside from the reintroduction of Ace Spec cards, this set also includes some more Tera cards, which were introduced at the start of the Scarlet & Violet era of the TCG. Each Ogerpon variant gets its own Tera card, as well as modern fan favourites Greninja and Dragapult, and also… Magcargo for some reason. I’m sure that big hot snail has fans out there, but I’m not sure why it was chosen out of the 1000 Pokémon available. I appreciate that it’s not just another Charizard or Pikachu, but Magcargo just seems a bit of a random pick. In any case, this Tera Magcargo was one of my ex cards I pulled, so I won’t complain too much. Anyway, personally I’m not the biggest fan of Tera cards. I like the aesthetic and how the designs are all crystallised and I appreciate that The Pokémon Company continually try to keep things new and fresh. But, it’s such a boring addition to the TCG. The ability is the exact same for every Tera Pokémon and it’s not even that exciting of an ability. I don’t think that anyone who plays the card game would be particularly pining for a Tera card solely based on it being a Tera card. Hopefully, starting with the next Pokémon generations and whatever new mechanic they come up with, we can get something a bit more exciting alongside it in the TCG.
That being said…
It’s all well and good knowing that these cards are out there, knowing that there is a slight possibility you might be $300 richer by opening a pack. But, from my own experience, the pull rates for Twilight Masquerade have been pretty dire. I’ve just checked my TCG tracker and, out of the eight Twilight Masquerade packs I’ve opened, I’ve only managed to pull a measly 3 double rare ex cards. However, a quick look on Reddit is proving that I might be in the minority, with many casual fans getting envious pulls from only a few packs. I can only wish that your luck is better than mine. And if you’re pretty new to collecting, or you’re just not that fussed about the chase cards, then 1) I wish I was like you, and 2) this would be a decent set to get into. It’s a pretty big set and that means your chances of getting doubles are slim. From my eight packs, I pulled 75 unique cards, meaning I only got 5 doubles, which definitely isn’t something to complain about.
Final thoughts
In any case, when all is said and done, you know what to expect with this pack: 10 cards to add to your collection, maybe a rare one if you’re lucky. That’s what it’s been like for the last 30 years. Compared to other expansions, I like Twilight Masquerade and it’s far from the worst in the Scarlet & Violet era (I’m looking at you, Shrouded Fable). I’d say it’s probably one of the best expansions for S&V. The theming is cool, It’s got some great artwork, there’s a little chance of getting any doubles, and there are a lot of different card types to get excited about. I’d definitely recommend this set for any fan of the Pokémon TCG. If you’ve been collecting for years, or are just getting back into it, or maybe you’re yet to start your collection and are looking for the best place to start, Twilight Masquerade would be it.
