collectorviper.com

News: Promos, Promos, Promos!

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 07:23:05 GMT

The official Pokemon-Card website updated today with a pretty full on run of promos right off the bat, hitting us with a combination of the new promo deck packs, Spring Carnival promos, and more!

First off, the previously announced Special Pack Black Kyurem, White Kyurem, and N packs which we found out about all the way back in January have officially been announced by PTCG. Unlike the first Special Packs released in August of last year, these simply have special holo prints rather than exclusive SR style cards in addition to having 8 booster packs from various sets in each kit. To reiterate from the earlier news story: the packs will be released on the 19th of April and cost 1,260円 each.

Beams is doing another cross promotion with Pokemon, and in addition to releasing an exclusive range of goods they are also going to be giving away special holo jumbo cards featuring a totally original Pikachu, and a variant MewtwoEX. You can check the two out below -- they will be being given away from the 20th of April while stocks last.

The Spring Battle Carnival 2013 is upon us! And with it? Promos, promos, promos. So many promos. Starting things off: for participating in the World Champion Tournament a holo Mew will be given away, and general winners can pick up a holo reprint of Silver Mirror as well. For the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners not only will they receive those two cards, but they will also get a Victory Cup promo of their placing, a pass to compete in the 2013 World Championships, and a special MewtwoEX.

Alongside this tournament in the battle carnival there will also be a general PokeCard Point mini tournament. Participants who gain 1 point can pick up (another of many) an 8 card holo energy set, while participants who pick up 10 points can get a special DarkraiEX. You can check out all of these promos below:

And finally, TOYOPET is holding a Pokemon Card Game classroom this weekend on the 6th and 7th where the participants will pick up a reprint of a recent Pokecen PCG classroom promo -- only this time the matching Raichu seems to be absent.

As usual we'll keep you informed of news as it comes. July is approaching and the final BW-Era set will likely rear it's head shortly in the news feeds and supplier lists so we'll let you know when that happens.

Resource(s):
Pokemon-Card

Special: BW9 Megalo Cannon Early Reveal!

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 10:22:50 GMT

Like clockwork, Toho auctions updated tonight with the early reveal of the two new sets due out this Friday in Japan: Megalo Cannon! The set is a very big, very beautiful thing so lets get to it. We've also got scans of the Blastoise+KyuremEX deck being released the same day.

Megalo Cannon EX Cards: VirizionEX, GenesectEX, JirachiEX, DialgaEX, PalkiaEX
Megalo Cannon SR/UR Cards: VirizionEX, GenesectEX, JirachiEX, DialgaEX, PalkiaEX, Iris, Exeggcute, Virizion, Dusknoir, Rare Candy

As you can see there is a megaload of SR/UR cards in this already monstrous set, which means it'll be a pain to complete once you factor in all those Ace Spec cards, too. At a total of 86 cards including all of those it's one of the biggest single sets we've had in a while, and when you add in the matching Blastoise+KyuremEX deck we're in for a 104 card set block. We've got scans of all of them bar the known Dusknoir UR shiny, and man let me say we've got a lot of Virizion in this set. THREE unique art cards in the one run. Sheesh!

You can check them all out under the cut. Keep in mind there are a lot of images and it might take a while to load. A big thank you goes out to Toho Auctions for their uploads. My boxes are ordered and I'll be hopefully both sorting and scanning these babies soon, health pending! My fellow admin narumi is down in Australia with me so we'll both be enjoying opening these packs likely on a stream come Monday/Tuesday next week, so keep an eye on my twitter for info!

Megalo Cannon:

The Strongest Combo Deck! Blastoise+KyruemEX:

News: Megalo Cannon CM! New Cards Galore!

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 01:21:57 GMT

Earlier than usual, a CM for the up and coming Megalo Cannon aired during the weekend, and recently the video was added to the official Pokemon JP Youtube page. In addition to showing off the rather beautiful GenesectEX (010/076), the commercial also gave us two special ACE Spec cards which are for use with GenesectEX only called the G-Scope and the G-Booster.

In addition to those being shown, we now have images for Porygon, Porygon 2, and Eelektrik, while new cards Octillery, and Escavalier debuted. The CM also delivered what the mystery ACE Spec card from the Blastoise+KyuremEX deck is: Master Ball. You can see all the new cards below!

(Click to embiggen)

(Click to embiggen)

(Click to embiggen)

(Click to embiggen)

As usual, we'll keep you informed of news as it comes. We're only 16 days away from the release of BW9, and news will likely be stagnant until the Toho spoilers, but it won't be long now until we know what other exciting things are in this huge set.

Resource(s):
Pokemon.co.jp

News: Electrifying Surprise in BW9, and The Strongest Combo!

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 12:53:42 GMT

The official Pokemon Card website updated this evening with the first official acknowledgement of both the March BW9 set Megalo Cannon, and the special Strongest Combo Deck Blastoise+KyuremEX kit due out on the same day.

In addition to showing us a clear image of GenesectEX which was earlier revealed in CoroCoro, we got a look at the set version of Porygon-Z (061/076), and saw a new card with Eelektross (025/076). In terms of the deck cards, Blastoise (003/018) was revealed to be a reprint from Cold Flare, while KyuremEX (006/018) is a brand new card. The official box art also talks of a special Ace Spec card being in the deck, but at present it's still secret. You can check out all the cards below!

BW9 Megalo Cannon:

The Strongest Combo Deck Blastoise+KyuremEX:

Additionally, the PTGC blog gave us a very nice clean image of the Box Campaign version of Porygon-Z that we reported on earlier. You can check it out below. It's nice having a side by side (more or less) comparison with the main set card before release.

As usual we'll keep you informed of news as it comes. I'm meanwhile very excited not only because of the recent influx of Megalo Cannon news, but because fellow Collectorviper moderators narumi and techno4tomcats are coming down tomorrow to spend a week in the CV house. All staff on deck!

Source(s):
Pokemon-Card Official Site

Special: Happy Valentines Day!

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 11:50:17 GMT

Our wonderful narumi has delivered a special valentines day present for CV users! That ridiculously cute Emolga from Shiny Collection was a perfect candidate for a new wallpaper -- and our first in a while -- just for February 14th. Lovingly vectored and ready to cuteify your computer or phone!

Happy Valentines Day from Collectorviper!

Be My Valentine
Download: iPhone 4 | iPhone 5 | 1440x900

If anyone wants any other sizes, please feel free to comment and narumi will get back to you with the new size.

xoxo - Team CV

News: GenesectEX Unveiled!

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 12:14:08 GMT

In the slew of news from the recently leaked CoroCoro that included a brand new eeveelution for Gen VI, we got our first glimpse of the up and coming march set Megalo Cannon!

First revealed was GenesectEX -- a grass type (to pander to the bug part of it) which is a Plasma Gang owned card coming in at 010/076. Also worthy of noting: Azelf and Druddigon will be in the set going by the artwork on the side of the booster boxes, bringing our total known card count to... four. We'll likely start seeing more of the set the closer we get however.

Additionally, another Genesect card was unveiled. Like the EX, this card is a grass type and will be a promotional card given away in the next issue of CoroCoro. You can check out both new cards below.

As usual we'll keep you informed of news as it comes.

Resource(s):
CoroCoro (3月)
Shellspider

Scans: バトル強化デッキ60「ホワイトキュレムEX」[Japanese]

Sat, 09 Feb 2013 06:37:43 GMT

Set Name: バトル強化デッキ60「ホワイトキュレムEX」(Battle Strength Deck White KyuremEX)
Set Logo:
Number of Cards: 18
Checklist: Download (PDF)

Notes: Another entry into the Battle Strength EX series. This time, literally a year apart from the original ReshiramEX and ZekromEX decks, PTCG released White and Black KyuremEX decks, and like their other counterparts the deck is comprised of 18 unique cards. White KyuremEX's deck also features an exclusive Plasma Gang MoltresEX, as these were the corresponding decks released alongside Plasma Gale which had ArticunoEX. Thus, the Black KyuremEX deck has the matching ZapdosEX card.

Gotta love when everything falls together. This is just a really nice small easy set, with lovely art and lovely exclusives.

Trivia:
• This deck was released in Japan on the 19th of October 2012.
• The reason the set logo is BK instead of BS is due to the reading of Strength in Japanese, which is Kyouka.
• This deck has not been released in English.

Last Updated: 09/02/13 Set Complete

Scans: みんなのWAKUWAKUバトル [Japanese]

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 09:06:56 GMT

Set Name: みんなのWAKUWAKUバトル (Everyone's Excited for Battle)
Set Logo:
Number of Cards: 47
Checklist: Download (PDF)

Notes: At 47 cards this monster gift set is worthy of the title subset rather than deck or kit, but alas it's a battle kit. Much like the Gift Box range from ADV/PCG/DP/DPt, the closed box release featured a grand total of 8 unique decks, each with a focal holographic card, and focused on the 8 major elemental types of the TCG -- grass through dark. It's an interesting kit in my opinion, with very beautiful art across all the cards, and it's apparent they're made for starting out younger players with this.

In addition to including the 8 decks, the kit also contained two big fold out play mats, two coins, two sets of damage counters, and these interesting game additions called Waku Waku Rule Cards (Exciting Rule Cards.) These cards feature gym leaders, rivals, and champions of Unova all with a special clause that changes up the gameplay. Things such as Iris's Finale, or Elesa's Seriousness. They do a myriad of things like buff HP, or do extra damage, add in coin tosses and even pause the game. Pretty neat, and a fun addition to tease things up.

This kit is just really nice overall, and if you've got a love for the nostalgia of the old-style Gift Box series (not the newer ones) then this is the kit for you.

Trivia:
• This kit was released in Japan on the 16th of November 2012.
• This is the first time since DPt we've really had a closed-top multi faceted gift box deck system.
• The kit contains a Audino coin, meaning every 'nurse' type Pokemon has now got a coin. Trends: continuing generations on.
• These cards have yet to be released in English.

Last Updated: 08/02/13 Set Complete

Scans: シャイニーコレクション [Japanese]

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 09:25:30 GMT

Set Name: シャイニーコレクション (Shiny Collection)
Set Logo:
Number of Cards: 25
Checklist: Download (PDF)

Notes: If you thought Dragon Selection was a gorgeous holographic set, well, feast your eyes on Shiny Collection. Shiny Collection is an interesting creature in that as a subset it's the only sub set to so far have been released with actual SR cards, in addition to having different tiers to the holograms used on the cards. Common cards simply saw a glossy coating with a star inset pattern, uncommon cards had a stippled holo in the gloss along with a cutout of mirror holo in a specific design plus holographic borders, the one Rare for the set following the same while the SR cards simply have the stippled gloss.

They are beyond holographic. You could see these things from space.

They're also perfectly timed for Valentine's Day with the heart and cutesy theme.

The set uses stereotypical cute-typing as a for girls selling concept (perhaps this also is why it's a concept pack rather than reinforcement pack), similar to the allure of cute Pokemon being in the for girls version of Beginning Set exclusives along with the basic form of the starters seeing holo versions, but as a whole is just very eye pleasing. Possibly the most vibrant subset we've seen in a long time. This one has the tick of approval from me. All boxes for Shiny Collection have three rare (MeloettaEX) and three SR cards per box, meaning that a full set is very doable with two if your luck is great.

Trivia:
• This subset was released in Japan on the 1st of February 2013.
• The entirety of this subset is holographic.
• There were no corresponding decks released alongside this subset.
• This subset hasn't been released in English yet.

Last Updated: 13/02/13 Set Complete

News: BW9 Box Campaign Promo!

Sat, 26 Jan 2013 08:01:29 GMT

New posters have gone up today in Pokemon Centre promoting the next set due out on the 15th of March, Megalo Cannon, which we reported on before in December. On top of officially acknowledging the sets upcoming release, it also unveiled that Porygon-Z will be the box campaign promo for the set.

Porygon-Z is 208BW-P, and has the ability Plasma Trance, and Tri-Attack. Of course, like all prior box promos, Porygon-Z will also feature in the main set with different artwork. Also notable, Azelf is on the side of the box, along with one more Pokemon that's currently unidentifiable. You can check out the poster below!

Click for larger

A big thanks to denkimouse for the heads up!

As usual we'll keep you informed of news as it comes.

Resource(s):
@Shellspider

News: Special Pack Black Kyurem, White Kyurem, and N!

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 02:45:11 GMT

Three new special packs have just recently been announced via supply websites like Rakuten and AmiAmi.

Called Holo Card Special Pack Black Kyurem, White Kyurem, or N, the packs are set to contain 1 special holo card (possibly a full art, but at present it's unknown) along with 8 booster packs from Red Collection through to Plasma Gale. From the looks of the product listings these packs are exactly like the Zekrom and Reshiram Holo Card Special Packs released in August last year, hence the suspicion that these may have full art SR style promos.

The packs are due out on the 20th of April, and retail for 1,260円 each.

At present we have no images of the product.

Thanks to Nate for the heads up!

Resource(s):
AmiAmi

News: MeloettaEX! And Daichi Pan Promotional Cards

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 08:46:32 GMT

The Pokemon-Card official site updated tonight with a small update. Firstly, Shiny Collection which is due out on the 1st of February has been moved to the feature rotator, and with it we've got a look at MeloettaEX, the first EX card (and with Generation VI coming, likely her only one) in the BW TCG run. MeloettaEX is 011/020. They also showcased the SR ReshiramEX and Gardevoir which were both revealed earlier at the Jump Festa reveal.

MeloettaEX looks beautiful, and the fact that all the Shiny Collection cards have holo unique to each and every card makes her look even more beautiful than ever. You can check her out below!

Additionally Daichi Pan are doing a cross promotion with their Pokemon Pan range and the PTCG. From the 1st of February there will be special packs available at most places Pan is stocked, which come with two Pan (either petite melon or petite curry) and a single card. Four of the cards at present are simply reprints of prior promos with a daichi pan logo on them, but there is a fifth secret card that hasn't been revealed yet which will have it's own original illustration unique to the campaign.

You can check out the current images of the known promos below:

As usual we'll keep you informed of news as it comes!

Resource(s):
Pokemon-Card

Scans: ラセンフォース [Japanese]

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 07:22:26 GMT

Set Name: ラセンフォース (Rasen Force)
Set Logo:
Number of Cards: 58
Checklist: Download (PDF)

Notes: Oh my where to start. BW8 is the set block that got me passionate about cards again. Between personal issues and a lot of health problems, including breaking both my foot and wrist in October, I didn't exactly have a lot to look forward to when it came to things until these cards were announced. I got an extremely excited call from denkimouse about them and we were both excited to see Bolty get his Beast Forme on a card. And when the Toho leaks happened? There were more tears. Another shiny bird, in Rasen Force, this time a Shinbora. The excitement was infectious, that's for sure.

Rasen Force and Raiden Knuckle both continue the trend of having Plasma Gang related Pokemon, and in addition to a lot of them being in the set, all of the Eeveelutions which were released across both sets as a tie-in to the I ♥ Eevee promotion going on are Plasma 'owned'. The artwork across the sets are also extremely dynamic and all carry the same thematic: Pokemon adjusting to a suddenly snap-frozen Unova. Or, as denkimouse called it, Pokemon Angry At Frozen Unova.

Of the two boxes I got I pulled an entire set, bar SR full art cards, and missed two of the three UR cards. I did however pull Shinbora ;) And I cried over livestream about it. If in all the years Collectorviper has been around it's somehow not been apparent I love birds, well, there you go.

Trivia:
• This set was released in Japan on the 14th of December 2012.
• There were no corresponding decks released for this set. Instead, there was a Serperior campaign promo pack released with a special holographic Serperior and some packs of BW8.
• Rasen quite literally means spiral, relating to Deoxys as the set's focal Pokemon.
• This set has yet to be released in English.

Last Updated: 16/01/13

Scans: コールドフレア [Japanese]

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 06:03:06 GMT

Set Name: コールドフレア (Cold Flare)
Set Logo:
Number of Cards: 65
Checklist: Download (PDF)

Notes: Much like Dawn of Arceus, and Red Collection, both Cold Flare and Freeze Bolt fall into the category of being very special sets for someone like myself since I had the pleasure of picking up my boxes for it in person. This time we went to Pokecen at Hamamatsuchō where I shouted everyone breakfast as we waited for the centre to open. Being the new card release day, it was pretty packed, and it was actually interesting being able to see fellow Japanese TCG collectors in their element, piecing together baskets of packs (there was one woman who had about 8 boxes worth of both sets in hers!)

I did a livestream opening of both sets to a large audience from pkmncollectors, Tumblr, and the PKMNCollectors 2012 Group in general. It once more was really, really lovely to hand cards over to people when I pulled spares of what they were after in person. I just love doing that kinda thing. It makes me happy, it makes everyone else happy too.

The two sets as a whole are stunning. Being the July set of course these sets featured Black Kyurem, White Kyurem, and Keldeo as major stars with their first EX cards, and Keldeo's Resolution Forme being a big player in the whole thing. The art? Stunning. The choices of Ultra Rares? Even better. True story: I burst into tears when the Toho auction leaks happened live two nights before the set was due out and we were all watching them come through after dinner and saw Altaria got her own shiny card. The literal joy of being a collector, guys.

Trivia:
• This set was released in Japan on the 13th of July 2012.
• There were no corresponding decks released for this set. Instead, there were three movie campaign packs wherein you could get a promo Virizion, Terakion, or Cobalion along with some packs from the sets.
• This set along with Freeze Bolt were conglomerated to create Boundaries Crossed in English.

Last Updated: 16/01/13 Set Complete

News: Concept Pack Shiny Collection first look!

Sat, 22 Dec 2012 04:34:44 GMT

As a part of the pre-BW9 run, there is a concept pack subset run due out known simply as the Shiny Collection (シャイニーコレクション) due out on the 1st of February next year. During today's Jump Festa in Japan, the set got an early preliminary release and images of the cards have begun to surface across 2CH and Twitter.

The set features 20 numbered cards, and so far two confirmed Secret Rare cards. Like Dragon Selection, the set has a smaller box size and card ratio, with 4 cards a pack and most of them are holographic. And boy are these cards holo. Check out the photos fresh from the 'net below! So far we've got Servine (002/020), Pikachu (007/020), Gardevoir (010/020), Stunfisk (012/020), Purrloin (013/020), Eevee (014/020), Ursaring (016/020), Elesa (020/020), ShayminEX (021/020), and ReshiramEX (022/020).

Check them out below!

Thanks to denkimouse for the heads up as usual.

Resource(s):
http://twitter.yfrog.com/user/amutaaan/photos

Special: BW8 Rasen Force/Raiden Knuckle Early Reveal!

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 13:26:57 GMT

Like clockwork, Toho auctions updated tonight with the early reveal of the two new sets due out this Friday in Japan: Rasen Force and Raiden Knuckle. And boy have we got two very, very nice sets for regulars to check out today.

The two sets as a whole are stunning, with a good mix of Plasma Pokemon and regulars, and the inclusion of every single Eevee evolution as part of the Eevee Collection promotion happening in Japan is a really nice touch. The Secret and Ultra Rare cards? Amazing. With them each set comes to a total of 58 cards each. 58 cards of Pokemon being incredibly angry that Unova is frozen.

Rasen Force SR/UR Cards: HeatranEX, DeoxysEX, Latios EX, Ghetsis, Shiny Empoleon, Shiny Sigilyph, Ultra Ball.
Raiden Knuckle SR/UR Cards: ThundurusEX (Beast Forme), LatiasEX, Tornadus EX (Beast Forme) Professor Juniper, Shiny Garchomp, Shiny Garbodor, Max Potion.

You can check them all out under the cut. Keep in mind there are a lot of images and it might take a while to load. A big thank you goes out to Toho Auctions for their uploads. My boxes are ordered and I'll be hopefully both sorting and scanning these babies soon, health pending!

Rasen Force:

Raiden Knuckle

News: BW9 Announced!

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 09:08:26 GMT

Apologies updates have been sparse, life itself has been very hectic and I've had a lot of health issues, but the big updates'll keep on coming the better I get.

Hot off the heels of the release of BW8 which is happening at the end of the week, already distributors have details and preliminary images of the next set which will be hitting us in March of 2013.

BW9 is called Megalo Cannon and features Genesect as the feature Pokemon which will undoubtedly see an EX. The set is due out on the 15th of March 2013, and will have 76 cards + secret/ultra rare cards. Given Genesect was teased as the potential leading movie Pokemon for the 2013 run, and now is being featured in the anime, it seems our next July set will be vastly different from peoples initial predictions.

You can check out the booster artwork below, where Genesect is shown using it's Shock Plate. Will we see multiple EX cards of this legendary like we did the Arceus Lv.X cards? Only time will tell.

(Click for a larger version)

Additionally, a new Combo Deck will be released on the same day. Simply named Combo Deck 60 Blastoise + KyuremEX the deck will retail for 1,680円 and presumably features 60 cards (of which only around 15-25 of those will probably be unique.) You can check out the preliminary placeholder flyer below, but details are very scarce for this one right now.

(Click for a larger version)

Many thanks to denkimouse for the heads up and the new info! Rasen Force and Raiden Knuckle spoilers will probably be up in the next few days so keep your eyes peeled.

Resource(s):
Sunyshore

News: Next Set Block! BW8 - Rasen Force & Raiden Knuckle!

Tue, 18 Sep 2012 14:00:56 GMT

Hey there followers!

Long time no post. A brief apology for my absence, I'll be making a more thorough post detailing why I've been more or less absent since my trip abroad in July but I do extend my apologies for falling off the grid. However, that's news for another day.

On a much more exciting note, we've got the first news of the December card block, hot on the heels of BW7's release. BW8 is due for release on the 14th of December, and will feature two sets: Rasen Force which features Deoxys, and Raiden Knuckle which features Thundurus (Therian Forme). Each pack has the standard 5 cards, and will cost 158円 each. There will also be a matching deck case, and sleeves.

At present it's unknown how large each set will be, but given it's a dual block we're likely going back to smaller sets VS the much larger run we just saw with Plasma Gale. You can check out the booster artwork below! Because Deoxys and Thundurus are legendaries, it's likely more than safe to assume they will be seeing EX cards. Also of note, Rasen means Spiral, while Raiden means Thunder (and) Lightning. Due to the kana-ized set names we've decided to leave them as such.

(Click To Enlarge)

Additionally, there is also going to be a Campaign Pack released the same day as the set. Featuring two packs from each set, the Campaign Pack will also have an original Serperior promo card. The Campaign Pack will sell for 630円 and you can check it out below!

(Click To Enlarge)

A massive thank you to the lovely denkimouse for this news. As usual, we'll strive to keep you informed of the latest card news as it comes.

Resource(s):
Sunyshore

Special: Bolt Flare Early Reveal Extravaganza!

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 16:29:17 GMT

Howdy folks, tonight Toho auctions updated with the early reveal of the two new sets due out this Friday in Japan: Freeze Bolt and Cold Flare. I'm actually in Japan right now, so I'll be heading into Hamamatsuchō to pick up boxes, along with the new promo cards, before coming back to do a live stream here at the fabulous denkimouse's place.

The two sets as a whole are stunning, with a lot of contenders that were rather unexpected. BW6 as a whole has been a mostly guarded dual set block, with many of the cards unknown until the reveals that started this afternoon with the SR cards.

Speaking of...

Freeze Bolt SR/UR Cards: CreseliaEX, KeldeoEX (Resolution Forme), White KyuremEX, Belle, Shiny Terrakion, and Shiny Altria.
Cold Flare SR/UR Cards: CelebiEX, LandorusEX (Beast Forme), Black KyuremEX, Cheren, Golurk (UR) and Rocky Helm.

You can check them all out under the cut. Keep in mind there are a lot of images and it might take a while to load. A big thank you goes out to Toho Auctions for their uploads, and to Jon of Pokebeach for scouring up some shots of Golurk and Terrakion as no one has scanned them in yet. Like I said, boxes on Friday. Very much looking forward to it all! Take care.

News: BW7 Plasma Gale Pack Art + October Decks

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 17:01:13 GMT

Busy news day! First off, thanks to the keen eyes of the lovely heatrotomftw97 we've got the sellsheet for BW7 Plasma Gale, which has given us the pack artwork. As suspected with the announcement of the Lugia deck shield and deck cases, we've got ourselves Lugia as the focal Pokemon. It may be safe to assume that LugiaEX will be in the set. You can check it out below:

Additionally, Rakuten updated this afternoon with even more goods announced. Due for release on October 19th, we'll be getting two more Battle Strength Decks: Battle Strength Deck Black KyuremEX, and Battle Strength Deck White KyuremEX. Both sell for 1,680円 a piece and will have 60 cards. They're just like the large EX Battle Strength Decks released for Reshiram and Zerkom not too long ago.

A big thanks to denkimouse for being my ear on the ground with the Rakuten updates today.

We'll keep you in the loop as the news comes.

Resource(s):
Rakuten

News: September Block Announced, BW7 Plasma Gale!

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 02:14:22 GMT

We've not even hit July and the big set block and promo mecca that is the movie run, and we've already got details of the next block happening. Preliminary reports from suppliers indicate that we've got a pretty large single set instead of the double-block that's been happening for most of the BW run.

Due for release on September 14th, BW7 is called Plasma Gale, and is set to feature 70 cards plus secret rares. Alongside the set there is going to be a deck released called Plasma Gang's Power Deck which will feature 30 cards, a play guide, and other standard deck pieces for only 780円.

It's also interesting to note that now with Plasma Gale that the BW-era has overtaken the PCG-era for longest standing/most sets released! PCG, if you included the 2007 World Championship kit, had a grand total of 10 sets, whereas BW now caps in at 11 and is going strong.

Alongside BW7, there seems to be a new kit being released. Details are sketchy right now, but from what the sell reports indicate, it's called the Top Player Choice 100+40 Cards Master Deck Build. Also set for release on September 14th with a sell price of 4,200円, the kit reports to feature 140 cards, a book on how to build 'Master Decks', and long card box with partitions. As for what cards they are, we have no clue, but we'll let you know as soon as we do.

Additionally, the September block is seeing a deck shields and deck box featuring Lugia. Whether this is a hint as to a possible card in the set or just a timed release is unknown.

As usual we'll keep you informed of the news as it comes. Big thanks to the lovely denkimouse for the heads up.

Resource(s):
Rakuten

Apologies for the lack of updates recently, my health has not been the best and I'm due to travel across to Japan shortly. A substantial update later with some more site related news will be forthcoming in the next few days so hang tight, and thank you for your patience.

News: Flygon Gym Challenge Campaign Promo Revealed

Sat, 26 May 2012 08:25:08 GMT

Thanks to some sharp Twitter users in Japan, we've got a photo of a poster in circulation now for the July block Gym Challenge Box Campaign for BW6. As previously reported, the card in question would be Flygon, but the card had yet to be shown until now.

Coming in at 157/BW-P and a Dragon Type, the new promo is looking lovely. Like the cards revealed last night, the Pokedex entry has been blurred out due to it being from the up and coming B2W2. You can check out the new promo below.

A big thank you to denkimouse of Sunyshore for the heads up!

Resource(s):
Twitter (@roast_reval)

News: Four New Cards from BW6 Revealed

Fri, 25 May 2012 09:17:55 GMT

A small but exciting update tonight, courtesy of the lovely runners of the PCGN blog. Freeze Bolt and Cold Flare are going to be seeing some old Kanto favourites, finally finishing off the line that began in BW4 with the Venusaur family being in that set. The blog revealed the images of Charmander (010/059), and Charmeleon (011/059) from Freeze Bolt along with Squirtle (012/059), and Wartortle (013/059) from Cold Flare.

It's more than safe to presume we'll be seeing Charizard and Blastoise to match the set. You can check out the new cards below! Interestingly, their Pokedex entries have been blanked out so presumably they'll be entries from the up and coming Black 2 and White 2.

Freeze Bolt:

Cold Flare:

As usual we'll keep you updated as the news comes.

Resource(s):
PCGN Blog

Tue, 22 May 2012 02:22:03 GMT

Latest News: Electrifying surprise in BW9, and The Strongest Combo!
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Latest Update: Shiny Collection

Scans: ポケモンカードゲームBW サザンドラデッキ30 [Japanese]

Tue, 15 May 2012 10:06:06 GMT

Set Name: ポケモンカードゲームBW サザンドラデッキ30 (Hydreigon Half Deck)
Set Logo:
Number of Cards: 15
Checklist: Download (PDF)

Notes: I'm a bit of a sucker for nice little decks. Some of them can be subpar, with limited art selections for the typing constrains and small kit builds, but both the Garchomp and the Hydreigon decks seem to have a gorgeous assortment of artwork and a nice selection of Pokemon under their belts. While both decks were released in tandem with the BW5 set block, the Hydreigon deck is more or less the parallel deck for Dragons Blast. The artwork features the setting of the N's castle in the background -- both inside and out -- and is an overall 'darker' environ compared to the Garchomp deck which is Pokemon League related.

A sweet little deck with a seriously stunning confetti gloss holo on some key cards. Worth it.

Trivia:
• This deck was released in Japan on the 16th of March 2012.
• Along with the Garchomp Half Deck, these decks were released alongside Dragons Blast and Dragon's Blade.
• This deck has yet to be released in English.

Last Updated: 15/05/12 Set Complete