Pokemon TCG Will Introduce Pokemon V Cards as Game's Next Evolution

The Pokemon Trading Card Game is evolving in time for the release of Pokemon Sword and Shield. Earlier today, the Pokemon Company confirmed that it would transition its popular Pokemon Trading Card Game to a new Pokemon Sword and Shield set, to coordinate with the new Pokemon games. For the last three years, the Pokemon TCG has released sets based on Pokemon Sun and Moon, but that will change with the release of the new Pokemon game's this November. The Pokemon Sword and Shield expansion will also introduce a new type of Pokemon card - the mysterious Pokemon V card.

Details about the Pokemon V cards were scarce - a brief trailer revealed that the Pokemon V cards will have similar rules to EX and GX cards, as opponents gain two Prize Cards when a PokemonV card is knocked out. It also seems that these cards will have ties to the new Dynamax mechanic in Pokemon Sword and Shield. In Pokemon Sword and Shield, a player can Dynamax their Pokemon in certain situations, causing them to become supersized and gain extra abilities and stronger attacks. In the games, players can only Dynamax their Pokemon in gyms and select other locations in the wild, and a Dynamaxed Pokemon will only remain supersized for about three turns.

The trailer showed a massive Pokemon card with 330 HP standing under a Dynamax cloud. Whether this means that players will actually get oversized Pokemon cards, or if the card was just a fun representation of a Dynamaxed Pokemon remains to be seen. We'll note that the Pokemon Company regularly prints oversized cards for promotional purposes, but those cards have never had any real effect in the game. While it would be interesting to see how the Pokemon Company would roll out the release of oversized cards, we'll add that games like Transformers - The Trading Card Game also uses oversized cards for practical purposes.

You can check out the trailer for the new Pokemon V cards up above.