Pokemon TCG Announces Temporal Forces, New Set Bringing Back Ace Spec Cards

The Pokemon Trading Card Game is bringing back ACE SPEC cards. Today, The Pokemon Company officially announced Temporal Forces, a new Scarlet & Violet expansion that brings back ACE SPEC cards, powerful trainer or energy cards that are limited to one card per deck. These cards were first introduced in the Black & White series and will be making their return where they will almost certainly shake up the game. As hinted by the expansion’s name, the set will also introduce Walking Wake and Iron Leaves and will continue the trend of introducing Ancient and Future Pokemon and trainer cards, along with more type-shifted Tera ex cards. 

In total, the set will contain seven ACE SPEC Trainer and Special Energy cards, 13 Pokemon ex and two Tera Pokemon ex, 13 illustration rare Pokemon, 10 special illustration rare Pokemon and supporter cards and six hyper rare gold etched cards. Notably, these “gold cards” are a redesign of current hyper rare cards, with a new card effect. 

While Temporal Forces is the first “regular” Pokemon TCG set of the year, it’s actually not the first Pokemon TCG release on the calendar. The Pokemon Company is also set to release Paldean Fates, a “special set” that won’t have standalone booster packs for sale. This set will focus on reprinted cards with shiny Pokemon in the art, although it will also introduce a handful of new cards and some sure to be highly sought after Special Illustration Rare cards. 

Similar to other “normal” sets, Temporal Forces will come in a variety of products, including booster packs, booster bundles, Elite Trainer Boxes, and various special collections. Pre-orders for the new set are available now on the Pokemon Center website. 

Temporal Forces will officially launch on March 22, 2024, with participating stores holding pre-order events in the weeks before.