Pokemon TCG Trademarks Hint at New Card Types

Several recent trademark filings could provide a tease of what's to come in the Pokemon Trading Card Game. PokeBeach, a well-known Pokemon TCG news site, was the first to report on new Japanese trademark filings for V-Union and VSTAR by the Pokemon Company. These filings match those used for previous trademark filings related to the Pokemon Trading Card Game and could signal either an upcoming expansion or a new kind of card. Given that the V-Union card includes an image of a V-Union logo that uses font similar to that of current Pokemon V and Pokemon VMAX cards, it's more likely that the filings are related to a new kind of card.

The current series of Pokemon Trading Card Game is based off of Pokemon Sword and Shield and focuses on V and VMAX cards. V cards represent strong Pokemon with higher HP and attack power compared to standard cards. Some V cards can evolve into VMAX cards, which represents the Dynamax and Gigantamax mechanics seen in the Galar region. If a VMAX card is knocked out, their opponent wins 3 Prizes, which means that a player that uses VMAX cards could quickly find themselves on the losing end if one of their cards gets knocked out.

The Pokemon Trading Card Game typically shakes things up by introducing one new kind of card or mechanic per year. Some cards introduce entirely new concepts, such as the powerful Tag Team GX cards that cost 3 Prizes when knocked out. Other cards contain more subtle mechanics, such as the Ultra Beast GX cards that manipulated prizes once per game. Many of these new types of cards follow up on the general themes of the current series of cards, which is why we're guessing that the VSTAR and V-Union trademarks are related to new kinds of V cards.

With the 25th anniversary of the Pokemon franchise approaching, it's almost certain that we'll see a few special Pokemon cards appear over the next year. Also announced was a new Shining Fates expansion featuring over 100 new Shiny Pokemon cards, which will act as another special set in 2021.