Pokemon Trademark Teases Return of Dark Pokemon to Pokemon TCG

A new trademark could lead to the return of Dark Pokemon in the Pokemon TCG.

By Christian Hoffer

A new trademark filing has opened up speculation that Dark Pokemon could be returning to the Pokemon Trading Card Game. PokeBeach's Jon Sahagian has reported that The Pokemon Company has filed a trademark for The Glory of Team Rocket which matches previous trademarks for Pokemon TCG sets. The reference to Team Rocket has led to speculation that the Pokemon Trading Card Game could be bringing back Dark Pokemon in the not too distant future. Based on the timing of the trademark and the set's potential release in early 2025, this could be the new kind of Pokemon card or mechanic introduced to the game next year.

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Dark Pokemon were first introduced in the original Team Rocket expansion of the Pokemon Trading Card Game, which was released in 1997 in Japan and 2000 in the United States and internationally. Originally, Dark Pokemon had moves with higher attacks but lower HP. In later sets, Dark Pokemon were dual typed Pokemon cards that always had Darkness as one of their two types. Save for a single promo card released back in 2021, we haven't gotten a Dark Pokemon card released in 20 years....which may mean it's the perfect time for a comeback. 

In the meantime, the Pokemon Trading Card Game is getting set to close out its Kitikami chapters with the release of Shrouded Fable, a special set due for release in August. Over the weekend, The Pokemon Company announced Stellar Tera Pokemon ex cards would be introduced to the game in a Japanese set coming out in July. Stellar Tera Pokemon ex cards are Colorless Pokemon ex cards with moves that require three different kinds of energy to use. Typically, new Pokemon mechanics or gimmicks are teased in August at the Pokemon World Championships, which likely means that another new mechanic is coming to the game in addition to the Stellar Tera Pokemon ex cards.

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