Pokemon TCG: Mega Evolution – Ascended Heroes Is One Of The Best Sets In Years (Review)

The Pokemon Trading Card Game is officially in its Mega Evolution Era. And the latest expansion, Ascended Heroes, brings Megas together with Tera Pokemon and Trainer’s Pokemon. In total, the new collection has over 290 different cards, across a lineup of 8 unique products. The first of these, the Ascended Heroes Tech Sticker collection, launched on January 30th, with many more to follow in February and March.

I recently got a chance to check out several of the upcoming Pokemon TCG: Mega Evolution – Ascended Heroes products early. In total, I ripped 37 packs across key products from the lineup, including the Elite Trainer Box, Erika Collection, Mini Tin, Premium Poster Collection, and more. Though I didn’t pull my personal chase card (some day, Psyduck Special Illustration Rare), I came away impressed with the variety of cards on offer. For collectors, this set has some stunning artwork, but it’s also got a few cards that might prove useful in competitive play, as well.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Pros	Cons
Stunning artwork, including new Megas from Legends: Z-A	Relatively low pull rates for the rarer, collectible cards
Good variety of products in the collection	Likely going to be tough to find at MSRP
Great mix of collectible and competitive cards

Pokemon TCG Mega Evolution: Ascended Heroes Shows Off Stunning Art and Solid Print Quality

While opening the various products featured in the Ascended Heroes line, I frequently stopped to admire the art. While some cards, like Poochyena, feature reprinted artwork, there’s still a lot of gorgeous illustrations to enjoy across the lineup. I only pulled a handful of Special Illustration Rares, but they were all stunning to look at it. In particular, I just adore the Budew card pictured above. Even those that aren’t full art illustrations still have some solid designs that will no doubt make their way into many collectors’ binders.

In recent years, print quality has become a concern for collectors. As the Pokemon TCG market demand continues to outpace production, some feel that printing has gotten a bit rushed. I’m pleased to report that the overall quality for the products I opened was top-notch. The alignment looked well centered, and I didn’t notice any flaws with the prints themselves. For those hoping to grade and collect cards from the set, this is good news. Indeed, I think Ascended Heroes may well be one of the most sought-after new sets since Prismatic Evolutions.

With Mega Evolution in the title, the Mega ex cards are definitely a highlight here. However, the set offers a good variety of other cards to look forward to, too. It brings back Trainer’s Pokemon for several beloved Pokemon trainers, including Larry, Erika, and Cynthia. There are also Team Rocket’s cards in the set, along with a few items that just might shake up the meta. So if you enjoy collecting Trainer’s Cards for your favorites, this set has a good lineup to offer.

Another perk for this set is the variety of products in the collection. ETBs can be pretty pricey these days, so ripping that many packs at once may not suit everyone’s budget. But there are quite a few smaller sets that might prove more budget-friendly. In particular, I liked the Erika Collection, which features an Erika Coin and Erika’s Tangela Foil Promo along with 2 Ascended Heroes packs. The First Partner collection is another fun one, giving you a pin featuring the Legends: Z-A starters as a guaranteed treat before you test your luck with the included packs. Hopefully, the variety of options will make Ascended Heroes a bit easier to get ahold of as these products make their way out into the world in the coming months.

Ascended Heroes Is a Collector’s Set With a Few Strong Competitive Contenders

These days, many people collect Pokemon cards even if they don’t play the actual TCG. But for those who are interested in just how many Ascended Heroes cards might strengthen your deck, I’ve got good news. Though much of the set is clearly geared towards collectors, with some high-value Special Illustration Rares, there are a few solid, playable cards.

In particular, the Poke Pad Item Card could be a solid addition to your deck. And in my experience, the pull rates for it aren’t half bad, either. I wound up with 2 of them, so it’s not the most common card, but you may well pull one without the need to find a reseller. The Poke Pad card lets you search your deck for one Pokemon that doesn’t have a Rule Box and put it directly in your hand. Definitely helpful for setting up your strategy.

A few rarer ex cards could be heavy hitters, too. Personally, I only pulled Mega Froslass ex from the bunch of powerful new Pokemon ex in the set. With a solid first attack that requires just 1 energy while you build to its Absolute Snow heavy hitter, it’s a versatile and powerful card. In addition to Mega Froslass ex, there are quite a few decent ex cards that could make their way into the Pokemon TCG meta. While Special Illustration Rares are hard to pull, ex cards themselves have decent pull rates in this set. So if you’re in it for competitive play, you will likely wind up with at least a few you can put to use.

In all, I was pretty impressed with the offerings from Pokemon TCG: Mega Evolution – Ascended Heroes. The print quality is solid, and there are quite a few stunning cards for collectors. With a variety of different card types, you’re likely to pull at least a few keepers, whether you’re in it to collect or compete.

ComicBook received sample product from the Pokemon TCG: Mega Evolution – Ascended Heroes line for the purpose of this review.