Pokémon’s upcoming trading card game set, which will celebrate 15 years of Pokémon Black and White, will feature an illustration rare card for every Unova Pokémon, in a franchise first.
Illustration Rares are versions of cards that feature artwork on the entire card. These often depict scenes like a Pokémon‘s habitat or a Pokémon interacting with another Pokémon. The art style of these cards is often significantly more stylized than their standard versions.
While most sets include between 20 and 50 illustration rares, this year’s Pokémon Black and White anniversary set will feature an illustration rare for every Unova Pokémon. The Pokémon Company have revealed the first 9, which you can view below.
Pokémon Black Bolt and Pokémon White Flare will be released in Japan in June and in English the following month. The Pokémon Company has yet to reveal the English name of the set, but it has been confirmed that the set will be a “Special Set,” meaning it won’t be released in traditional booster boxes.
Instead, the set will be released in collection box products, Elite Trainer Boxes, and booster bundles.
This new set will celebrate the Unova region, which first debuted in Pokémon Black and Pokémon White, released for the Nintendo DS in 2010. The set will include all 156 of the Pokémon originally found in the Unova region to celebrate 15 years since the games were released.
Images via PokeBeach
The Pokémon Company has also announced that the set will see the debut of a new rarity type, “BWR.” It’s assumed that this will stand for Black and White Rare, which will serve as the highest rarity in the new set. The three cards revealed so far featuring this BWR rarity marker include Reshiram, Zekrom and Victini.
The next English Pokémon TCG set, Destined Rivals, will be released on May 30.
Earlier this year, The Pokémon Company released a statement addressing multiple fan reports that trading cards have been difficult to find.
