Summary
- Celestial Guardians in Pokemon TCG Pocket brings back shiny cards via reprints.
- Gengar Ex is controversial because its shiny is almost identical to the original.
- Future Pokemon TCG Pocket sets should avoid controversial shinies for better pulls.
The recent Pokemon TCG Pocket expansion titled Celestial Guardians unexpectedly brought back shiny cards after a dedicated set like Shining Revelry, making it clear that the game will most likely keep this card type in its future releases. While not all sets may have shiny cards in Pokemon TCG Pocket, as doing that would increase the chance of them feeling less special over time, Celestial Guardians' approach is interesting because it focuses on reprints more than new cards. Shining Revelry's shiny cards were different versions of new cards that came with the set, whereas Celestial Guardians' are reprints from Genetic Apex for the most part. One of these cards is incredibly rare, but equally controversial.
Controversies in Pokemon games are nothing new, with most mainline games having some form of contentious content for fans, such as Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's performance issues. Pokemon TCG Pocket is not immune to this either, as the game was criticized for introducing promo cards that can only be acquired within a certain time frame. Celestial Guardians' rarest cards are the two-star shiny critters, which are very difficult to get and are supposed to be exceptional pulls. However, in the case of one Kantonian Pokemon, this may not be the case for a lot of series fans.
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Pokemon TCG Pocket May Be Shooting Itself In The Foot With Shiny Gengar Ex
One of the two-star shiny cards in Pokemon TCG Pocket's new Celestial Guardians expansion is Gengar Ex from Genetic Apex, and while the card itself is good even if it fell off in terms of meta usage, Gengar's shiny color palette has always been problematic. Often considered a "fake" shiny due to how similar the shiny and regular versions are, many fans have historically expressed the desire for a new color palette for Gengar's shiny. This was further exacerbated with Gen 6, as Mega Gengar is white when the base form is shiny, calling for the regular shiny to also be white instead of a slightly darker shade of purple.
On top of that, there is a regular non-Ex shiny Gengar card in Celestial Guardians that shares the same problem.
The same happens with Pokemon TCG Pocket's Gengar Ex, which can be obtained as shiny with quite some luck, only for the shiny version to be extremely similar to the original. This can decrease the card's value in the eyes of players, and it is sparking new discussions about why Gengar's shiny should have a different color palette - even for newcomers to the series. At this point, it seems quite unlikely for The Pokemon Company to walk back this decision and make shiny Gengar white after all these years.
As such, be it in Pokemon TCG Pocket or mainline video games, shiny Gengar can be disappointing to all kinds of players, and this sentiment may not change if the critter's color palette stays the same. Shiny Pokemon have become all the rage in video games, so it would only make sense for the series to eventually do justice to Gengar. At the same time, changing Gengar's shiny so many years after its introduction may be met with mixed feelings from those who like the original and are nostalgic about it, versus those who would rather see a different color for it.
Why Pokemon TCG Pocket Should Avoid Controversial Shiny Cards
For now, Pokemon TCG Pocket's card collection is most likely remaining unaltered, but considering that not all players are happy with shiny Gengar Ex as a pull, it's possible that future sets will steer clear of controversial shinies. Unfortunately, the series has several shiny Pokemon whose color palettes are very reminiscent of the regular version, such as Articuno. Considering that Articuno Ex is a popular card from Genetic Apex, there is a chance it will get a shiny version further down the line, repeating the same cycle as Gengar Ex. This remains to be seen, and hopefully, shiny cards will be used for outstanding color palette changes in the future to maintain the feeling of getting one of the best possible pulls.
- Released
- October 30, 2024
- Developer(s)
- DeNA, Creatures Inc.
- Publisher(s)
- The Pokemon Company
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- Yes
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Digital Card Game
