‘Phantom Forces’ Officially Announced, New Set Details Revealed

Pokemon has officially revealed Phantom Forces for the first time, showing off plenty of new details we don’t even know about the Japanese set yet and revealing English images of Gengar-EX, M Gengar-EX, and Gengar Spirit Link. The set will be released in stores November 5th.

Malamar-EX and Florges-EX will be joining Gengar-EX, Manectric-EX, Dialga-EX, and Aegislash-EX in this set. Also announced for the first time is a new “Full Metal” Dialga-EX which features etched artwork and a solid “metal” color. The set will feature seven Pokemon-EX cards, four full art Pokemon-EX, and of course M Gengar-EX and M Manectric-EX.

New Pokemon cards have also been confirmed through the set’s theme deck descriptions: Venomoth, Yanmega, Pyroar, Loudred, Galvantula, Heliolisk, Kingler, Feraligatr (!), Frillish, and Jellicent. As we already knew previously, Diancie will also be in the set.

In terms of Trainers, there will be seven Team Flare Trainer cards and two special “Team Flare Hyper Gear” Pokemon Tool cards that can be attached to your opponent’s Pokemon to hinder them (we already knew about one). Some of them will feature Team Flare members like Lysandre and Xerosic.

Additionally, a new “Gengar Spirit Link 2-Pack” will be exclusively hitting Gamestop’s store shelves on October 13th. The blister pack will feature two Furious Fists booster packs and the Gengar Spirit Link card from the upcoming set.

The names and descriptions of the Phantom Forces theme decks have also been revealed, naming the Pokemon to be featured in the decks and vague details about what they do:

Burning Winds: Carry a fiery storm under your wings with the Burning Winds theme deck! Let Talonflame light up the sky with Jet Shoot, while Venomoth stirs up a Dizzying Wind to keep a foe guessing—and with Yanmega’s Windfall to refill your hand, you can fly the unfriendly skies with ease. Add in Pyroar’s Flare Command and Loudred’s Energy Press to turn your opponent’s resources in your favor, and total air superiority could be yours!

Bolt Twister: Lightning and water make a dangerous combination—for your opponents! Galvantula can spin a bright Electroweb, while Heliolisk powers up its Parabolic Spark. At the same time, Kingler can drop the big Crabhammer, and Feraligatr’s Hyper Whirlpool is ready to pull the foe under. To maximize your odds, Frillish and Jellicent confuse and befuddle opposing Pokémon—sometimes the path to victory takes a few twists and turns, and sometimes you can bolt to the top!