“Battle Partners” Set to Release in Japan in January, Return of Owner’s Pokemon!

A new set named Battle Partners has been revealed through distributor listings! It will release in Japan on January 24th.

The set’s card sleeve and deck box will feature Iono. Releasing alongside the set will also be a “Collection File N” and “Collection File Lillie.”

As the name implies, Battle Partners will feature notable Pokemon Trainers alongside their Pokemon.

But here’s where it gets interesting!

On February 21st, two new preconstructed decks will release named “Starter Set ex Steven’s Beldum & Metagross ex” and “Starter Set ex Marnie’s Morpeko & Grimmsnarl ex.” This seems to indicate the return of Owner’s Pokemon!

Owner’s Pokemon have appeared in the TCG in different forms over the years, both mechanically and visually:

The Glory of Team Rocket has not yet been revealed through distributor listings, which means it will come out after Battle Partners. Judging by today’s news, could we see the return of Rocket’s Pokemon in that set?

Update: An earlier version of this story said, “It appears the [owner’s] cards may feature multiple Pokemon like TAG TEAM cards. This could be indicated by the & in their names.” However, we’ve been reminded past decks have used “&” to denote two Pokemon cards, thereby rendering that speculation moot.

Update #2 (7/30): The set name has now been revealed through trademark listings: