Is there a pattern with sets and the release of ex's, primes, etc?

kfitch06

kfitch06

You want a piece of me?
Member
I'm a bit thrown off. We haven't gotten any in either B&W set, and apparently won't the next either. Do they wait until the fourth set of a series to start them? Is there no rhyme or reason?
 
Well they don't really have a set standard. At first, there weren't any secret rares. Then they came up with "shinings" and other similar stuff. Then they started ex's at the beginning of the ex run but didn't start star for awhile. LV.X was right away. So were primes and legends, but they changed the legends after the first two. Now they did full arts and soon they'll do EXs. They just publish ideas as they come up with them I guess =X Clearly they've been in a bit of a rut lately, between primes and full arts and then reprinting the ex mechanic.
 
You seem to not be a fan of many things when it comes to the BW-era of TCG...

Era list and what was introduced prodiminantly in those eras:
PMCG-Era = White Mark Rares/Triple Star Rares (Promo)
Neo = Shining
e-Era = Crystal
ADV-era = ex
PCG-era = Star (ex was run in tandem but Star cards were introduced in PCG, this pattern repeats in reverse in BW)
DP-era = Lv.X
DPt-era = (no name) UR Shiny + UR Reprints
LEGEND-era = Great/Prime + LEGEND
BW-era = SR Full Art + UR Special Print + EX

Essentially you can expect each new era from late Neo onwards to introduce SOMETHING to the game, be it both mechanically as well as/or aesthetically. Creatures cater as best they can to both players and collectors, which is why we see such cards, but recently with ex, Lv.X, Great, Legend and EX we see them catering to power creep and playability as well as aesthetics. 9/10 it happens with an Era change, this recent change in pattern is like Neo where they bought in a mechanic at the end of the Era.
 
I actually rather like the FAs as a theory. The cards are "ultra rare" (2 per box) and really cool looking, but on the flip side they're reprints of regular rare cards, so if/when they're useful for competitive play, players don't NEED the ultra rares to have a good deck, and therefore the prices don't skyrocket. Yanmega Prime is retailing for $50 at TNT; Magnezone Prime was going for the same price only a couple months ago. I remember looking at the prices for some of the best cards in the last rotation (when I was first getting into the game again) and wincing. I guess I just like the idea of URs that can be good for competitive play, but won't break players banks to make a decent deck either.
 
That's why I'm hoping the new EX cards stay as rare cards when they come across to the US, just for that reason. It's a double edged sword too, as collectors looking to finish a set might be stuck paying an extraordinary rate just because it's a good card in play.
 
The thing I dislike about super rare "patterns" is that they always start out reasonably with six or fewer cards (in the English sets, ex/Prime - 6; Legend - 4; FA - 2; LV. X - 3), but eventually the later sets of a Generation have like a dozen or more super rares. >_>
 
That's usually a problem with the English side of things, especially since the ratio never seems to get adjusted for such drastic numbers. I dread how TPCi will handle the FA run from Red Collection...
 
Yeah, I've already braced myself to the fact that I'll most likely get two out of the FIVE full arts in my Noble Victories box, and have to buy the rest (as well as Meowth) online. Blargh. :/

Seeing that EX cards have regular and Full Art varieties already has me fearing February's set, too.
 
As much as I'd love the EXes to have the same rarity as a holo rare, I'm thinking they'll probably be about the level of rarity as the Prime cards, leaving the FAs to be the ultra rares. I guess I'll have to say goodbye to getting a full set in my booster boxes again.
 
Regular EX cards having the same rarity as Primes would be reasonable. I am hoping that's how they handle them in the English sets.

But unless they split up some of the ones in HB/PD, we'd be looking at six FA EX cards most likely at Legend/FA rarity... *sigh* I agree, it was so nice having only two super rares (plus Pikachu) in the first two BW sets, it's practically spoiled us compared to what's coming next, lol.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top