Major Changes Coming to 'Fates Collide' Prereleases!
- Thread starter Water Pokémon Master
- Start date
I wonder if there will be another way to collect the pre-release cards. Around me there is only my local league that run pre-release, and at max we run two, if we have the numbers. I don't want to be travelling 50+ miles (as that's the next one) to get just a different card (and having to spend more just to get it)
However the "Evolution" Packs seem interesting. It depends if losing that one pack that could have an EX in outweighs what you get in it. At least we're getting more items as a whole
However the "Evolution" Packs seem interesting. It depends if losing that one pack that could have an EX in outweighs what you get in it. At least we're getting more items as a whole
But I want lots of exclusive stuff. 
hopefullyIm guessing in the "Evolution Packs" there will be some kind of staple cards. I predict there will be a 2-2 of octillery and a 3-2-1 of crobat, and maybe a 2-2 zoroark (im hoping). We could also get Vespiquen or other splashable cards. Hopefully some staple cards like sycamore and vs seeker to make the prerelease tournaments more competitive. There will probobly be some non-playable eveolutions in there. Also please gallade BKT/garchomp BKP be in the packs.
I'm honestly hoping certain kinds of things won't be in here. Especially Pokemon and Special Energy. I suppose some reasonably average/slightly below average Colorless Pokemon could work (say along the lines of KSS Furfrou, or Phantom Forces Diggersby.) But I'd honestly rather no Pokemon at all. That should really be up to your pulls, especially now that the Evolution Pack will probably more or less standardize peoples' trainer lines.
I should also point out that I would NOT expect particularly powerful Trainers like Sycamore, VS Seeker, Lysandre, etc. either. It's probably going to be more along the lines of minor consistency boosts like Trevor, Tierno or Skyla, along with a few very basic things like Potion, Switch or Energy Switch.
I should also point out that I would NOT expect particularly powerful Trainers like Sycamore, VS Seeker, Lysandre, etc. either. It's probably going to be more along the lines of minor consistency boosts like Trevor, Tierno or Skyla, along with a few very basic things like Potion, Switch or Energy Switch.
I'd also like to point out as far as I'm aware there's no mention that the cards in these sets are Standard Legal; so they could always print VS Seeker, Sycamore etc. but pull a worlds decks on them and not let us use them in events. Though as mentioned by others it is far more likely that we see less powerful cards printed here.
They'll be usable. (And it would be incredibly bad for them if they weren't, they would basically be burning money by printing cards that are worthless outside one event, which would also make people who are entering in part to get started with the Pokemon TCG very, very angry.) They probably just won't be the big chase cards. (And really, a card like Sycamore is rather unbalanced for a Sneak.)
The one curveball I could potentially see them throwing is making the cards in these packs of their original sets, and not a new set. This would allow them to, say, reprint cards from Expanded without allowing them into Standard. I don't know how difficult from a printing standpoint this is, but I guess they do manage it with the Battle Arena decks, so it's probably possible.
Either way, this change is probably for three reasons. To make it less likely someone loses due to not pulling any useful Trainer Cards, potentially making Sneaks more competitive and fair, to give newer players a start on their cardpool, and, if my speculation on keeping the set symbols is wrong (which it likely is), so they don't have to keep finding space to reprint things like Potion and Switch every few sets. They can just put the cards that keep showing up in Japanese decks in these instead of allocating mainset space.
The one curveball I could potentially see them throwing is making the cards in these packs of their original sets, and not a new set. This would allow them to, say, reprint cards from Expanded without allowing them into Standard. I don't know how difficult from a printing standpoint this is, but I guess they do manage it with the Battle Arena decks, so it's probably possible.
Either way, this change is probably for three reasons. To make it less likely someone loses due to not pulling any useful Trainer Cards, potentially making Sneaks more competitive and fair, to give newer players a start on their cardpool, and, if my speculation on keeping the set symbols is wrong (which it likely is), so they don't have to keep finding space to reprint things like Potion and Switch every few sets. They can just put the cards that keep showing up in Japanese decks in these instead of allocating mainset space.
I always skip the basic pre-release event and just play the Booster Draft they hold afterwards. The latter is cheaper, more competitive, and has prize support. They mix up, with votes, what the booster prize count will be. Sometimes we agree 1st place gets much more, other times we agree to a more gradual prizage based on placement. I have always come out of this with more packs per dollar than I would have with the basic event.
This news is interesting and much needed, but it still won't get me to participate in anything other than a booster draft during pre-release.
This news is interesting and much needed, but it still won't get me to participate in anything other than a booster draft during pre-release.
The game does need something like this. I mean in my area you'll get an ok turnout for Pre-releases, but the only reason for going to them is just to get the cards a week or two earlier. There's never really been an advantage or reason to go to pre-releases since I started playing last year. That being said, I'd love to see them bring a tournament back. Not saying the winner would get a booster box, but getting something for 3-4 rounds of battling other than the booster packs at the end that everyone else gets would bring more people and make the competition a little better. I mean this last pre-release I thought I had the crappiest 6 packs I've ever pulled, pulling 0 Ex's and 0 break's. That being said I managed to go 3-0, but as I said before, it didn't mean anything because you dont get anything different if you go 0-3 or 3-0. However, the benefit of the pre-releases I've attended is you see newer players to tournament play and just pokemon in general. I've given away so many cards at pre-releases to new players you'd think I went just to give things away. A change would be nice.
I think this is a very elegant way of handling a Prerelease. I hope the Evolution packs themselves are randomized so that you never know what you're going to get from *them* - i. e. you're getting staples, but you don't know exactly what.
Im guessing in the "Evolution Packs" there will be some kind of staple cards. I predict there will be a 2-2 of octillery and a 3-2-1 of crobat, and maybe a 2-2 zoroark (im hoping). We could also get Vespiquen or other splashable cards. Hopefully some staple cards like sycamore and vs seeker to make the prerelease tournaments more competitive. There will probobly be some non-playable eveolutions in there. Also please gallade BKT/garchomp BKP be in the packs.
LOL you know we'll probably all get stuff that's only okay for prerelease and not useful after.
My guess:
14 trainers
3x potion
3x Tierno
2x Pokemon Catcher
1x Switch
2x ultra ball
2x great ball
1x Professor's Letter
8 pokemon evolution line
4x basic
4x stage 1
OR
3x basic
3x stage 1
2x stage 2
I hope I'm wrong and we at least get a vs seeker and a muscle band.
This sounds like a really nice change, I was a big fan of the "seeded" packs from the MtG prereleases, and like RiverShock said, it sounds very similar to those. It made deckbuilding simpler, but it wasn't unbalancing the game too much because everyone had a similar advantage and structure with which to start from.
Now if only there were a game store that did Pokemon prereleases within 200 miles of me.
Now if only there were a game store that did Pokemon prereleases within 200 miles of me.
Well, I have a feeling PCL is going to be PCL and give us cards that they see as good, but won't be super worth it. We'll get Potions, Full Heals, Tiernos, Poké Balls, and stuff like that.
I mean, if they actually cared a lot about the competitive state of the game they wouldn't have added Pokémon-EX again.
I mean, if they actually cared a lot about the competitive state of the game they wouldn't have added Pokémon-EX again.
Man the TCG company is getting greedy, why won't they give us deck boxes and sleeves again? Seems better to wait for the elite trainer box then go to a pre-released... But I'll go to the Fates pre release as it will be my first pre release in 2 years (I stopped playing the tcg around BW Plasma sets)
I don't think it has been confirmed, but both the preleases in my city cost $35.
Pre-Release booster packs come with PTCGO cards because they're just regular booster packs. Promos do not. Since the "Evolution Packs" haven't actually been seen yet no one knows for sure what they'll entail, but it's unlikely that they'll come with codes.
