With the launch of Stellar Crown and the introduction of Terapogos to the Pokemon TCG later this month, we will soon have the full roster of Scarlet & Violet era Pokemon. Over the last two years the card game has worked its way through Paldea with themes mirroring the video games, and with this Indigo Disk-themed set, we’re coming to the end of that journey. As expected, Stellar Crown brings an evolution to this era’s ex mechanic, not unlike the Tag Team GX cards from Sun & Moon or the V-Union cards from Swor🔜d & Shield - both introduced lat꧑e into their respective generations.
Thankfully, Stellar Crown’s new mechanic - known as Stellar Tera Pokemon ex - are not simply three-prize card Pokemon with higher stats. Rather, they’re a special kind of Tera-type that require th𓂃ree different energy cards to unleash their strongest attacks, while remaining at two-prize cards like all other ex Pokemon.
It’s a trade-off of complexity for power, which will hopefully create the opportunity for more interesting and diverse deck building. Wordy name withstanding🔯, Stellar Tera Pokemon ex are a solid enough addition to the TCG to earn Stellar Crown a seal of approval from me, but there’s even more to love about this expansion once you start digging into it.
Releasing just five weeks after Shrouded Fable, the mercifully small set (at least by Pokemon standards) features 175 new cards, inc꧂luding eight ex, three Ace Spec, 13 Illustration Rares, 11 Full Art, six Special Illustration Rares, 3 Hyper Rare Golds, and four of the brand new Stellar Tera Pokemon ex cards. Among those are several standouts, including a must-have IR Zeraora by Kazumasa Yasukuni, new Squirtle and Bulbasaur Illustration Rares by Orco and Saboteri, respectively, and Special Illustration Rare Daschbun ex by Yuu Nishida that might be the cutest Pokemon card I’ve ever seen.
You probably noticed there that I mentioned Bulbasaur and Squirt𒊎le, but not Charmander. While I give Stellar Crown a lot of credit for avoiding falling into familiar patterns, there are still some recognizable choices here that make the set feel somewhat tired. There’s a flashy new mechanic in Stellar Pokemon, which is a new type of card to collect and play, but the Pokemon they choose to represent that new mechanic are Terapagos, Cinderace, Lapras, and Galvantula. We’ve seen this kind of slow roll before, and we already know that November’s set, Surging Sparks, will introduce a Pikachu Stellar Tera type.
We know how this will likely play out. The following set will feature the Paldean starters as Stellar Tera Pokemon ex, followed by a set built around a collection of Stellar Charizard cards. With decades of expansions, Pokemon’s biggest challenge is overcoming predictability. I know trading on the equity of popular characters like Pikachu and Charizard is how Pokemon became Pokemon, but when you can see every move coming, it's hard to be surprised.
In terms of design, I’m a big fan of Stellཧar Tera Pokemon ex. The rainbow border around these ex cards gives a welcome nod to the old Rainbow rare cards, which is still Scarlet & Violet’s biggest sacrifice and the thing I miss the most about older generations of the game. Stellar Pokemon are visually anജd mechanically unique without requiring a new rule box like Radiant Pokemon. Anything that adds variety and increased collectibility without adding more complexity is a win for me.
Looking ahead, we’ve got a sequel set in Surging Sparks this November, likely followed by a Shiny-themed special collection set early next year. After that, the rest of the Scarlet & Violet era will largely be defined by whatever Pokemon Legends: Z-A brings to the franchise, so while we likely have another year of the Scarlet & Violet branding, Stellar Crown is really the beginning of the end for this generation. I’m excited to see what players do with these new Stellar Pokemon (and even more excited to adꦯd some new rainbow cards to my collection) but I’m even more excited to see what’s next.
- Franchise
- Pokemon
- Original Release Date
- Octoberဣ 20, 1996
- Player Count
- 2
- Age Recommendation
- 6+
- Length per Game
- Variable
- Franchise Name
- Pokemon
Collected b﷽y children and adul🤪ts alike for more than two decades, the Pokemon TCG contains thousands of cards of your favorite Pokemon, trainers, and more.
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