A release date has come out for Pokemon Silver Tempest. This is the latest expansion for the Pokemon TCG, featuring both new cards as well as "shifted" cards from earlier Japanese sets. This announcements coincides with some additional optional rules for the game, potentially bringing in new players to this hobby.
When Is Pokemon Silver Tempest Coming?
According to a post by PokeBeach, we know the following information about Pokemon Silver Tempest. First, it will have a prerelease October 26 through November 6th with an official full release coming November 11. As for what the set will contain, the post does speculate about its content. Because of the set's title, it can be inferred that the set will contain cards from the Japanese releases Incandescent Arcana and Paradigm Trigger. In addition, the set will most likely include cards that were cut from the last released set, Lost Origin. The reason for this is that key cards in those set include silver-colored Pokemon like Radiant Jirachi, Alolan Vulpix, and Lugia, as well as references to snow and ice. There is currently no information about how much the set's boosters will cost.
What Else Was Announced With Pokemon Silver Tempest?
The release date for Pokemon Silver Tempest wasn't the only new TCG info PokeBeach provided. In a separate post, they confirmed that The Pokemon Company International have released an Alternative Play Handbook for the Pokemon Trading Card Game.
These are not official formats for sanctioned tournament play, but are meant to be entertaining alternate uses of Pokemon cards. Each of these formats are broken up into three different difficulty levels. At the Beginner Level there is Poke Catch, where two players race to catch three Pokemon cards by attaching energy cards to them. For those who wish to help slowly bring new players into the complexity of the Pokemon TCG, there is also Multi-Experience (Grow & Go), where players play with 20 card decks and attempt to win 2 prize cards instead of 6. For Intermediate Level players, there is the Pack Battle format where two players just need a single booster pack of cards to play a similarly short game.
Finally, there are Advanced Level formats. The biggest one is Raid Battle, a cooperative mode where up to four players work together to take down a Raid Pokemon. This format does come with some fundamental changes to the game. First and foremost, multiple supporter cards can be played in the same turn; one from each player. In addition, the Raid Pokemon's health isn't determined by its HP, but how many cards sent to the lost zone once all damage has been tallied up.
Considering that The Pokemon Company's recent TCG products have included connections to their ARG mobile game, Pokemon Go, as well as new trick-or-treat delights for Halloween, the idea of bringing different ways to play does hold a certain appeal.
