Summary
According to a new rumor, Dark Pokemon could be coming back to thePokemon Trading Card Gameafter over 20 years in an upcoming set. These corrupted variants were introduced to thePokemon TCGback in 1997 in Japan and 2000 in other countries like the United States as part of the originalTeam Rocketexpansion. Representing Pokemon that were raised improperly by the titular organization, these Dark variants usually had attacks with higher damage levels at the price of lower HP.
While the first wave of Dark Pokemon cards were simple variants of existing Pokemon, laterPokemon TCGexpansions would introduce Dark Pokemon thatcarried the Darkness elemental typein addition to their usual element. However, Dark Pokemon cards were seemingly phased out following the 2004EX Team Rocket Returnsexpansion, save for a special-edition Dark Sylveon V card that was released as a SWSH Black Star Promo item in 2021.
Now it appears that Dark Pokemon could make their long-awaited comeback in a futurePokemon TCGexpansion, at least according to a new rumor from Jon Sahagian at thePokemon TCGnews websitePokeBeach. According to this report, The Pokemon Company recently filed a trademark in Japan for “The Glory of Team Rocket,” which matches some previous trademarks forPokemon TCGsets. While there isn’t much else to go on at the moment, thereference to Team Rockethas some fans speculating that Dark Pokemon could be featured in the set when it releases sometime next year.
Dark Pokemon Could Be Returning To Pokemon TCG
Jon Sahagian mentioned another Japanese trademark with possible ties to thePokemon TCG: “Terastal Festival,” which they believe to be the name of Japan’s annual High Class Pack set that might launch at some point in December. It bears repeating that these claims are all speculation as of this writing, but the timing of these patent filings lines up with how thePokemon TCGtends to introduce new battle mechanics or gimmicks during thesummer’s Pokemon World Championship events.
Should these rumors prove to be accurate, then fans could see the return of Dark Pokemon to thePokemon TCGnext year. In the meantime, thePokemon TCGrecently releasedTwilight Masquerade, the latest set inspired byPokemon Scarlet and Violet, and along with it a card based on Ogerpon from last year’sThe Teal MaskDLC. August 2 will see thelaunch ofShrouded Fable, another Kitikami region-based set that contains Pecharunt from December’sPokemon Scarlet and Violet: The Indigo Diskexpansion.
Pokemon TCG
Pokemon TCG (Trading Card Game) is a collectible and strategy based card game based on Nintendo’s Pokemon franchise. Two players face off against one another, battling one Pokemon at a time and attempting to knock them out to claim one of six prize cards. The cards have also become highly collectible with some in particular selling for thousands of dollars.
