Wo-Chien ex Special Illustration Rare may be the most exciting Secret Rare from the upcoming Pokémon TCG Japan set Snow Hazard.
The next two sets of the Scarlet & Violet era are arriving on April 14th in Japan. The two sets, Snow Hazard and Clay Burst, will largely focus on the Treasures of Ruin Legendary group from the region of Paldea introduced in Scarlet & Violet. In this expansion, all four Treasures of Ruin (Chien-Pao, Ting-Lu, Chi-Yu, and Wo-Chien) will receive Pokémon ex. This set follows Pokémon TCG Japan’s Scarlet ex and Violet ex and the subset Triplet Beat which were released in early 2023, kicking off the new Paldea-themed series block that will presumably run for the next three years. Snow Hazard and Clay Burst will merge with Triplet Beat as the basis for Scarlet & Violet – Paldea Evolved, the second English-language expansion set of the Generation Nine era, which will release on June 30, 2023. The Pokémon ex mechanic, the main mechanic of this new era, continues in Snow Hazard and Clay Burst, as does the layout of the Secret Rare section, which includes Illustration Rares, Special Illustration Rares, Full Art ex, Full Art Trainers, Special Illustration Rare Trainers, and Gold cards. Today, let’s take a look at a Special Illustration Rare featuring one of the Legendary Treasures of Ruin: Wo-Chien.
Wo-Chien ex gets a gorgeous Special Illustration Rare from artist takuyoa. This may be the coolest card I’ve seen revealed for this set so far due to both Wo-Chien’s design as well as the creepy setting, which uses a gorgeous, limited color palette to create a stunning image. Artist takuyoa has been contributing to the Pokémon TCG since Sword & Shield – Fusion Strike. They may be best known for Ultra Rares released during the Sword & Shield era, including Lumineon V from Brilliant Stars, Darkrai from Astral Radiance, and Mawile from Silver Tempest.
Japanese sets often give us early ideas of what the English-language sets may include, so be sure to keep an eye on our coverage. You can stay tuned for previews of Scarlet & Violet cards as well as updates on everything Pokémon TCG right here at Bleeding Cool.
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