Okay, so we are 8 expansions deep already into the Scarlet and Violet era of Pokémon and there seems to be no slowing down! So with the summer release Shrouded Fable approaching in August, let's just take a breath and look back at the past 8 releases to rank them!
8. Scarlet & Violet Twilight Masquerade
Out of 8 sets so far it would seem the latest one would land in 8th place - not because it's 'the worst set' but in comparison to the other 7 Twilight Masquerade can't quite compete for that top spot!
So Scarlet and Violet Twilight Masquerade released on the 24th of May and contains over 160 cards. Being a main set release you would find all the usual products in the line up like an Elite Trainer Box, Booster Boxes, Blisters and more themed around the new legendary Pokémon 'Ogerpon' who is able to change up type using a mask.
Now, not that this is an issue of course but there are 14 different Ogerpon cards in this set including Ex's, Special Illustration Rares and even a hyper rare gold card. This set is made for the players for sure. Introducing tones of new TCG mechanics and powerful cards like new ACE SPEC cards and special Pokémon abilities, you have to appreciate the effort The Pokémon Company has made to make this set enjoyable to play with.
Looking at the top end of this set and ultimately how investable it is, we really have only a small handful of cards which cut the mustard. Carmine, Greninja ex, Bloodmoon Ursaluna and the gold Buddy Buddy Poffin cards have landed as the top cards to pull in Twilight Masquerade. If we look back at previous sets the ones with Trainer Cards at the top (unless they are absolutely exceptional) tend to not preform as well as sets with Pokémon as their top pull.
That being said, we are going to put Twilgiht Masquerade in C tier to get the ball rolling. I think we are far enough into Scarlet and Violet to have an understanding of where this set should land in comparison to the rest!
7. Scarlet & Violet Obsidian Flames
A new era of Pokémon wouldn't be complete without a Charizard set! If you want to get your hands on some stunning Charizard cards, then this is the expansion for you. Obsidian Flames is the definitive fire type expansion of the modern era, containing 4 Charizards, 3 of which being at the very top end including a Full Art, Special Illustration Rare and Hyper Rare Gold Card.
We've made a list of the most expensive cards you can pull from Obsidian Flames, so be sure to take a look yourself!
Obsidian Flames is great set, however its illustration rares maybe needed a bit more 'oomf' to compete with the other great expansions in this list. What makes this set 'great' are the Charizards inside (and that Ninetales illustration rare) but besides that the set is fairly flat. C tier.
6. Scarlet & Violet Base Set
Our 7th set on the list is Scarlet and Violet Base. This expansion was the first set to kick off the Scarlet and Violet era of cards introducing us to illustration rares and special illustration rares. There were so many new Pokémon released with this set to compliment the new Scarlet and Violet video game like Koraidon and Miriadon.
Scarlet and Violet came out hot on the heels of arguably one of the most popular and greatest Pokémon eras we have ever had. Sword and Shield took the Pokémon TCG to new heights with its alternate art cards and trainer gallery, massively increasing the popularity of the set by bringing in new fans and a lot of collectors and investors. If Evolving Skies was anything to go by, the communities perception of Pokémon has a massive impact on whats popular and whats not.
So Scarlet and Violet had some very big boots to fill! Although there was a lot of hype surrounding the new expansion, it is unfortunately out shined slightly by other expansions within the S&V era. Still an incredible set and defiantly worth picking some up for investment in the future. B Tier set.
5. Scarlet & Violet Paradox Rift
Now we are moving along the timeline, Paradox Rift makes it to rank 5 on our list. This set introduced a ton of new cards including a new ancient and future mechanic which looked awesome on the cards it was featured on. Paradox Rift also had a few really nice chase cards not only at the very top like the Roaring Moon ex Special Illustration Rare 251/182, but we had Iron Valiant ex in contrast, Garchomp ex and the special art trainers, Parasol Lady, Professor Turo's Scenario, Mela and Tulip are absolutely stunning pieces of art and have held their value over time. Even heading further down throughout Paradox Rift's huge card list we get illustration rares of Steelix and even Groudon, which are fantastic cards and will defiantly be worth something in the future.
Scarlet and Violet Paradox rift ranks higher as the depth of this set is much broader that before it. There is much more scope and value from its long list of cards is fantastic, even including Pokémon from older generations which really serves long term TCG fans well. Although we've showered this set with praise, it does however just feel like its missing something amazing to really set it apart and bump it up another tier. Perhaps the top chase could have been a little bit stronger... High B tier set!
Be sure to check out Booster Boxes of Paradox Rift and Elite Trainer Boxes containing some really nice special illustration rares inside!
4. Scarlet & Violet Paldean Fates
The second holiday set of the Scarlet and Violet era Paldean Fates was a fantastic expansion. First of all, the pull rates were really good, making this a really fun expansion to open. Secondly, Paldean Fates had 3 of the best chase cards in any expansion from the Scarlet and Violet era so far, Mew ex, Gardevoir ex and Charizard ex.
The Charizard Special Illustration Rare from this set must be one of the most stunning Charizard cards we have ever seen, featuring a fiery red crystallised appearance in keeping with it's Tera form.
Paldean Fates also gave us a huge range of products of pick from like Collection tins containing a promotional card, Mini Tins, Elite trainer boxes and more, all containing some really nice special art cards. Packs of Paldean Fates were only available inside products making it hard to get hold of until the 6 pack booster bundles arrived a couple weeks after release! We're putting Paldean Fates in A tier for now!
3. Scarlet & Violet Temporal Forces
Temporal Forces saw us revert back to the older format for pull rates making it had to get your hands on those top cards. Temporal Forces was very nearly at the top of our list, however it just missed out for reasons which we will discuss.
So this main set released saw the introduction of brand new Paradox Pokémon including Raging Bolt, Walking Wake, Gouging Fire and Iron Crown, each of which had received some of the most exciting and gorgeous Special Illustration Rare cards in the Scarlet and Violet era. Gouging Fire ex was our absolute favourite and of course it had to be the only on we have pulled so far!
This set was phenomenal, the artworks inside were stunning throughout the whole set and the popular cards have really held their value over time. However it did feel like this set could have catered a little more to long term fans as with so many new Pokémon introduced, the older Pokémon just felt a little forgotten. Temporal Forces is still an A tier set!
2. Scarlet & Violet Paldea Evolved
Number 2 and the top main set release during Scarlet and Violet era is Paldea Evolved. Now this is absolutely one of the best, a mammoth set containing over 200 cards an so much variety within. A huge amount of top tier special illustration rare cards like the Iono, Magikarp and Tyranitar, Paldea Evolved was a very good follow up to Scarlet and Violet Base.
There were very few short comings to this set. The only thing to look out for would be a re-printing of Paldea Evolved. We predict possibly for winter 2024 it might cop a re-print which will drive the pack and booster box price down, however the initial print run wasn't the best causing a lot of mis-cut cards and poor quality control issues to arrive with this set. That being said, re-printing will most likely improve the quality of these cards and cement Paldea Evolved as one of the best expansions in the Scarlet and Violet era. S Tier.
1. Scarlet & Violet 151
The number 1 spot can be held by none other than Scarlet and Violet 151. This was Pokémons best selling set in the Scarlet and Violet era and with good reason. A full reprinting of the first ever Pokémon release containing all 151 original Pokémon in new and modern updated artworks made this set a huge success amongst Pokémon fans new and old.
Being another holiday release, 151 sold its Booster Packs within products like the Zapdos Ex colleciton and the Ultra Premium Collection featuring some awesome promotional artworks of Mew and Mewtwo. (we have these available as sealed singles so you don't have to miss out!)
Pokémon 151 had very high demand and still does to this day which has driven the price of it up significantly overtime. If you ever see any going cheap make sure you get a hold of some because this set is definitely worth it! S Tier.
Final Thoughts On The Scarlet and Violet Era So Far...
In conclusion, Scarlet and Violet has had its ups and downs. We have had some truly stunning new sets like Paldea Evolved. Scarlet and Violet was always going to have some big boots to fill and so far we would say that Pokémon have done a pretty good job of filling those boots. The main draw to take from Scarlet and Violet era are the illustration artworks - because there are a truck load, heaps more than before! With this huge increase in art rare cards and a platform which gives Pokémon to flex their artists muscles creating some of the most stunning Pokémon arts we have ever seen, Scarlet and Violet has raised the bar when it comes to card collecting.
We could sing our praises all day about the Scarlet and Violet era of Pokémon, however there are obviously some downsides too. Number one being how many new expansions we are getting. It's almost too many, there is barely any breathing room between expansions which in our opinion doesn't give fans enough time to digest and appreciate the now, we are always clamouring for that next set and with only a couple months break in-between each set, there isn't much incentive for players to pick up the current expansion if they know the next set is really what they want.
Besides this is quality control. With Pokémon producing a staggering 9.3 Pokémon cards globally in 2023, it's very easy for poor quality print, cut and finished cards to be produced which is what we have seen with some earlier Scarlet and Violet sets like the Base set and Paldea Evolved. We have seen a decline in PSA grading submissions and if we look at the data, if more cards were being produced and more cards in circulation, there should be an increase of cards being submitted. However people will only submit if they think the card is good enough to get rated a 10 and if it isn't then really there isn't too much point in submitting due to the cost and risk of not getting a 10.
With that being said, these are only minor hiccups in the long road of Pokémon, Scarlet and Violet era is among some of the best and we are really looking forward to what Pokémon has coming for us in the future!
