The next English Pokemon TCG expansion set is the eagerly awaited Shrouded Fable – and card reveal season has officially started, thanks to intriguing posts from the official Pokemon TCG X account.
Paying homage to the notorious evolution method for Inkay, @PokemonTCG first showcased a card revealing the Revolving Pokemon from Shrouded Fable, then an inverted Malamar card in a later post, much to the delight of fans in the replies.
If you’re unfamiliar, Inkay was introduced in Gen 6 of Pokemon with X & Y and required players to flip their console upside down once it hit level 30 in order to evolve. It’s pretty simple when you know how to do it, but accidentally coming across it in practice was nearly impossible.
🙃 https://t.co/Xx2lcbO7kr pic.twitter.com/1pep8WEw1Q
— Pokémon TCG (@PokemonTCG) June 25, 2024
Pokemon fans were incredibly happy to see the evolution method being memed by the official TCG account, with some taking the time to explain it to unfamiliar fans.
One Pokemon TCG collector praised the person who came up with the post idea by saying, “This account truly stays winning”.
Another chimed in with their thoughts on how The Pokemon Company should’ve implemented the dizzying evolution method alongside Special Conditions by saying, “We really missed out on the opportunity to automatically evolve Inkay when it gets Confused.”
In terms of the cards themselves, it’s a promising start to the Shrouded Fable reveal season. While the Inkay and Malamar cards aren’t fancy full arts or Hyper Rares, they do hold some potential from the perspective of a competitive player.
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Inkay has a fairly standard HP pool and 10 damage Attack with Peck, but what stands out on this Basic card is the Attack Mischievous Tentacles. It allows the user to look at the top card of their opponent’s deck and decide whether the opponent has to shuffle their deck – which is hugely disruptive.
Malamar holds plenty of potential, too, offering some Attacks that feel more suitable for a Stage 2 Pokemon instead of a Stage 1. Alongside a decent HP pool, Malamar has access to a 90 damage Attack. It’s a little expensive but still punchy.
The star of the show is the Colluding Tentacles Attack. It’s very situational – requiring the Xerosic’s Machinations card to be played – but can provide a lot of utility. It lets the player switch an opponent’s Benched ‘mon to the Active spot, dealing 120 damage if the Xerosic card has been played during the same turn.
These cards look incredibly promising, pointing to a competitively viable expansion set. Shrouded Fable is looking unmissable for Pokemon TCG players so far, and it should prove valuable for art collectors too, especially thanks to the new Illustration Collections.
For now, make sure to check out our full Shrouded Fable expansion set hub to keep yourself in the loop with the new cards, products, and important release date information.