The Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) will receive a themed set and new card art in the summer of 2022, according to a new teaser. In the summer of 2016, Pokémon GO celebrated its five-year anniversary with in-person and virtual events that drew in both new and seasoned players alike. During the Pokémon GO Fest 2021, players managed to capture 1.5 billion Pokémon, demonstrating the game’s enduring appeal.
Many big-box shops have been forced to limit or even ban card sales owing to customer frenzy due to the Pokémon TCG’s own success in recent years. Pokémon trading cards were taken off the shelves at Target to protect both employees and customers. The free-to-play mobile game Pokémon GO exists as its own entity within the Pokémon Expanded Universe despite its simultaneous popularity with the Pokémon Trading Card Game. The 25th anniversary of the Pokémon series was marked by the release of a Pokémon GO Professor Willow card in Summer 2021, which could be found at places that sold the Pokémon TCG.
Promo Trainer card was a Supporter that allowed players to discard their hands to draw seven new cards. Professor Willow’s appearance in the Pokémon TCG was billed as the start of cooperation, but no additional details about how Pokémon GO will be linked to the TCG were revealed at the time of the promo’s release. An official trailer for the Summer 2022 release of the Pokémon GO x Pokémon TCG expansion was released on the Pokémon YouTube account (via GameSpot).
A preview of the expansion’s box was shown in a six-second video, but no individual cards were mentioned. In addition to Mewtwo, Pikachu, and Professor Willow, each figure on the booster pack’s cover included a piece of artwork inspired by Pokémon GO. A picture of PokeStop/Gym from the smartphone game is also shown to tease cards based on Pokémon Go’s locations of interest. The new Sword & Shield – Brilliant Stars set is coming to the Pokémon TCG on February 25, 2022, which takes the prefix of the iconic video game series.
The Pokémon TCG has made a practice of using Pokémon’s various video game adaptations in its sets. The Pokémon TCG expansion set for Pokémon GO is anticipated to fulfil the same role as previous collaborations between Pokémon’s video games and the collectable card game. The current purchasing frenzy in Pokémon TCG and the sustained success of the mobile game suggest that combining the two might have a good impact on both. The teaser for the upcoming Pokémon GO x Pokémon TCG expansion teased new card art and possible cards that would be released this summer, but nothing more is known about the expansion. Incorporating Pokémon GO’s Poke Stops and Gyms into the Pokémon TCG might offer new dynamics to the game.