As a kid, I loved base set 2. I love the swirls and the pack art was sweet too.
As an adult, I am very nostalgic for Sword and Shield era sets. I love all the cards from that era. The rainbows, secrets, Vs, Vmaxes, all of it. I realize that era was about 8 seconds ago, but I still feel very close to it because it was the era where I got back into the hobby.
For those who got back into collecting later as an adult, are you nostalgic toward any of those sets? If so which ones and why! I’d love to know
Evolutions/CP6 not only for the cards, but the moment. The 20th anniversary was a special time, it felt the closest to the original 90s craze. I remember Pokemon made a cute retro style page for the release, its still active here. That set got a lot of people back into collecting. I miss that era, it was a sweet spot!
Slightly niche (and not technically “modern”) but I have a lot of fond memories opening Dragon Vault, the first set that was released with dragon type in the TCG. All the cards in the set were holographic and there are <30 cards in the total set. Good times!
Brilliant Stars. I got back into collecting early 2020 and I stuck with base jungle fossil because at first that’s all I knew. I tried a bunch of random modern packs and pulled nothing but junk. At the time I thought a star symbol with a holo meant that’s the hit so I thought modern sets were just complete garbage. Then a guy at a shop explained to me that regular holos were BS these days and showed me the charizard v alt art. I opened cases of brilliant stars before I realized what the odds of pulling it were. I eventually gave up but I still have a case of brilliant stars left and it always taunts me.
I have a weird nostalgia for PkMn… As I have collected more and more, I realize I’m often NOT nostalgic for the cards in hand and binder, but rather the cards in the pack… Unknown… mysterious… Maybe that’s an addictive side of me coming out, but when I look at my artist or few set collections, I’m nostalgic for base, and rocket… but that’s it really. My first cards we JP Gym, but IDCare much for those (tho I’m completing that collection soon).
What I most get a nostalgic awe from is my packaging collection. All opened. Holding a team rocket pack with cards in it, or a neo 1 (JP), or a neo disco. Ex Dragon is VERY nostalgic packaging for me… And specifically the City Gym decks in JP. I still have a few closed but unsealed, and the smell of those boxes takes me immediately back to 1999…
Maybe my nostalgia is largely linked to having the thing that I never could have, and once I have it, I’m satisfied for a while… It’s not the cards in the set that are nostalgic, but the packaging that held them… Seeing it all behind the counter… Out of reach in the store.
Not enough love for the Gen 3 era cards, period. EX Deoxys is probably one of the most nostalgic sets for me, and I recall getting some in my stocking at Christmas! Never did actually pull an ex though…
I think the thing which makes them the most nostalgic for me isn’t even the gold stars or the ex-es though. For me, it’s the stamped reverse holos. I’ve been slowly recollecting them over time, but apparently not fast enough as they’ve begun to gain some popularity! They just went so hard with the (reverse)holo patterns at the time and really experimented with several sets! Super cool.
Southern Island Collection always stuck in my head because not only was it gorgeous and one of the first times I ever saw connected artwork between cards, but this uppity “friend” of mine got one at the time and paraded it around only to treat it like a ten year old receipt. I recently picked up a complete set absolutely stuffed with swirls that puts his to shame and younger me approves very heartily.
Outside of that jewel in the collection, Base Set, Neo Genesis/Destiny, and EX Team Magma Vs Team Aqua will always have a huge place in my heart
I’m really nostalgic for Genwun, of course. But the Neo Sets are something I have always just been drawn to. One of the most cohesive themes they have done; up there with Team Up
Same here man! The reason I’m even typing this post is because I was bored wandering around Target in 2019 and saw a big display for the SWSH games, thought “man I haven’t played pokemon in years, I’ll give it a shot” and the rest is history as they say.
Came back into the hobby about a month after Vivid Voltage released, and while it’s not a great set, I will always have deep nostalgia chasing the Rainbow Pikachu.
