I just got back into collecting and it was easy/cheap to pull together the McDonalds cards since there are only 50. Now I’m opening Eevee Heroes and like the fact that there are only 69 cards (+ more for secret rares) since it feels easier/achievable to actually get them all. I see Evolving Skies will have 200+ and it is so daunting I don’t even want to bother. Either I open so many boxes I have 100s of duplicates I don’t need or I have to just buy so many more singles. It just greatly prefer the smaller sets.
The last time I collected was just as a kid base set, jungle and fossil to get the original 151. It was nice that all three 3 sets were pretty small at ~100 for base and I think ~60s for the other two.
Definitely smaller sets. I’d be more open to larger sets if the cards in the sets were more inspired, but I don’t care about a V, full art V, and a rainbow V all with 5Ban illustration. I want Pokemon to go back to when Secret “Rares” were rare.
I prefer good sets – it doesn’t really matter to me how many cards are in a set. Expedition, Aquapolis, and Skyridge are ginormous and daunting sets, but all three are exceptional. Legend Maker and TMTA are, by contrast, tiny sets – yet they are also exceptional. I haven’t noticed any relationship between set size and my enjoyment of the set.
I feel more or less the same way as @zorloth , though I have to say I think the E-series sets are too big. I love them to death, but I’d perhaps love them a little bit more if the card list didn’t read like a fucking rolodex.
Buying cards to complete a set was the first time I found myself burning out in the hobby. I do appreciate the aspect of completion, but when I was buying a card I really didn’t want I had to stop myself and reexamine my collection goals. Now, I’ll thumb through a set and pick out the 3 or 4 cards I want to collect and move on.
That said, I’d prefer a smaller set like Jungle. No other sets come close.
A refinied smaller number is a decent move but not the be-all-end-all. Irrelevent question really, since either way I like my sets when they’re not shite.
Small sets for sure. Most of the really large sets feel very watered down to me and trying to complete them feels more stressful than enjoyable. My favorite sets are small promo sets like southern islands, 10th movie promos, or rumble promos.
Smaller sets for me and especially the smaller Japanese sets (or just the Japanese releases in general) as they are typically focused around a theme. Eevee Heroes being a good example, where in English the focus sort of disappears in Evolving Skies with such a large set.
I’ve only ever collected one full modern English set (Team Up) but have 15+ Japanese sets in binders, with Mythical & Legendary Dream Shine Collection, Legendary Shine Collection, PokéKyun, McDonalds 2002 promos and some of the Japanese half decks being my favourites - again because to me they are focused around a theme much more than the English counterparts or lack thereof.
if you only collect certain cards/ones that take your fancy it doesn’t really matter. Larger sets have more chance of having cards you want/like. If you don’t collect sets/master sets then any size will do(giggity).
I have to mention, Unseen Forces is one of the big sets where I just LOVE the vastness of it.
Scrolling through the card list on Serebii is like an adventure:
Great Holos, decent rares (minus baby poke claymation abominations), a giant slew of great uncommons and commons. Then, in true vintage fashion, a myriad of trainers (most of which look great as reverses). Then back to the juicy stuff, so many ridiculously gorgeous EX’s, perfect (though afflicted) Gold stars, the beautiful Persian secret box topper and, when you think it is all over, a secret rare that happens to be one of the best Celebi cards of all time followed by the most bad ass subset Pokemon has ever produced, the Unowns.
