*Chinese
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simplified or traditional?
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Ha I can’t zoom in far enough but seems like Simplified Gem Pack
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I’m so glad you liked everything. I did my best to try to find things that matched your Slow family collection that you might not have had.
Also funny story about the packs. So I was in Frys and I always check the pokemon vending machine anytime I’m in the store but for nearly a year it has been out of stock every time. I think the universe decided to aline because the weekend after the Secret Santa pairings went out it was finally in stock. So you are the lucky recipient of my first ever TCG packs directly from TCPI. I’m glad you were able to get some good hits.
Merry Christmas!
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Good catch, thank you!
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I got the package today… and, well, uhh since I’ll be busy with family on Christmas I, you know, just had to open it now. Really, I had no choice 
.
Now, hold on… this is a long post due to the generosity of my Secret Santa!
First, let’s start off with these slabs. The 151 Korean full art trio looks amazing - and these are my first BRG slabs! I am honored that I can now do my part to fight against 
dominance 
. But I genuinely really do get a kick out of seeing different holders and grading companies, so I really like these. Then, of course, the Metamong Ditto promo - wow, that’s all I can say - this would have been an amazing gift by itself. I enjoy a good stamped promo and this is one that makes me smile (who can resist a derpy ditto face?). I also mentioned in my Secret Santa message that I’ve started to collect Magikarp card arts, and so this Magikarp cameo 100% counts towards that goal and is highly appreciated.
Next, in the above picture are three OG base set 1st edition Korean cards! Like many others, base set was my childhood set, so this was amazing to see. These will be my very first non-Japanese/English base set cards! (And what a nice deep blue saturation on the squirtle too)
We also have a Mega Gym promo (opening pics at the end of this post!) and a bunch of stunning Korean Ace Spec trainer cards (awesome holo pattern on these). I don’t know if my Secret Santa knew, but I have a soft spot for trainer cards (esp. the more unusual ones!) so this was lots of fun. I may need to start a new binder devoted to trainer cards now to fully showcase these beauties…
Next up, an amazing spread of Korean, English, and even German singles! The Korean ARs will be perfect additions to the AR collection. And the S&V binder is going to get a huge addition of Korean singles (many of which are new arts I don’t have yet 
).
Also, I want to highlight my Secret Santa’s care to include plenty of my favorites: magikarp/gyarados, squirtle/wartortle/blastoise, and larvitar/pupitar/tyranitar. This was 100% noticed, and I especially love the HGSS Magikarp and the Korean Rocket’s Tyranitar. It was awesome looking through all the non-Korean cards too - a great sampling of vintage and mid-era cards - I really enjoyed the Neo Revelation Remoraid - just real nice chill vibes 
.
You thought we were done? No! We next have a generous spread of Korean packs!
This was a real treat to open - and I managed to pull 3 ARs - all new arts I don’t have! And here’s also what was inside that gym promo pack: a sneaky-looking Munkidori and Digging Shovel.
Finally, we were left with a tastefully curated selection of Korean gummies - my wife is a big fan of gummy candies so she says thank you! And also pictured here is a tasteful pfp self-portrait by my secret santa… @stormyknight !
As a new E4 member, what a way to cap off my first year being part of this amazing community. Thank you so much @stormyknight - in one fell swoop you have turned me into a full-fledged Korean Pokemon collector :). In all seriousness, this truly was a joy to open and so generous and thoughtful of you 
. Thank you once again and wishing you (and everyone else on E4) a happy holidays!
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I got my package today! I had a moment where I considered waiting until Christmas to open it…but I have no self control. Hey, its the holidays, I’m gonna cut myself some slack
And boy, am I glad I opened it now! Take a look at the AMAZING spread here!!!
First off, a HUGE thank you to my first ever E4 Secret Santa, @Vertemes! This is so much cooler than I expected, and I am truly very grateful! I am definitely going to be participating again next year!
Now, let me talk about the best part of this package…these beautiful drawings! Pokemon Emerald has got to be my favorite pokemon game of all time, and Rayquaza is one of my absolute favorites! On top of that, I have a newfound appreciation for togetic! (I mean, lets face it, we all knew togetic was cool before now, but has he ever looked THIS cool before? I doubt it )
Next up, the cards! This is such a perfect mix for me, it’s incredible. #1, I am a big Team Rocket fan. Additionally, I have been VERY unsuccessful at picking up any Destined Rivals / Glory of Team Rocket singles in this Wild West market. These are some of my ABSOLUTE FAVORITES from the set, and to have some new Korean cards to go in my binders is so cool! The Japanese Rocket’s Training Gym is such an underrated card in my opinion. I have always loved how Scyther looked in this card, but never owned one up until now!
On top of that, we have an amazing mix of modern! I, like every distinguished and tasteful pokemon collector, love Tag Teams, and the Venusaur & Snivy is a very welcome addition to my collection! Additionally, a throwback to my re-ignition into the hobby, SWSH trainer gallery cards! These are all so, so cool. The full art Oak and Brock are also fantastic! I have had that Brock on my wishlist for a long time! Next up, a BEAUTIFUL rayquaza from Dragons Exalted, a set I never got to open and the first Dragon’s Exalted card I will have ever owned!
Did you think that was all? I bet you thought that was all. I bet you thought, “Dang, Vertemes alread knocked it out of the park, how could it get better?” I’ll tell you how: VINTAGE BABY! Now, I don’t know about y’all, but I never get sick of vintage. He even threw me a shadowless charmeleon to go into my (admittedly slowly building) shadowless binder! On top of that, have you ever seen a shinier Heracross in your life? There is something about that vintage holo pattern that just makes me feel like a kid again.
Okay, now it must be done, right? Vertemes didn’t just knock it out of the park once, he practically redefined the game itself. SURELY it couldn’t get better? Well, TAKE A LOOK AT THIS! Two of my all time favorite pokemon, Absol and Darkrai! (I was an edgy kid, I like dark types and Evanescence, sue me). It is always nice to get cards with your favorites on them, and these are two absol artworks that have flown under the radar for me until now! The smirk on this absol’s face made me bust up laughing for whatever reason, he just looks so smug.
And finally, we are at the end! That was so much fun to open, and I am absolutely thrilled! Thank you again for all the thought you put into my gift Vertemes, it was such a great way to enter the tradition! I’m looking forward to seeing everyone else’s posts and participating again next year!
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As Gen Z would say, the @Vertemes glow up is real. From recycling pfm’s cgc slabs to this thoughtful gift you’ve certainly gone above and beyond to make an e4 member happy this holiday season! Bravo 
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I had to lock in for this one and there are a few cool tidbits in here I’d like to share
1.You are the first person to ever recieve a signature from me! It took 3 pages of drafts, but I really wanted to make it special and I’m glad it worked out.
2. The para’s is actually a fun little inside joke: Para’s was one of the cards I got in my FIRST Secret Santa, and since I hadn’t seen @DeekBoy in a minute, I thought it would be fun to pass it on and make it a tradition for me .
3. Since you liked Team Rocket so much @DeadManDriving, I might have to send you 1 more card that I debated on sending…
Happy Holidays!
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This truly was incredible! I had a blast opening it up, and once I am home, I am gonna have even more fun filling up my binders! 
Please don’t feel like you need to send me anything else, what you sent is fantastic! I could never say no to pokemon, of course, but you definitely don’t need to!
I look forward to seeing what your secret santa sent you too!
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Love that! You did a great job dude!
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Great job @Vertemes. Awesome gifts and great personal touches! Kudos!
This thread is already delivering and as always tops to being the best thread of the year. Looking forward to all the other posts!
Cheers!
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We have had some stormy weather so my toy photo got postponed but my gift should be shipped out bright and early Monday morning!
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We’re going to be traveling on Christmas, so I decided to go ahead and open this a bit early- thank you so much, Jake! (There are so many Jakes here on the forum and I’m not sure which one sent this- please step forward if you’re the real Jake so I can thank you properly!)
First opening the box, I was greeted with a beautiful hand drawn card and some wrapped gifts!
I absolutely love this drawing- that’s my son right there!! Instantly fridge material.
The first package I opened was this Piplup nanoblock set! I actually had one but ended up losing it in our most recent move, so I’m so excited to get to build another one and replace the one I lost!
The next box had me confused for a moment- I had no idea this existed! He’d precious, and I had to put him on our Miku tree immediately.
The third and final gift was something I’ve been eyeing for a long time- the Indonesian Regional League Promo Piplup! This is the final card I needed for this artwork, and I can’t believe I’m holding it my hands right now.
It’s beautiful, and I can’t wait to put it in my binder after I get over the shock of owning it.
Thank you so so much for the lovely gifts, Jake (whichever one you are). I love absolutely everything, and you completely outdid yourself. Happy holidays, and best wishes to you and everyone else here on the forum!
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So glad it arrived safely! Your tracking sheet made narrowing in on that card very easy. Happy Holidays!
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Glad the package arrived on time! Happy holiday’s everyone!!
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Safe and sound and very much appreciated- thank you again for the extremely thoughtful gifts! You really nailed it!
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My secret Santa gift arrived over a week ago and last night I caved and opened it early..I couldn’t wait any longer!
This year my secret Santa was @Ruley711. Funny enough I got to do some shopping last year for ruley, I was their secret Santa!
First off we got a cool little Abra illustration wearing a Santa hat along with some Japanese mega brave and black bolt/white flare booster packs which I really enjoyed opening!
Next on the list are some D&P, HGSS and B&W holos. Ive recently found a new interest in collecting holos from these eras so that was on my secret Santa list! I was excited to see what would be picked for me and I love them all. The alakazam and tornadus begin my my two favorite; that holo pattern is wicked!
I also received some promos along with a couple vending cards. Himeno is one of my favorite illustrators; love the nidoran art!
From the B&W pack I received I pulled a holo tornadus to match the one I received as a gift, I thought that was pretty cool.
Last but not least I have once again been goop gas attacked! This is the second time I have gotten this card in a SS gift haha. It’s a “pass it on” item that has been circulating for the last 4-5 SS. I will hold onto it until next Christmas when someone else will get GOOPED!
Thanks again ruley711! I love the gift and the variety of cards, you nailed it!
Merry Christmas E4 
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Well my package arrived, and it was none other than FOURTHSTAR HIMSELF!!! He gave me this super awesome card with rayquaza in it (definetly keeping!)
He also gave me 6 packs (which I opened it all before I got a picture lol)
But the BEST and I mean BEST PART was the rayquaza cards I got in there! They were all japanese (which I desperately needed!)
He also gave me the RAYQUAZA POKEPARK PROMO IN A 9, and was actually the first time in a long time that I found a rayquaza card I didnt know existed!
And then fourthstar blew it out of the water: He had gotten the exclusive japanese special deck I WAS LOOKING TO BUY
THIS IS THE BEST GIFT EVER @fourthstartcg thank you SO MUCH!!!
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