I’ve only been back in the hobby since COVID and as I hunker down to start doing some set collecting, I am noticing there are so many great cards and sets to choose from! I am currently in a position that requires me to be pretty selective about what I buy, so I wanted to hear some opinions about people’s favourite sets!
WotC - I honestly can’t believe I’m saying this bc I used to think Gyms were kinda underwhelming, but probably Challenge from the Darkness. Basically, the English Gyms distributed the cards a bit differently, which I have to assume was because JP Challenge was off the fucking rails in terms of heavy hitters lmao.
ex - I thought this would be harder than it was, but I have to say TRR. That set as a whole is fantastic and the chase cards are 
I didn’t open much as a kid, but clearly I was missing out. TRR is incredibly robust with ex hits (2 beasts, 3 birds, Snorlax + Mewtwo?!?! AND THEN GOLD STARS?!?), the dark Pokemon with dual types are amazing, the holos are insane and the C/U are beautiful too. the only real competition TRR has is Unseen Forces and Dragon imo, and even then, it’s not rly competition, it’s a comfortable second place.
DP - I don’t really have strong opinions on this, but probably Secret Wonders if I had to pick. Supreme Victors was cool too & I don’t really know enough about HGSS to say lol.
BW - This is the era where I originally stopped collecting and I haven’t gone back through it, so I have no idea. If I had to say, it’d probably be Legendary Treasures or one of the Plasma sets.
XY - Ancient Origins all day. This is the set that got me back into Pokemon originally. I pulled pretty well every single card out of that set from ripping packs; I still remember finally pulling the FA Lugia out of a three-pack blister on my bedroom floor, my friend and I lost it lol. 16 year old me was going off with that McDonald’s paycheck. I stopped buying cards after Steam Siege (I wish I was joking, this set literally ejected me from the hobby).
SM - This might seem like a cop-out, but it’s gotta be Hidden Fates. I’m not sure if I would be collecting where I am today if not for Hidden Fates. This set was the first time I’d really sunk my teeth into cards in years. I opened a booster box of Burning Shadows when it came out and that’s the only other SM set I’ve opened. I think all of the tag team sets are pretty solid-- Tag Allstars is a contender as well.
SWSH - This is difficult bc a lot of SwSh sets have been really solid. Darkness Ablaze is the set that pulled me in for good, which is apparently considered a pretty lame set lol. I personally think it’s great! My choice for SwSh block would have to be VMAX Climax. Eevee Heroes and Sky Stream are awesome as well and Star Birth looks sweet too, tho i haven’t opened any yet.
I’d love to read some favourite sets + favourite cards from those sets. Also, did a particular set catch your interest and bring you back into the hobby? If so, drop the story in this thread 
