I am curious about this set. Any and all, please give your opinions on this set in general. What’s good, what’s bad, future potential, sealed product, art quality etc. I appreciate everyone’s time and responses.
I love FRLG. Love the reverse rare holos & pokeball on them as well as a bunch of the art. Its an EX series set with the big three, I think its underrated currently. No gold stars hurt it compared to most other EX series boxes imo.
I usually like to collect cards and sets with artworks that I like the most and that provide me some nostalgia. For me this set is one of them!
I love this set! the ex cards are amazing 
i have never even opened any though sadly 
i wasnt collecting at the time of release and when i came back the packs/boxes seemed hard to find and too expensive for me :*(
It’s an awesome set, in many ways. But one thing I think about it is: wasted potential.
My Exhibit A is the ex cards. I think the Charizard and Gyarados–two of the coolest Pokémon, full stop–could have been much cooler in their design and artwork. (Why didn’t Mitsuhiro draw Charizard for the set?!) And did we need two Mr. Mimes and a boring Clefable when some sweet Kanto Pokémon (like Magneton, Rhydon, and Tauros, for instance) have never gotten an ex card at all?
My Exhibit B is the lack of connection to the games. There was great potential for awesome trainer cards (think Elite Four, Gym Leaders, or *gasp* Red or Blue). Something like the Here Comes Team Rocket! card in TRR could have and should have been made for FRLG–a secret rare Red and Pikachu or Elite Four Champion card, for instance. As with Charizard and Gyarados, I find the design and artwork on the secret rares we did get lackluster.
One of the sets strong suits, I suppose, is its holo rares. Nidoking and Snorlax, for instance, are two of the coolest ex-era rare holos. I also love the boxtopper Charmander. But why didn’t we get a Venusaur, Charizard, or Blastoise?!? You’re telling me–correct me if I’m wrong–one could not pull any Charizard or Venusaur card from a Japanese **FRLG** pack?!? The Raichu, also, I submit, is whack.
Finally, we also could’ve used a sweet Arcanine rare holo card, which, I think, is entirely absent from the ex era. After Arcanine was inexplicably uncommon in Base Set, you’re gonna make him a non-holo again? Really?
“As always, guys, let me know your thoughts”
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Mitsuhiro Arita’s art for the old school ex’s wasn’t great as compared to his non-ex art. I don’t know why but it feels like 2 different artists when you compare his ex art and his non-ex art. I can usually tell Arita’s art in an instant but not his old school ex cards. TBF, it looks great! A very nostalgic art but definitely could be better. Ryo Ueda was the best artist for old school ex IMO.
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Clefable ex was a playable card. I remember using it during my TCG time. 2 colorless for Metronome without the required energy needed was quite broken during that time. If there’s no good attacks there’s the other attack that deals 40 damage and at the time 40 was a lot for 2 colorless.
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You raise a great point about Mitsuhiro and Ryo! I may agree. (I’d cite Mew (PLAY), Umbreon, Rocket’s Suicune, and Milotic.) If I were inclined to disagree, however, I’d cite Rocket’s Mewtwo, Scizor, Tyranitar, and Dusclops.
[What are some of your favorite ex-era, non-ex Mitsuhiro cards?]
And I hadn’t considered Clefable’s playability (because I’ve hardly ever played). But perhaps we could agree that relative to the Nidoking, Magneton, Rhydon, Tauros, or Pinsir card that could’ve been, Clefable’s not as cool. (Clefable’s meant to be kawaii anyway, but this one isn’t even really cute, or cutely colorful, in contrast to a card like Wigglytuff or Chansey, which I love as kawaii)
One big thing it’s got going for it: gen 1 pokemon
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I think it’s the second best series ever produced. It’s the only set after 2002 that I actually built the ex’s in PSA 10 and still have.
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I think it’s an incredible set, but like what everyone else has already stated, underrated and had alot of unrealized potential to be the best. However, artwork really puts it up there, especially with the two sick renditions of Karp and Gary. Reverse holos were beautiful, and actually had some notable misprints, like the uncommon variant Magikarp and such. Always a plus
Every non-ex lol. Let’s see what i can remember. Gligar is one. Unseen Forces maybe? Definitely Charizard from Dragon, Seviper from Emerald?(Not sure), Omastar in Legend Maker, oh and the Water Rayquaza from Holon Phantom or Delta Species I’m not sure. Basically every Arita art after WOTC was very realistic and I love them all!
What does everything think is the future potential of sealed booster boxes?
It will rise like all boxes.
Really depends on wether or not people start going after Charizard ex. It’s only a 400-500 psa 10 card. The emphasis is on WotC atm though.
2 copies sold for $550, one went for $600. This time last year it went for $400 I think.
It is still an ultra rare Charizard but even though the pop is a bit on the high side, there is still demand.