Ok so we need a new name for this. Most people will never master set any sets that contain trophy cards. We already have a TCG recognised term for “Full Set” which is everything from a booster, but for a set that comprises of that + theme deck exclusives, prereleases, staff cards etc we could do with something a bit better. It was something that DJ Gigabyte and PokemonRadar briefly mentioned in their podcast episode. Any suggestions?
Here’s a few to get the ball rolling:
Full Set+
Apprentice Set
Padwan Set
Full Setty McSetFace
It depends on what the set is. My opinion would be that:
For sets such as Japan’s L-P promos with both Master’s Key and Master’s Scroll you can’t really claim to have a complete set as those cards are numbered;
For stamped variants of cards which otherwise exist in the set (like STAFF, W, etc.) you can happily claim to have a complete set without those, the stamped cards are just extras;
For promo sets with unnumbered cards that exist as part of the set (like SM-P Victory Decoration cards) you can just claim to have a numbered complete set if you have all the cards with specific numbers.
Could you link to the podcast you mention? Sounds interesting.
There’s a weird validation people seek in what to call their set. If you can’t afford all the cards then you just have an incomplete master set. Calling it something else doesn’t make those cards not exist anymore
It isn’t really a question of affordability though, it’s a question of availability. How many champion cards are there? How many collectors that want them?
For me, if I get a hold of any of those cards, rest assure I ain’t selling them (not unless you go crazy and offer me millions), so unfortunately I have to (like others) settle with everything except these cards. It’s just something to name the collection by because it’s more than a full set, but not quite a master.
For example, Sun & Moon (base set) has 59 “additional cards”. Of those 59, 8 cards are Top 8/Champion. Now if I’ve gone to the effort of obtaining those 51 extra cards and I have to settle with leaving my set as-is, it could probably do with a less-confusing name than Full Set (which just refers to booster cards).
This was brought up a few months ago and I think a master set includes every variation, including stamped cards. My understanding is that Trophy cards fall into the promo set lists. For example, if you want an English master ‘XY promo’ set, you’d need to get all the trophy cards to make it complete (e.g. XY27, XY91, XY176 - champion/finalist/SF/QF/16/32/Staff/Worlds.) For 99.999% of collectors, that’s never going to happen and hence a master XY promo set is probably not obtainable. I think that’s just the way it is whether I like it or not. I have a few near complete master sets and the only cards missing are not obtainable/not for sale/…pretty much impossible to get. I’m looking for a name to categorize these sets that look complete but I just don’t think there will ever be a name for them other then, “It’s basically a master set minus the trophy cards.” A good amount of people can’t even agree on what a master set is in the first place so to make sub-categories becomes somewhat superfluous.
But I feel ya.
** I just realized something. I’ve never actually looked closely at the bottom print of a trophy card. Are No. 1 Trainer cards the same as the “Champion” card listed above? I always assumed they were but have zero knowledge of their set numbers or what set they are officially part of. Feel free to inform me.
I think that’s different though because that card is fairly easily obtainable, it’s just expensive (for a modern non-trophy card anyway).
We’re more talking about what @alovell is saying in terms of the cards that literally have 1 or 2 copies so however much you’d pay for them, they’re simply not selling.
I think I’ll stick with the name Non-Trophy Master, just so I know how many of the sets I have taken as far as I possibly can.
Good to hear the points of view from both @anon83099482 and @alovell though, you guys are probably two of (if not the) biggest set collectors on this site - I’d love an entire section just dedicated to Set Collecting here with all the insights from you guys.
