Poll: Set Identity vs Chase Cards

Collecting
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21

The only time they did a Dragon set like that was a BW special expansion Dragon Selection. It will most likely never happen for a regular set

Eevee Heroes was determined to have strong set identity because the core focus was on Eeveelutions chase cards, not the rest of the main set which has nothing to do with Eeveelutions.

Pokémon GO was the polar opposite. Almost all of its cards, promos and merch ties in with the GO app and yet it is the least desirable set of 2022 because of lacklustre chase cards. That tells me the idea of set cohesion is insignificant

2 Likes
22

I suppose the bar is rather low, but do people actually collect Eevee Heroes as a set or do they just collect the Eeveelutions?

I guess it’s harder to compare JP vs ENG prices since JP is mostly lower across the board. ENG 151 has a clear edge for cards like Arbok FA etc than other sets but Gordie does not in JP.

23

Strong set identity is the main factor in my mind while planning next purchases for collection. :slight_smile:

2 Likes
24

I’m also pretty strict on set identity, and I don’t think “go” is a strong example. Little about it really says “pokemon Go”, and I think the theme needs to be attractive as well. Eevee-lutions? 100%. Dragons? Yeaup! Ancient cities and ruins? Definitely. An AR smart phone game? hmm…

While Go and 151 have similar themes - based around a particular game or era - they don’t have a cohesive narrative, setting, or thematic element. But 151 Does have nostalgia and the artist-centric element gives it an attractive cohesion. It’s more like guidelines than an actual rule, I s’pose. :smile:

4 Likes
26

I like sealed boxes as well as cards, so a cool set identity (for me Neo Discovery is the best), is important.

Neo Discovery even has the sealed boosterpacks that represent this identity by showing the ruins from dawn untill night.

1 Like
27

Set identity gets my vote. I don’t necessarily think the modern format of having one or two crowned chase cards in each set is “bad” as such, just not as good. Reason being is that despite the lack of cohesiveness of many modern sets overall, the process of collecting modern chase cards makes me think of an art curator or collector slowly putting together a gallery of top pieces of art hand picked from various eras. It’s a valid format for collecting in its own right, but wouldn’t be my preference vs collecting a nice, full cohesive set.

2 Likes
28

Those are some of my favorite packs too. And the unown all over everything.

1 Like
29

Now that this is confirmed, I have a follow-up question:

Does a good cohesive set need to have popular Pokémon?

  • Yes
  • No
0 voters
1 Like
30

Several fantastic sets would’ve been even more fantastic if they didn’t besmirch themselves by pandering to fan service. :exrubysapphire: :exsandstorm: :extmvta: :exhiddenlegends: :dollar:

4 Likes
31

I’m still debating on voting "yes’. It doesnt help that most of my favorite sets do in fact contain popular pokemon. For example, double crisis, generations, shining legends, 151 etc. all contain popular pokemon. So it’s a bit ambiguous,. I would say most legendaries & starters are popular and if they are absent from a set, it may be less cohesive because of it.

32

So, I haven’t been cracking packs or collecting sets lately because I’ve not felt the vibes with PkMn sets. MTG however, I’ve been excited for several of the recent sets, and while playability (the driver for MtG value) is not so good, I’ve still wanted to open those packs because of the themes and cohesion or style. It makes a big difference.