They had their high point during the EX era where they were basically holographic cards and then have become worthless bulk ever since. Japan doesn’t even have them besides high class sets. Why are they still being printed?
I would also argue that textured reverses of Terastal Festival/Prismatic were a step in the right direction but they seem to have failed miserably because ARs were cut. They can never be a replacement for ARs but if there is ever a reverse holo, then it needs to either be actually holographic or textured - something that actually highlights part of the art/the art itself and not just lazily make the card layout shine.
And to further instigate - what is the actual appeal of Poke/Master/Any Ball reverses? If you’re not a master setter or a species collector (and I’d argue those collectors would be fine without) what is their appeal? It’s like a faux serialization except nobody really collects them so they just stack up at card shops and card shows.
Pokemon really doesn’t need these artificial rarity gimmicks when the whole thing is already artificially rare anyway and their strength is the Pokemon characters and their illustrators.
Maybe if we’re talking EX era reverse holo holographics.
But honestly I would be upset back then and now if they didn’t sleeve every card out of a vintage pack if I’m paying through the nose for them to open it.
Yeah that still peeves me off haha. If you don’t sell it, do whatever. If you do, don’t misrepresent. They look terrible all scratched up and they have the audacity to say pack fresh or mint lol.
I’m not particularly interested in modern, but I think it’s one of the few ways to collect commons or bulk in a fancy version. If I can choose, I’d rather pick something shiny which usually looks better in a binder (imho). It’s subjective oc, but I feel most people tend to agree.
I disliked wotc reverse holos, loved ex. I think the poke ball and masterball are just fun. Speaking of ex, the frlg pokeball reverse was quality, so maybe there is a subconscious thing happening for the modern pokeballs. Either way I think pokeball & masterballs are just a fun option for collectors. Similar to ex reverses, they feel pretty universally appreciated.
One small point is that reverse holos allow standard holos to have non-holo art boxes, which allow you to see the art better in some cases. Not sure if the super modern holos have such a dark or obfusctaing holo.
I don’t find any reverse holo appealing and dislike the concept in its entirety. Now, if they had done Southern Island-style cosmos reverse with regular holo pull rates beginning with Expedition like they should have then yes, that would’ve been incredible.
Basically, they need to look good (which they only did in 3rd gen) and they need to not be littered in every pack like so much bulk. They could’ve done inverse pulls to regular holos, bumping the chase in a booster box from 12 to 24, still allowing for some gambling. Win-win really.
I love reverse holos and the extra bit of interest they add to each pack. My least favourites are the flat holo type. I was really disappointed with the change back to a flat holo in the Mega block.
I really love the textured Pokeballs from Prismatic but I was disappointed with the way they introduced them. I wish they’d had them as the only reverses within the set, having four variants of the same art is overwhelming in my opinion. The Pokémon themselves were also mostly just reprints and so the set itself lacks any feeling of theme or cohesion outside the eeveelutions.
Hopefully we continue to see more cool reverse variants in the future! I’d love a return to stamped reverses with a little bit of extra rarity like 1/4 packs or something.
My current goal is to complete WOTC sets but for e-reader I am skipping the reverses. I do not enjoy them enough to invest significant money into them. The foil scratches very easily and I feel that sometimes takes away from the actual art when the glare is in your eyes.
I love the ex era set stamped reverses and would put them as my favorite despite not being in the hobby for that era.
I collected legendary collection rev holos when I got back in 2015/16 and always was a fan of them.
The B&W, XY, Sun & Moon era reverse are peak after the ex era for me. Really love the way have the Pokemons energy type as the reverse pattern and it really makes collecting commons & uncommons for random cards/my artist binder look more appealing and adds a slight bit more rarity to them.
SWSH & SV era do nothing for me and think they’re just very bland with the smaller every type pattern and a more dulled shine off them.
Any reverse holo in this style I cannot give any love to and would rather have the non flashy variant
