So, firstly, let´s define mid-era. For me, this constitutes Dp/HgSs/Pl through the first block of XY. Why? Because these sets are not true vintage (Gen 3 is debatable too, but I think at this point it is) and they´re not modern either, with much lower printruns.
So, Dp Base through Phantom Forces.
For me, it´s Furious Fists. I like Lucario, but that´s not really the reason. I have fond memories of finding Pokémon again, and this set for me is the perfect example of what that era looked like. There were not many hits (I actually watched someone pull 1 Ultra rare from his box) and the hits that were there were not too spectacular. But it still seemed fresh. If you pulled a hit, you were really happy. Also, the box looks beautiful.
i was going to say probably majestic dawn. great art for so many great pokemon like cresselia and darkrai.
however, just to be a little different, i’ll say CP5 - Mythical & Legendary Dream Collection. basically a set that is half of what would be called AR/IRs these days
If wotc is an “era” then most of these generations are an era on their own. WOTC was like 4 years. Ex was 4 years on its own, DP was quick but if you lump in platinum it’s almost 3
Mysterious treasures. Why? Because I pulled these from the same blister I got the Cranidos promo from, and it’s the first set these absolute legends are from. Don’t really care about anything else
For me it’s a tie between Reviving Legends/Undaunted and Clash at the Summit/Triumphant. Especially the Trainer cards are some of my favorites of all time.
I don’t have any favorite sets from DP-XY, only favorite parts. Stormfront has a solid theme and the Arita Charbar family, Rising Rivals has the Aritachu, Majestic Dawn has a great holo section, Call of Legends SL’s are great, mid BW sets have nice secret rares, Temple of Anger and Wild Blaze have nice booster box designs.
That´s interesting. The HG/SS block is actually the only block I really dislike. I came back to the TCG for a brief moment, and picked a few of these packs up, but disliked the art (mainly the Legends cards) so much that I turned away again.
Mid era wise there’s not really a favorite set but I like stuff that was unique to an era like radiant collection and legend cards, Lv.X is nice too but I’m not in love with the CG part and their visual identity has been repeated throughout the eras with cards frame breaking in some way.
doing it by years doesn’t quite work unless you’re just using it as a shorthand
imo the most sensable divides are
vintage - gen 1-2 (incl e-reader)
wotc for english as a clear signifier
before the start of the nintendo era
retro - gen 3-4 (incl HGSS)
holo borders become a thing
ex and LV.X have similar rarity stylization
last of the cosmo holo set cards
“mid era” if only BW/XY, modern era if you include SM - gen 5-6 (or 7)
full arts become the main thing and set order becomes universal across all languages
gen 5 and 6 cards literally have the same card layout, although different holo patterns
I’d argue gen 7 goes here because it also is mostly just full arts until the last year
ultra modern - gen 7 (or 8)-onward
this is where i think “ultra-modern” begins especially when you factor in print volume
if you start the cutoff at gen 8, then you can think of this as the special art era since by year 2 of gen 8, we started seeing special arts in every set with growing quantities.
if you want to simplify the segments, I think the most obvious line is between HGSS/BW
vintage - gen 1-4
cosmos holos
holo rares are still cool
modern - gen 5-onward
holo rares are meaningless
i’m sure i’ll be arguing for this again in another year
Personally, I prefer the terms Golden Age/Silver Age/Bronze Age/Gilded Age.
Golden Age (WoTC): Base-Skyridge
Silver Age (post-WoTC): EX Ruby & Sapphire-Call of Legends
Bronze Age (RIP Cosmos Holos): Black & White-XY Phantom Forces
Early Modern Age (major resurgence in the popularity of the cards): XY Primal Clash-Darkness Ablaze
Gilded Age (hypebeast culture takes over): Vivid Voltage-present
You could also argue Early Modern starting with Fates Collide, with that being the newest set at the start of the PoGo boom, Steam Siege being the first set printed during the PoGo boom, or even Evolutions, with that being the set that kicked the PoGo boom into overdrive. But I personally went with Primal Clash, since that was the oldest set still in print during the PoGo boom.
Also, you could argue that Darkness Ablaze is the start of the Gilded Age since it was the newest set when Logan Paul entered the hobby. You could also argue Sword & Shield Base since it was the point where the Pokémon franchise shifted as a whole from handheld to “home console”. Or you could argue Hidden Fates since it sort of planted the seeds for what was to come. You could even argue Battle Styles since it introduced the Ultra Rare illustration cards that served as the prototype for SIRs. But I went with Vivid Voltage as the start of the Gilded Age, since the Fat Pikachu from that set was the first true “hypebeast” card (although LatiLati and MewTube - which were still very recent in 2020 - retroactively became hypebeast cards).
Anyway, with the mid era being the Silver and Bronze Ages, I’d say my favorite set from the Silver Age is EX Delta Species because the dual-type cards are so cool and I really wish they became a permanent fixture of the TCG - meanwhile, they have ONLY ever been brought back for Steam Siege (and they weren’t nearly as cool in that set, IMO). As for my favorite Bronze Age set, I gotta go with Dragons Exalted, since it introduced the Dragon type into the TCG.
There isn’t really a set that jumps out to me from that mid-era tbch. Don’t get me wrong, there are A LOT of amazing artworks, but they’re spread among sets instead of all in one. I love almost all the HGSS Trainer cards; I love some of the themes in Furious Fists; I love almost halve of the Japanese L-P promos; etc. But I can’t really name one set in particular as my favorite among them.
Great set, but both the Japanese CP5 (July 16th, 2016) and CP2 (July 18th, 2015) are outside the mentioned mid-era range of English DP Base (May 23rd, 2007) through Phantom Forces (November 5th, 2014)..
