The release of the Celebration set during the month of October came with a certain hint of nostalgia. If you knew Pokémon before 2016, Celebrations probably reminded you of a mechanic, a card type from your childhood. Today we're going to shed some quick light on Pokémon Prime cards!
In May 2010, the first set of the HGSS block (Hearthgold Soulsilver) was released,
a few months after the release of the remakes game of the same name. A lot of people remember HGSS in particular thanks to the 2-part Legends cards considered the ancestors of today's V-Union. But HGSS didn't only introduce this type of ultra rare, the block also gave birth to Pokémon Prime cards.
There are currently 30 Pokémon Prime cards. They were released from HGSS to Triumph in January 2011. The Prime cards have been little edited since they have existed for only a short year. They were the ultra-rare extensions of the HGSS block and are recognizable especially by their atypical design. It is noticeable that all the other mechanics, V, EX, GX, Legends, Turbo etc... all had the name of their mechanics written on their cards. The prime cards have adopted a more refined design with simply the name of the Pokémon and an illustration generally very zoomed on the head of the Pokemon on a rather simple background. Of all the Prime cards released, our favorite is Celebi, released in the latest expansion in their honor, Triumph.
Celebrations pays tribute to Pokemon Prime cards with the re-release of Donphan Prime. Many collectors may not understand this choice of TPC (The Pokémon Company).
The reason is that Donphan has played a big role in the competitive card game scene. Celebrations aims to appeal to collectors and players alike and many of the reissued cards reference the history of competitive card game. Nevertheless, where two Level Xs are present in Celebrations, there is only one Pokemon Prime in the set. One would have thought that a place could be earned for Celebi, Gengar, Mew, Magnezone, Yanmega or Typhlosion, which have also marked the competitive scene in their history. The set has made another nod to Pokemon Prime since the 30th card released is none other than Dragapult Prime in a box set. If you can still find a box, you may be able to get your hands on this card along with a Battle Style booster and two Celebrations boosters!
Thanks for reading and we'll see you next week for a light on LV.X!
