The newest booster pack for Pokemon was announced to be released on Jan. 26. This came with some mixed reception about the packs. Some were excited for the newest pack to have shiny Pokemon cards, and some believed it wasn’t worth it for casual players of the TCG. I was interested in this, so I investigated further. I first searched the card list for the new pack Paldean Fates. I looked and was surprised at how 80% of the cards list were reprints from previous packs. Although, in comparison to other packs, that’s great. I started to understand why some casual players didn’t see much purpose in buying Paldean Fates.

However, a different side of the community doesn’t play the game and only collects to sell. Most collectors are excited about the opportunity to collect new shinies that will likely sell for a pretty penny. However, with sellers come the inevitable scalpers. The Pokemon TCG community has seen scalpers in the past with Shining Fates and Hidden Fates. This makes it almost guaranteed that scalpers will get their grubby hands on it when it is released.

I have mixed feelings about Paldean Fates. I do like it because it has shinies in it, so I can collect them and trade them with my friends. However, on the other hand, I can make an educated guess that after it’s released it won’t be as easily gotten as the previous non-shiny packs because of scalpers. I love the concept of a new pack for shinies in previous packs. However, that has downsides as the packs will be sold outrageously above the original retail price if it is like the previous Fates packs.

Considering this, I have hopes though not many. I checked out the card list again as I was judgemental at first though because of the reprints. At second glance, I was pleased to see a good selection of cards that work well in casual play. I use a few of the cards myself that I’m happy to see get printed out again. However, if you don’t play the game and are curious about how to play, I’ll summarize it for you. You make a 60-card deck, draw seven cards, and normally put aside four to six prize cards. You take these if you defeat a Pokemon. On some occasions, some cards allow you to take two or three prize cards. You win normally by getting all your prize cards. On some occasions, you could win if your opponent has no Pokemon left on the field or if your opponent draws their whole deck.

Taking this into account, they have some useful cards. For example, Nemona gives the effect of drawing three cards, which is a pretty decent effect. There is another useful card Kingambit which can K.O. any Pokemon that has 40 damage or more on it. In the end, it’s a decent pack for everyone collectors and casual players alike.