Although the new Stellar Tera Pokémon ex cards introduced to thePokémon Trading Card Gamein its newStellar Crownexpansion set offer an impressive level of power, their core mechanics as not as new as they may initially appear. Instead, similar cards already have a firmly-established place deep within the history of the TCG. As a result of this, it is interesting to see how thePokémon TCGhas both changed over time and revisited older concepts that have fallen from prominence since their debut.
ThePokémon TCGis no stranger to reviving mechanics. For instance,Pokémon ex themselves returned to the TCGin theScarlet and Violetseries after an extended absence in favor of Pokémon Gx and then Pokémon V. Most recently of all, the announcement that thePokémon TCGwill be bringing back Trainer’s Pokémonafter the best part of three decades was a welcome surprise for many.
These Pokémon Cards Bear A Strong Resemblance To Stellar Tera Pokémon ex
Crystal Pokémon Cards Explained
One of the key features of Stellar Tera Pokémon ex is the fact that they each require three types of Energy to bring out their full potential. Attaching this Energy will allow the player to use some incredibly powerful attacks, each named after a variety of gemstone. However, these are far from the first Pokémon cards with this unusual Energy requirement, nor even the first to have based around the concept of Pokémon changing Types. Instead,both of these features can be found in Crystal Pokémon, a card type which debuted in the 2003Aquapolisset.
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The majority of Crystal Pokémon, found in bothAquapolisand the subsequentSkyridge(2003) sets, only require two different types of Energy to fuel a given attack, with the three distinct types being listed over two separate attacks. However,Golem (Skyridge148/144) has the attack Earth Bomb, which requires one each of a Grass, Fire, and Fighting Energy attached, as well as an additional colorless Energy.
Moreover, as many other Shining Pokémon also have an attack which lists two distinct Energy types and a Colorless in their cost, these attacks can also be fueled with three separate Energy types. In addition to their Energy requirements,Crystal Pokémon also stand out because of the Poké-Body (a precursor to modern Abilities) which they all share: Crystal Type.
Crystal Type’s effect causes a Pokémon card to change its type for one turnto match an Energy attached to it that turn. Each Crystal Pokémon has three Energy types which they can change to via Crystal Type, with these matching the Energy required for their attacks. Naturally, this bears a strong resemblance to the concept of Terastallization, arguably even more so than the mechanics of actual Tera Pokémon ex.
Pokémon Card Attacks Which Need Three Energy Types Have A Long History
Shining Pokémon Cards Explained
Crystal Pokémon also have something of a precursor card type themselves, Shining Pokémon. Much like the more recent Radiant Pokémon, Shining Pokémon cards feature Shiny variants in their artwork, and only one such card is allowed in a deck.
Moreover, they require either two or three different forms of Energy in total for their attacks. These cards originally appeared in theNeo Revelation(2001) andNeo Destiny(2002) expansion sets, before later seeing a resurgence in theSun and MoonSeries’ 2017Shining Legendsspecial set.
It is also worth noting thatthe Lugia card from 2000’sNeo Genesisset (9/111) also requires three types of Energy to attack, and was in fact the first Pokémon card ever to do so.Attaching Fire, Water, and Lightning Energy allows Lugia to use its Elemental Blast attack, both the name and cost of which clearly reference Lugia’s position as the “trio master” of the Legendary Birds. This same attack has since been included on two other Lugia cards, Lugia ex (EX Unseen Forces105/115) and the two-part Lugia Legend (HeartGold & SoulSilver113/123 and 114/123).
Although the cost of Elemental Blast has remained the same, as has its requirement to discard one of each requisite Energy type attached to Lugia, its damage increased from 90 to 200 after its first appearance.
There is a long history ofPokémoncards requiring three Energy types to attack, going back 24 years. As such, although it may seem difficult to draw three different Energy cards in a balanced deck, this has been a viable tactic for decades.
Stellar Tera Pokémon ex are only the latest in a long line of such cards, and it is arguably easier than ever before to meet their costs. Attack effects, Abilities, and many different Trainer cards can all support such a strategy. However, this isn’t to say that Stellar Tera Pokémon ex are identical to these older cards.
Stellar Tera Pokémon ex Are Powerful
Regardless Of Their Long-Existing Mechanics
Stellar Tera Pokémon ex do have some extremely potent attacks and Abilities, far outpacing many of their predecessorsdespite having other similar mechanics. As thePokémon TCGhas grown and changed, both attack damage and HP values have risen dramatically, and the latest Pokémon ex variant exemplifies this.
For example, the new Cinderace ex has 320 HP, while its two attacks deal 280 and 180 damage respectively. The other effects of these cards’ attacks can also be incredibly powerful, such as Lapras ex’s Larimar Rain, which allows one to freely distribute Energy from the next 20 cards of their deck.
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Of course, these attack effects are far beyond what could have been expected from a Pokémon card fromNeo GenesisorAquapolis. This is a natural consequence of the game progressing over time and introducing more and more powerful cards. So although the fundamentals of their shared mechanics may not be new to thePokémon TCG, Stellar Tera Pokémon ex do firmly belong in the modern era of the TCG nevertheless.
It is interesting to see just how far back triple Energy type attacks go in thePokémon Trading Card Game, and how closely early cards mirror even the Terastal phenomenon as a whole. In some ways, Crystal Pokémon follow the Tera theme closer than actual Tera Pokémon ex cards, particularly with the Crystal Body Poké-body. But on the other hand, the actual power boost offered by Terastallization is better reflected in the modern cards’ various capabilities, even as the Pokémon ex rule helps to balance them with the wider game.
