This year's Fall mini-seܫt is Champion's Path — a uniquely themed expansion even among the other mini-sets. Rather than building the selection of cards around a t♛heme like shiny Pokémon in Hidden Fates or dragon Pokémon in Dragon Majesty, Champion's Path's theme exists solely in the packaging of the various boxes and collection that are part of the set.
In Champion's Path, players are cast in the role of trainers in the Galar region on a quest to collect all 10 Galar League gym badges. It's a clever theme and well-timed for an expansion so early in the 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Sword & Shield generation. While the story is strong, the lack o♔f continuity 🧸and variety within the card list itself leaves the set feeling somewhat underwhelming.
The Premium Collection Hype
Champion's Path is the 4th in a series of yearly mini-sets that began in 2017 with Shining Legends, followed by Dragon Majesty in 2018 and Hidden Fates in 2019. The mini-sets fall in between the standard summer and fall expansions and, as you would expect, have far fewer cards in them that the standard expansion. Mini-sets are not sold as individual packs, but rather are sold exclusively in unique c𒆙ollections that typically include extra collectibles like pins and figurines. These sets also have Elite Trainer Boxes, common to all sets, but instead of the normal eight packs, they come with 10 packs and a full-art or alternate art promo card.
These mini-sets🥀 are highly sought after by collectors because of their premium price and limited availability, which typically means the cards are more valuable and rarer than cards from normal sets. What's more, mini-sets have historically contained secret rares that dominate the collector market and sell for outrageous prices, such as the Shiny Charizard from Hidden Fates.
Champion🃏's Path is a mere 80 card set that includes 11 V cards, 3 VMAX cards, 5 rainbow rares, 1 gold, and 1 shiny, meaning lower than average counts across the board with slightly more weight to ultra-rare or better cards. This is in sharp contrast to last year's Hidden Fates which supplemented its low card count with an enormous collection of highly collectible shiny variant cards that could potentially take the pl𒐪ace of a reverse rare in any given pack. Like Hidden Fates though, Champion's Path is carried by the highest value Pokémon in the entire game: Charizard.
That's not to say there aren't other cards worth collecting in the set. Resell value isn't everything after all, and there's quite a 😼few fan-favorite Pokémon getting their V card debut here, like Venusaur, Incineroar, and Gardevoir. The problem is that with only 73 no🌜n-secret cards to collect, after opening just a few packs I had pretty much all the commons and uncommons. After that, it quickly starts to feel like a Charizard slot machine. It definitely doesn't help that at least a dozen cards — mostly trainers — are reprints of Sword & Shield Base Set cards, a set not even a year old yet.
Quick Spoiler Below!
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I have to mention the holographic energy cards, which will sometimes replace the reverse rare. I love these, I was shocked when I pul🎀led one and I'll always be happy to find a holo energy. Great surprise!
The Pokémon Trainer Fantasy
I can't help but be enchanted by Champion's Paths theme, however, and I really hope to see these ideas expanded upon in future sets. I think the staggered release schedule and product variety for this expansion is well designed: There are 🐠three gym badges available today (as well as the ETB and Dubwool V box) then next week two double-gym badge boxes will release — two Sword exclusive badges and two Shield exclusive badges — then the final three gym badges will be available in November just before the next set, Vivid Voltage. There's also a special Marnie box and a Hatterene V box in October.
I'm definitely heading back for more when the next pin collection becomes available. Yes, I'm happy to hunt for rare 'Zards, but I'm also delighted to have the opportunity to complete a collection of pins. When it comes to pin boxes I usually only go for it if it's a Pokémon I like, as the per pack value is typically lower for pin boxes, but in this case, they've convinced me to buy every pin collection that becomes available and I'm happy to do it. The th🦄eme of this set is so strong and I'm looking forward to more sets that use these ideas down the rꦏoad.
A Fine Journey Through Galar
It's difficult to avoid comparing Champion's Path to last year's Hidden Fates. It's not really fair to either, considering Hidden Fates is widely considered one of the best expansions of all time. That set is still a hot commodity, and when Hidden Fates products pop up on occasion at retailers there's practically a stampede to the checkout. Champion's Path doesn't strike me as a set with the same level of sta꧙ying power, and I'm not entirely certain why Champion's Path wasn't designed to be Hidden Fates 2, considering the former's success.
On the other hand, Champion's Path ജtakes a bold new direction that I really appreciate. The amount of P🌸okémon TCG product on store shelves can be overwhelming, especially for would-be gift buyers, but Champion's Path makes every box unique and purposeful. I like that aspect of it a lot.
There's something a bit ꦆcynical about taking Rainbow Charizard VMAX, a secret rare variant of the Charizard VMAX from Darkness Ablaze, and sticking it in a premium collection. Why not stuff Champion's path with Galar League trainer Pokémon like Marnie's Grimmsnarl and Raihan's Flygon? It certainly would have fit the theme better and been more rewarding than hunting a Charizard for the umpteenth time.
Champion's Path is just 🌃shy of greatness, but still, a worthy mini-set that has the strongest theme of any modern expansion.
Pokémon TCG Champion's Path ♋products were provided to TheGamer for this review. The first wave of Champion's Path products are available now and at local retailers.