Pokémon TCG: Elite Trainer Box—Generations unboxing and review
By Nick Tylwalk
Get some very familiar faces to buff your Pokémon TCG collection done up in visually stunning style.
Nothing right now is hotter than Pokemon GO, and with its massive popularity has come a surge in interest in the Pokémon that started it all. By that, we mean the 151 pocket monsters that launched the franchise 20 years ago, who are getting a huge profile boost thanks to Niantic and Nintendo’s massive mobile hit.
In a case of equal parts planning and serendipity, the Pokémon TCG put many of those same characters in the spotlight with the Pokémon TCG:Generations expansion that released back in February. That set has been featured in booster packs found in special products all throughout 2016, one of which went on sale earlier in July.
The Pokémon TCG: Elite Trainer Box—Generations not only contains 10 Generations booster packs, but also a variety of other items to help celebrate two decades of Pokémon in in one convenient package. We cracked open a box to see exactly what awaits for Elite Trainers everywhere.
Pokémon TCG: Elite Trainer Box—Generations unboxing
The Elite Trainer Box has become an annual part of the Pokémon TCG product mix, but this one has a few extra touches that help it stand out. The first is the special 20th anniversary graphic you can see above, which actually wraps around the box and has a very cool graphic of Pikachu, Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise on the inside.
Speaking of inside, here’s what you’ll find after opening the box:
From top to bottom, left to right, you’re looking at:
- A bag of damage dice and a tournament legal coin flip die
- Two acrylic condition counters
- 10 Generations booster packs
- A special Shaymin-EX foil promo card
- A pack of basic Energy cards — all nine varieties — featuring brand new graphics
- Four dividers
- 65 card sleeves showing off the 20th anniversary graphic
- A sturdy storage box to hold everything
The package also includes a Player’s Guide that walks you through the Generations set with card descriptions, suggested combos, and a full card list.
While the entire Elite Trainer Box is packed with goodness, the stars of this particular set are the cards themselves. The Generations set brings back numerous fan favorites in brand new forms, with great Pokémon-EX (and Mega Pokémon-EX, in some cases) cards of characters like Venusaur, Charizard, Blastoise and several of Eevee’s evolved forms.
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Two other Pokémon who are prominent in Pokemon GO as mascots of two of that game’s teams, legendary birds Articuno and Zapdos, also have impressive cards that showcase full bleed art. Pikachu is featured on a similar card as well.
And while only the Shaymin-EX card is guaranteed, you can be fairly certain you’ll find some of the best cards in the set with 10 booster packs worth of chances. Here’s a quick look at what we found in our review box:
The Verdict
Considering that just the 10 booster packs alone make up a good chunk of the Elite Trainer Box’s suggested $49.99 retail price, the value proposition is definitely a good one once you consider all the other items that are thrown in. Whether you’re a regular Pokémon TCG player or just diving in after getting bitten by the Pokemon GO bug, this is one package that can help get you hooked on both playing and collecting.
The Pokémon TCG: Elite Trainer Box—Generations is currently available exclusively online at PokemonCenter.com, though it’s due to hit other retailers on September 1.
Disclosure: FanSided was provided with a free Pokémon TCG: Elite Trainer Box for the purposes of this review.