Pokemon-GX, more from Pokemon Sun and Moon revealed

Get ready to learn even more about what you didn’t know Pokemon could do.

Just when you think you know everything about what Pokemon are capable of in the Pokemon TCG, something comes along to change the rules. The 2016 Pokemon World Championships, currently underway in San Francisco, proved that’s going to be true in 2017 as well.

When the Pokemon TCG: Sun and Moon Series hits next year, it will bring with it brand new Pokemon-GX cards. According to today’s press release, they will feature one-shot abilities with the promise to shake up duels in new and interesting ways:

• Only Pokémon-GX have GX attacks which can be used once per game.
• Each Pokémon-GX has a maximum of two attacks in addition to its GX attack. Pokémon-GX have ordinary attacks and Abilities besides their GX attack. It’s possible to use different attacks as the situation demands.
• Pokémon-GX have strong attacks and high HP, so they can overwhelm their opponent’s Pokémon without needing to rely on the GX attack.
• This extra power comes with a price. When a Pokémon-GX is Knocked Out, the opponent takes two Prize cards, so players need to strategically decide when to use them.

Think of them as similar to Pokemon-EX cards, but with the extra strategy of the special GX attack, which The Pokemon Company says “can instantly reverse a player’s disadvantage or create an early-game advantage.”

The World Championships also provided the perfect platform to introduce more Pokemon from the Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon games headed to the Nintendo 3DS in the fall. Check out the video below for more details on the likes of Crabrawler, Stufful, Sandygast and Palossand.

And in a case of delightful synergy, the cover Pokemon from Sun and Moon, Solgaleo and Lunala, will also pop up in the Pokemon TCG next year.

Look for the Pokemon TCG: Sun and Moon series in early 2017. The video games of the same names will release on November 18, 2016.