With the announcement of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX and an Expansion Pass for Pokemon Sword and Shield, news about the multimedia empire abounds. So it makes sense that Pokemon would also announce changes to the trading card game — the most striking of which being the removal of an independent Fairy typing going forward.
A list of rule changes coming alongside the release of the Pokemon TCG: Sword and Shield Series on February 7 was posted to The Pokemon Company's website today.
Among the changes it outlines is the fact that Pokemon who have been represented as Fairy types since that was added in the X & Y Series will "generally" now be represented as Psychic types. Poison Pokemon who have been represented as Psychic type in the card game will now primarily be Darkness-type cards to balance this.
The change applies to cards being added into the TCG starting with the Sword and Shield Series, a set of over 200 cards focusing on the newest video games in the franchise in-line with the Galar Collection from November 2019. Fairy-type cards that are already released (and corresponding Fairy Energy cards which facilitates their attacks) will still be permitted in Standard matches, but "that may change in the future."
Since the collectable card game began in 1996 (with an original set so iconic it was re-released a few years ago to celebrate Pokemon's 20th anniversary), the typing of a monster in the video game canon has affected what it is in the TCG. For instance, the Poison/Dark-type Drapion has received cards that are Psychic type and others that are Darkness type — though now it seems they will exclusively be the latter going forward.
With the addition of Fairy, there have been 11 different types of Pokemon in the TCG for a number of years. Now it is back down to 10: Colorless, Grass, Fire, Water, Lightning, Psychic, Fighting, Darkness, Metal, and Dragon.
Many more changes are outlined in the new rule set. For instance, some type matchups are being altered (such as Water-type Pokemon having weaknesses to Lightning instead of Grass), cards which remove Status Conditions like burns will now use the term "recover," and the text on several previously introduced cards will be issued "errata;" or changes to the text describing their effects.
Though these TCG changes have not been as widely advertised as the $29.99 Sword and Shield Expansion Pass detailed in today's Pokemon Direct, they are arguably just as impactful for fans of the ever-changing card game. How the removal of Fairy types and other new rules will change the meta going forward should be interesting to watch.
Pokemon TCG: Sword and Shield Series will be available on February 7, 2020. It will become legal for tournament play on February 21.