Pokemon Day 2023 brought fans of the multimedia brand news about products across the spectrum. This included a DLC announcement for the mainline titles Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, events in spin-offs such as Pokemon Masters EX, and a new stop-motion Netflix series called Pokemon Concierge. One reveal that likely stood out for long-time fans was Pokemon Trading Card Game Classic, reprinting older cards like the infamous Mitsuhiro Arita Charizard in a slick, modern collector's set. This isn't the first "Classic" product to hit the world of video games and tabletop hobbies, but The Pokemon Company should learn from its predecessors and not expand the scope of this series.
Among "Classic" branded products that have thrived in the modern gaming space, World of Warcraft Classic is likely the first thing that will come to mind for many. Blizzard Entertainment's MMORPG has bloated its mechanics and narrative over two decades of live-service development, so it was a stroke of genius when 2019's Classic brought fans back to the pre-expansion Azeroth. However, much like Konami's mobile game Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links, World of Warcraft Classic has gone far beyond its original promise, deflating its nostalgic selling point. Pokemon TCG Classic should be a standalone release.
The Curious Cases of Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links and World of Warcraft Classic
When Duel Links launched six years ago, it was designed around offering a "Classic" experience on the go (and later via PC). The unlockable player characters were all based on members of the original Yu-Gi-Oh! anime, with skills that buffed particular sets like Mai Valentine's "Harpie" cards. Though not every available card stuck to the TCG's base set, it omitted gimmicks from future "generations" of the anime like GX, 5D's, or Zexal. Yet the ongoing expansion of this live-service title meant Fusion and Ritual monsters were eventually overridden by mechanics like Synchro and Xyz summons - much like in real life.
World of Warcraft Classic similarly continues to expand, recreating the hype cycle of "new" expansions with The Burning Crusade Classic in June 2021, followed by Wrath of the Lich King Classic in September 2022. These are also nostalgic for a lot of World of Warcraft fans, and retain the original design of Azeroth prior to the MMO's revamp in its third expansion, Cataclysm. But if the pattern persists, World of Warcraft Classic will eventually catch up with ongoing expansions like Dragonflight.
Pokemon TCG Classic as a Collector's Item, Not a Series
The recently announced Pokemon TCG Classic is different from aforementioned "Classic" releases in that it's being marketed as a physical collector's set rather than an online live-service title or mobile game. When this package releases sometime in late 2023, it will include three decks themed around Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise (with boxes based on their type's Energy symbols), as well as a black case that unfolds into a game board, and a toolbox full of stackable damage counters.
Notably, The Pokemon Company says the original starter-themed decks are "not legal for tournament play" except in the case of its Basic Energy cards, despite the package including never-before-seen cards like Ho-Oh ex and Lugia ex. Pokemon.com's announcement post indicates this was done to make the "static" decks an evergreen experience in their own right, not beholden to the ever-changing rules of modern Pokemon TCG sets.
As a result of this stated intent, it seems unlikely Pokemon TCG Classic will fall into the same pitfalls as Duel Links and World of Warcraft Classic by evolving past their nostalgic premise. It is possible The Pokemon Company will see great success with the "Classic" brand and print additional sets, but if so these should work on their own rather than augment the first series. It's hard to say how much the collector's set will succeed given it has no release date or announced price, so fans will have to wait for the Pokemon World Championship in Yokohama, Japan to find out more.
The Pokemon Trading Card Game Classic set releases sometime in late 2023.