Ascended Heroes is a fine bridge between the Scarlet & Violet and Mega Evolutions eras of the Pokemon TCG, even though it’s so far failed to find a viable spot in the all-important metagame.
As the latest “special set,” a Pokemon TCG set available only through boxed products as opposed to standalone booster packs, Ascended Heroes is part collectors’ paradise, part nostalgia bait, and part new cards. Instead of relying on a video game era, Ascended Heroes serves as a final celebration to the Scarlet & Violet era. The new set features reprints of particularly lauded cards and a handful of new cards that use the Trainer’s Pokemon gimmick featured in a handful of sets last year. But while the set certainly has collectability, it hasn’t found purchase in the metagame, meaning that it’s being passed by despite a handful of promising additions to one of the best card games.
