by Finn, Grade 7
In a world pre COVID, it was possible to actually obtain Pokémon packs. New sets were everywhere on store shelves, with enough stock to sustain a big fan for 3 months, gameplay tournaments were happening in person and were the peak of strategy, and a specific event was happening whenever a new set was released, being a pre-release event. Pre-release events are common in things like Magic the Gathering and Pokémon, but they get overlooked despite being a very interesting form of event. So, let’s give them the attention they deserve and take a look at the interesting world of pre-release events.
What are Pre-Release Events?
Pre-release events in Pokémon are specially made tournaments in specific card stores to celebrate the upcoming retail release of a new card set and to give people a chance to get their hands on and play some of these new cards a bit early. At pre-release events, individual booster packs of the new set might be given out as prizes or able to be bought individually to give you another chance to pull a good card. These events can be considered as samples for the upcoming set to give people an idea of what they could be paying for.
How do Pre-Release Events Work?
Pre-release events are usually set in a tournament like style but with a few changes. First, you’re recommended to only bring some sleeves and dice, as cards there will be provided to you. Secondly, you have to build a deck in a certain amount of time using a Build and Battle box, which are sold at the event in order to participate. These boxes include a small little deck building tip sheet, a 23 card “pack” with one holo promo card and many important evolution lines and Trainers, and 4 individual booster packs of the new set. Third, basic Energies are provided in a near unlimited amount, meaning you won’t have to worry about pack luck in order to play the cards you really want. And fourth, rules of the game are changed to this with some small variations from store to store:
You’ll play with 40 card decks and 4 prizes instead of the regular 60 card deck and 6 prizes.
The 4 card rule isn’t there, allowing you to use as many of one card as you want, if you have the amount of course. (NOTE:
This is definitely the most flexible rule that changes from store to store. Some stores might, others may not, some may allow unlimited of one Pokémon, others may not. You might want to ask in advance.)
You have to build your deck on the location using only cards from that set and various basic Energies.
And yeah, that’s it. Not as many rule changes I remember, but still drastic ones.
Due to COVID, these events aren’t happening for obvious reasons, but are still fun to talk about. These events are used to have fun and connect with other fans, which is something I wish I could be a part of. So when COVID is mostly contained and everything is safe again, consider pre-release events, as they may be something you might not want to miss out on.