{"id":314624,"date":"2024-08-29T17:54:37","date_gmt":"2024-08-29T09:54:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/?p=314624"},"modified":"2024-08-29T18:05:46","modified_gmt":"2024-08-29T10:05:46","slug":"the-history-of-ex-pokemon-cards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/2024\/08\/29\/the-history-of-ex-pokemon-cards\/","title":{"rendered":"The History of Pok\u00e9mon-ex TCG Cards: From Gimmick to Staple"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Over more than two decades of intermittent appearances in the Pok\u00e9mon TCG, Pok\u00e9mon-ex cards have become staples for both collectors and players whenever they\u2019ve been around. At this point, it\u2019s almost impossible to imagine the Pok\u00e9mon TCG without Pok\u00e9mon-ex. It\u2019s safe to say that Pok\u00e9mon-ex changed the Pok\u00e9mon TCG forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But how did we get here? Let\u2019s find out now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the history of Pok\u00e9mon-ex TCG cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gen 3: How It All Began<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\"Pok\u00e9mon<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Pok\u00e9mon<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Pok\u00e9mon<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s go all the way back to 2003, during the early days of the Pok\u00e9mon TCG\u2019s third generation. In January of that year, the Pok\u00e9mon Players Club was established, replacing the original Pok\u00e9mon Fan Club. Everyone who signed up would receive three promotional cards that, when released, would ensure that the Pok\u00e9mon TCG would never be the same again: Regice ex, Regirock ex, and Registeel ex\u2014the first Pok\u00e9mon-ex cards ever printed. Additionally, Pok\u00e9mon Players Club with 5,000 EXP Points could receive a Celebi ex card; those with 7,000 EXP Points would be eligible for a Mew ex card. With that, the era of the Pok\u00e9mon-ex was underway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though there were just five to begin with, these Pok\u00e9mon-ex cards had just kickstarted a Pok\u00e9mon TCG revolution. Pok\u00e9mon-ex cards would now be defined as cards featuring Pok\u00e9mon of unusually high power; however, should the opponent score a KO on a Pok\u00e9mon-ex, the opponent would be allowed to claim two Prize cards instead of the usual one. The theory behind the concept was that there was a risk\/reward factor in play; a player could potentially unleash a tremendously powerful Pok\u00e9mon but at the risk of giving up an additional Prize card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first main set to include Pok\u00e9mon-ex was the ADV Expansion Pack, the first expansion set of Gen 3. Five Pok\u00e9mon-ex were included: Chansey ex, Sneasel ex, Hitmonchan ex, Manectric ex, and Mewtwo ex. As the third generation continued and more Pok\u00e9mon-ex cards were released, these cards\u2019 impacts on both collections and gameplay became readily apparent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Typically extremely rare cards with appealing illustrations, Pok\u00e9mon-ex would inevitably become some of the most sought-after cards of their respective sets and, therefore, among the most expensive, if not the outright. Pok\u00e9mon-ex cards also soon emerged as predominant fixtures in tournament decks as it was soon found that in the vast majority of instances, the reward of the Pok\u00e9mon-ex\u2019s remarkable power far outweighed the risk of surrendering an additional Prize card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Much to the dismay of many, Pok\u00e9mon-ex cards were discontinued in 2006 when Gen 3 ended. In the fourth generation, they were replaced by Pok\u00e9mon LV.X. However, the story of Pok\u00e9mon-ex cards didn\u2019t end there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gen 5-6: The Return<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\"Pok\u00e9mon<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Pok\u00e9mon<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Pok\u00e9mon<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The concept of Pok\u00e9mon LV.X cards ended up being a failure. Critically panned and generally disliked by both players and collectors, the majority of LV.X cards didn\u2019t even come close to living up to the standard their predecessors had set. The dismal performance of LV.X cards was a major reason why there\u2019s a near-total consensus that the fourth generation of the Pok\u00e9mon TCG was the worst to date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Due to this turn of events, Creatures Inc. put the fanbase out of its misery, killed off LV.X cards at the end of Gen 4, and revived Pok\u00e9mon-ex cards\u2014now stylized as Pok\u00e9mon-EX cards\u2014when Gen 5 began in 2010. Almost at once, it became clear that this was the right move. Right from their re-introduction, Pok\u00e9mon-EX cards immediately reclaimed their status as some of the biggest pulls of their sets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gameplay-wise, Pok\u00e9mon-EX cards ended up being even more dominant than their third-generation predecessors ever were. Almost every deck at the top of the metagame was highlighted by at least one, and usually multiple, Pok\u00e9mon-EX. Such was the impact of Pok\u00e9mon-EX cards on the Gen 5 meta that some began to wonder if a deck built around single-Prizers would ever be able to reach the top of the meta again\u2014a question that is still asked to this day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creatures Inc. then turned it up another notch in the sixth generation when Mega Pok\u00e9mon-EX cards made their Pok\u00e9mon TCG debut. Depicting the Mega Evolution mechanic that had just been introduced in the Pok\u00e9mon X and Y video games, these cards were even more powerful than ordinary Pok\u00e9mon-EX. However, after evolving a Pok\u00e9mon-ex into its Mega form, the player\u2019s turn would end immediately unless a Spirit Link card was used to do so. In the case of Kyogre ex and Groudon ex, Mega Evolution was known as \u201cPrimal Reversion\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As might have been expected, right from their introduction in Collection X [XY1] and Collection Y [XY1]\u2014the dual set that was Gen 6\u2019s opener\u2014Mega Pok\u00e9mon-EX cards were among the generation\u2019s most desired and valuable cards. To this day, some Mega Pok\u00e9mon-EX cards still sell for tremendous prices\u2014some have been valued at well over US$1,000 per card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gen 9: Pok\u00e9mon-ex Today<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\"Pok\u00e9mon<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Pok\u00e9mon<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Pok\u00e9mon<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the seventh and eighth generations, Creatures Inc. opted for a somewhat more experimental approach. Gen 7 saw Pok\u00e9mon-EX cards replaced by Pok\u00e9mon-GX cards; these were subsequently replaced by Pok\u00e9mon V, Pok\u00e9mon VMAX, Pok\u00e9mon VSTAR, and Pok\u00e9mon V-UNION; all saw varying degrees of success; however, none ever lived up to the standard set by Pok\u00e9mon-ex. Thus, Pok\u00e9mon-ex were once again revived when the ninth generation began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now sporting a new visual icon to denote their status as Pok\u00e9mon-ex, these cards had a new variant emerge in Gen 9: Terastallized Pok\u00e9mon-ex. These Pok\u00e9mon-ex were immune to any damage that would\u2019ve been sustained while on the Bench. Terastallized Pok\u00e9mon-ex were differentiated from other Pok\u00e9mon-ex by way of a label below the Pok\u00e9mon\u2019s HP. Terastallized Pok\u00e9mon-ex could either retain their existing type or take on a different one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stellar Pok\u00e9mon-ex, introduced in Stellar Miracle [SV7]<\/a>, expanded upon this concept. The Terastallization-exclusive Stellar type was introduced to the Pok\u00e9mon video games in The Indigo Disk, the second DLC of the Pok\u00e9mon Scarlet and Violet video games. When this concept was brought to the TCG, the Pok\u00e9mon involved could make use of multiple Energy card types to unleash a mega-powerful attack unique to Stellar Pok\u00e9mon-ex cards. These cards are primarily based on the Crystal Type Pok\u00e9mon, which were around during the late second generation of the Pok\u00e9mon TCG.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once again, Pok\u00e9mon-ex cards were at the top of the list for both players and collectors. In almost every set since the second re-introduction of Pok\u00e9mon-ex cards in the Scarlet ex [SV1S] and Violet ex [SV1V] sets, such cards have been among the highlights. In addition, almost every tournament-viable deck in the Gen 9 meta includes at least one Pok\u00e9mon-ex card\u2014and often more than that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the ninth generation continues, even more Pok\u00e9mon-ex cards will be released\u2014many of which will almost certainly make major impacts, whether from the perspective of collectors, players, or both. Though there’s no guarantee that Pok\u00e9mon-ex will return once the tenth generation begins, it’s obvious that every time that Pok\u00e9mon-ex cards have been in the Pok\u00e9mon TCG, they’ve dramatically changed its landscape in many ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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