A newly revealed promo card from Pokémon TCG’s Twilight Masquerade expansion may be one of the best in recent times and players should not miss out on the opportunity of collecting it when it is released. Twilight Masquerade is a new Western set that is themed after the Teal Mask DLC for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet games for Nintendo Switch. A lot of the cards in the expansion are focused on the Land of Kitakami, its inhabitants, and its Pokémon. Pokémon TCG: Twilight Masquerade, for instance, brings Ogerpon and the Loyal Three to the spotlight, as well as Bloodmoon Ursaluna.
While elements pertinent to the Land of Kitakami are present throughout the set, it is not exclusive. Many older Pokémon and even ones from the Paldea region are making comebacks with new cards and artwork. Many of the cards for Twilight Masquerade were already known beforehand, as the set is a result of the mixture of the Japan-exclusive Crimson Haze and Mask of Change sets for Pokémon TCG. Now, however, a few promo cards for the upcoming expansion in the Western market have been showcased, and there is one particular item that will likely be a necessity for the game’s players.
As seen in a post made on Pokebeach, four prerelease promo cards for the Twilight Masquerade expansion have been revealed. The four cards are Thwackey (SV115), Infernape (SV116), Froslass (SV117), and Tatsugiri (SV118), but the one that really stands out is Tatsugiri. The Dragon-type Pokémon card has immense gameplay value, offset by a rather simple piece of artwork. The card’s Ability allows Pokémon TCG players to, once during their turn, if Tatsugiri is in the Active Spot, look at the top 6 cards of their deck, reveal a Supporter card, and put it into their hand.
Tatsugiri’s effect, although simple, is extremely effective in several types of deck compositions. Being able to look for a card among a total of six makes Tatsugiri a solid tutor and, even if the effect is only activated once, that may already give the player an advantage against their opponent. This works especially well with decks that rely on Supporters aiding the Pokémon in play. Tatsugiri’s strong effect is hidden beneath a simple piece of artwork, something that resembles the Comfey card from Pokémon TCG’s Lost Origin expansion – another simple Basic Pokémon card with a powerful ability.
While Tatsugiri stands out, the other promo cards revealed for Twilight Masquerade are not to be overlooked. Thwackey also has a tutor-like mechanic that fits in with Festival Lead decks. In fact, in a deck with such a theme, players can actively look for whatever card they want with Thwackey, once during their turn. The promo Frosslass card also seems fitting for specific decks that avoid Abilities altogether and, in doing so, punishes opponents that have cards with Abilities.
Infernape is a little less attractive as a competitive card as it may take a while to bring them onto the board and, only then, start accelerating the game with Energy application. The effect itself is good, but with Infernape being a Stage 2 Pokémon card, it may not be as effective as the other promo cards. It also requires players to have Energy cards in their hand, which may not always be the case. In addition to that, this Pokémon TCG card is meant to battle, which makes it tackle two fronts in a risky manner.
The cards mostly have outstanding competitive effects and it is possible that some of them will be integrated into some of the top-tier decks around. Nevertheless, these promo cards for Twilight Masquerade will have a lot less collectible value. Not only are they standard cards with no outstanding design, but they are also promo cards that are easily obtainable from specific bundles. As such, they also lack rarity, which tends to give cards monetary value. It is worth noting, however, that Tatsugiri does have an Illustration Rare card in Pokémon TCG: Twilight Masquerade, which will likely be well sought after.
Even so, these new promo cards for Twilight Masquerade can change the current competitive field for years to come, as previous deck compositions have proven – one of early 2024’s best Pokémon TCG decks was mostly composed of old Lost Origin cards. Players and collectors will soon have access to these newly divulged promo cards and others when Pokémon TCG’s Twilight Masquerade is released on May 24.
Source: Pokebeach