It isn’t a REACT article or video, because I wouldn’t want to be accused of copyright infringement, but I am taking a look at the Pokémon TCG XY expansion Steam Siege today! I was kindly sent some boosters and both of the theme decks free of charge and now I get to share my thoughts with all of you. I’ve included both a text and video take on it, but if you want the full dramatic experience I suggest you watch the video first (or at least the booster pulls) before reading if possible.
Booster Pulls
Steam Siege has some great cards, many of which I wanted. With no BREAK cards to my name, my biggest hope was to pull at least one and, if I were really lucky, get the Yanmega Break card. There are also some normal cards that I wanted, namely Seedot and its evolutions.
Now what did I actually pull? Not the cards I had hoped going in, but still found some gems nonetheless. Luckily I did get Seedot and will definitely count that as a win.
- Uncommons: Dewott, Drifblim (x3, 1 reverse-holo), Fletchinder (x2), Gardevoir Spirit Link (x2), Greedy Dice (x2), Klefki, Lampent, Monferno (x2, 1 reverse-holo), Shieldon, Tangrowth (x2)
- Rares: Cobalion, Galvantula, Gardevoir EX (holo), Spiritomb, and Yveltal (holo)
I don’t have a vast breadth of knowledge when it comes to the Pokémon TCG, so how good those cards are competitively I couldn’t tell you, but my two favorites were definitely Gardevoir EX and Yveltal which both have great designs.
The bad news is, of course, I still need to buy a few more boosters to get a BREAK card to add to my collection…
Theme Decks
The Steam Siege expansion has two pre-made decks that can be a good starting point for players looking to build their own, but don’t want to construct a deck from scratch. The Gears of Fire deck is Fire and Steel-type and centers around Volcanion and the Ring of Lightning deck focuses on Hoopa Unbound and contains Psychic and Electric-type cards.
Of the two, I definitely liked Ring of Lightning more because I’ve always had an affinity for Psychic-type cards and also due to the fact that Volcanion is not really a Pokémon that appeals to me. If I’m going to battle someone, I’d like to at least use cards of Pokémon that I enjoy. Just makes victories all the more sweet.
One thing that I was disappointed about in RoL was that it included multiple Litwick and Lampent cards, but no Chandelure! Looks like I won’t be swinging from the chandeliers tonight.
Giveaway
We’re also going to be starting the first of several giveaways with a very special Pokémon TCG: Mythical Pokémon Collection—Manaphy set! This includes a special Manaphy card, pin and two Pokémon Generations boosters! We’ll announce how you can get a chance to win it tomorrow so stick around!
Hope you guys enjoyed our little dabble in the TCG world! If you’re eager to learn more about the competitive aspect of the game I recommend you head over to PokéBeach for some in-depth strategy articles (and hey, WPM didn’t even pay me to plug his site).
<3 PJ
FEATURE DISCUSSION: Pokémon Generations Anime Shorts