I love a Pokemon TCG release with a strong theme, which is exactly what the yearly mini-expansions are known for. In recent years we’ve seen special sets based on the original 151, a celebration(s) of Pokemon’s rich history, an expansion meant to recreate the experience of collecting gym badges, and a farewell to the Pokemon V era in Crown Zenith that’s still one of the most exciting sets to open to date.
The new Shrouded Fable expansion, based on Scarlet & Violet’s Indigo Disk DLC, is entirely built around Pecharunt and the Loyal Three. The 99-card set is packed with poison synergies and Dark Pokemon combos that give it one of the strongest themes we’ve ever seen – perhaps too strong?
Shrouded Fable argely consists of Dark Pokemon cards, and cards that interact with them, which is great if you like Dark Pokemon, but it doesn’t have much to offer if you don’t.
The headliner is Pecharunt ex who uses its toxic mochi to control other Pokemon. Its Subjugating Chains ability allows you to swap any benched Dark-type Pokemon from your bench into the active spot, poisoning them in the process. Poisoning your own Pokemon is a big theme here, like Janine’s Secret Art, which lets you search your deck for Dark Energy at the cost of poisoning the Pokemon you attach them to.
Luckily, there are a lot of ways you can turn a poisoned Pokemon in your favor in this set. Pechanrunt’s Retainer Pokemon all have specific synergies with their leader, like Okidogi ex, whose Chain-Crazed attack does double damage when it’s poisoned, or Binding Mochi, which increases the damage dealt by poisoned Pokemon. Combine Binding Mochi with Okidogi ex, and Chain-Crazed will do a lot of damage.
It’s strange to see so many cards designed to work together in such a narrow deck archetype. It’s one thing to build a set based around one specific type of Pokemon, but several of these cards go as far as naming one another in their abilities, ensuring that they’ll only see play as a set. There are gimmicks like this in most normal-size sets that add some fun flavor, but in a small special set like this, it seems risky to put so much emphasis on linear synergies that many won’t be interested in playing.
Of course, these special sets are typically geared more towards collectors, and there are some nice bells and whistles here if you’re more of a “catch ‘em all” type of trainer, as opposed to being the very best like no one ever was.
There’s a new foil pattern on the reverse-holographics that’s specific to this set. It’s a hexagonal pattern that’s the same every time, which stands in contrast to the busier, more random holo pattern we’ve gotten used to in the Scarlet & Violet era. It’s simple, but it’s nice to see something different. You’ll find that pattern on holographic energy cards, which randomly replace the normal energy cards at the back of each pack – a great little touch and exactly the kind of bonus I like to see in special sets.
Like most special expansions, there are no booster boxes for Shrouded Fables, only six-pack booster bundles. The intention is to drive people to the expansion’s Illustration and Special Illustration collections, which I imagine will be quite successful. The promo cards included in these boxes – Kingambit, Kindra ex, and Greninja ex – represent the finest art in the entire set. The box promos are better than any of the special illustration or alternate art chase cards, which might be a first for Pokemon. I love a good promo, and I expect these collections will be in high demand because of it.
As much as I’ve begged Pokemon for better theming in its expansions throughout the years, I do wonder if Shrouded Fable is too thematic for its own good. It does a great job capturing the tone of The Indigo Disk and bringing the essence of Pecharunt and the Loyal Three into the TCG, but it has an extremely narrow appeal, especially compared to recent special collections like 151, Crown Zenith, and Celebrations.
I love an expansion that tells a story, but a set entirely built around Dark/Poison-type Pokemon risks leaving some players behind. I don’t mind that there’s only one Lightning-type in the entire set (Revavroom ex), but some people definitely will. Pokemon needs to make bold choices from time to time to keep the game feeling fresh, but I’m not sure this is what people are looking for.
