Newest Pokémon TCG Night Wanderer Cards Are Must-Haves For Collectors & Competitors

Summary The Shrouded Fable expansion for Pokémon TCG shifts focus away from the Twilight Masquerade set.

The new Night Wanderer TCG cards can disrupt opponent strategies with powerful new forced discard mechanics.

The new cards from the Night Wanderer expansion can counter powerful combos and stack with strong cards.

A trio of new Pokémon TCG cards from the Shrouded Fable expansion have started to shift attention away from the Twilight Masquerade set. Shrouded Fable is a recently announced expansion that will continue to delve into some of the content introduced with Scarlet and Violet, the Generation 9 games for Nintendo Switch. The set is themed after the Mochi Mayhem epilogue, with Pecharunt and the Loyal Three Legendaries at the forefront. The release of Pokémon TCG: Shrouded Fable will see some cards from the Japanese Night Wanderer set translated for it.

It is common for Japanese sets to be released first and then translated and adapted into a Western set. The Twilight Masquerade expansion, for instance, is the result of a blending between the Japan-exclusive Mask of Change and Crimson Haze sets. Twilight Masquerade focuses on content related to the Teal Mask DLC for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet and, therefore, portrays Pokémon like the Loyal Three, Bloodmoon Ursaluna, and Ogerpon, the expansion’s mascot. The Land of Kitakami, however, will be revisited with the Shrouded Fable set for Pokémon TCG, as the Mochi Mayhem epilogue also happens in Kitakami.

Related 10 Pokémon TCG: Twilight Masquerade Cards You'll Want ASAP Among the many new cards coming to the Pokémon Trading Card Game in the Twilight Masquerade expansion, some are especially notable for collectors.

Three New Cards For Pokémon TCG Night Wanderer Have Been Announced

Cards Could Be Brought Into The Shrouded Fable Expansion

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Now, with the upcoming release of the Night Wanderer expansion, a few cards are being showcased before their arrival. Three new cards that may be adapted into the Shrouded Fable set have been revealed, as reported by Pokebeach. The first is a Trainer - Supporter card called Xerosic’s Plan, while the second is a Basic Pokémon Inkay print, and the third and last one is a Stage 1 Evolution Pokémon Malamar card. These cards will arrive with the release of the Night Wanderer expansion on June 7, in Japan.

It has yet to be confirmed whether or not the cards will be adapted into the Shrouded Fable set for the Western market. They could be postponed, like the cut Pokémon TCG: Twilight Masquerade cards that foresaw the announcement of Shrouded Fable.

New Cards Can Disrupt Opponent’s Strategies In Pokémon TCG

Cards Focus On Forced Discard Mechanics

While the cards are relatively simple in their designs, they provide a massive advantage for one specific gameplay mechanic: forced discard. According to Pokebeach, Xerosic’s Plan forces the opponent to discard their hand until they have only three cards in their hand. Inkay’s Colorless Energy move allows the player to look at the top card of their opponent’s deck and then decide whether or not they shuffle the deck or not. While Inkay does not force a discard, it can be disruptive in the sense that it could end a potentially strong draw in Pokémon TCG.

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Lastly, the Malamar card’s single Darkness Energy move allows the player to switch one of the opponent’s Benched Pokémon to the Active spot and deal 120 damage to the new Active Pokémon – this effect only works if Xerosic’s Plan has been played from the player’s hand before, during the same turn. The three cards have been announced together because they have a connection, with Malamar’s main effect only triggering when the Trainer card is used – even so, the Xerosic’s Plan is a strong card to have in competitive Pokémon TCG decks.

“These forced discard mechanics can effectively ruin an opponent’s strategy with the cards they already have in their hand.”

New Pokémon TCG: Night Wanderer Cards Stack With Other Strong Cards

Cards Can Counter A Powerful Combo

The release of these three new cards will bolster the forced discard mechanic and even stack with some other strong cards. The first of them is the Arbok ex card from the 151 expansion. This card has an attack called Menacing Fangs that can deal 150 damage and, on top of that, force the opponent to discard two cards from their hand. Another card that will likely benefit from the recently announced cards is Luxray ex, which will also be released in the Pokémon TCG: Night Wanderer set.

With Luxray ex’s Piercing Gaze, players can deal 120 damage and force the opponent to reveal their hand – and from there, the player may pick a card that the opponent must discard. When all stacked together, these forced discard mechanics can effectively ruin an opponent’s strategy with the cards they already have in their hand and, depending on the flow of the match, even make them run out of cards to pull, making them lose.

Combined with Luxray ex, Xerosic’s Plan can reduce the opponent’s cards to three and, with the Pokémon’s attack, take the last good card away from them, severing any possible gameplay strategy they had in mind.

The way Xerosic’s Plan works could even counter one of the strongest and most annoying card draw mechanics in the game, fueled by Bibarel. With the Bibarel card from the Brilliant Stars expansion for Pokémon TCG, players can use the creature’s ability every turn to pull cards until they have 5 in their hand – and Bibarel does not have to be in the Active spot. With Xerosic’s Plan combined with Malamar’s move, players can force a discard, bring in Bibarel, and take them out, since the creature only has 120 HP and Malamar’s move deals exactly that amount of damage.

Related New Pokémon TCG Promo Card Is The First Of Its Kind A new and upcoming promo card in a Pokémon TCG expansion is coming with an extra perk that will establish it as the first of its kind in the game.

The three new cards add hope to more aggressively punitive gameplay mechanics other than sheer firepower. Forced discard seems to be making a comeback with the Night Wanderer set. It is uncertain how these cards will prove themselves in the meta, but it is a powerful mechanic in Pokémon TCG.

Source: Pokebeach