Pokemon TCG has kept collectors enticed by occasionally featuring exceptionally rare cards for fans to chase. This includes Rainbow Rares and alternate art cards, to name a few. This year, Pokemon TCG fans also got to enjoy a new kind of card that can be peeled to reveal a new card beneath. The card was used to demonstrate Ditto’s mimicking ability.
More Pokemon should get the peelable card treatment, as Ditto isn’t the only critter that can change its form. There is a chance to do this with a few upcoming sets, including the Crown Zenith collection that will round up the Sword and Shield generation of Pokemon TCG. Fans can also look forward to the Paldea Collection which launches in January.
Pokemon TCG and Pokemon GO Give Ditto a Special Card
Over the years, Pokemon TCG has released a few special edition sets. These are usually smaller than the mainline sets, and The Pokemon Company sometimes collaborates with other companies, such as McDonald’s. In 2022, fans got to enjoy a very special Pokemon GO set which celebrated the highly successful AR game. The Pokemon GO set features art containing Pokemon in various real-world environments, including Eevee relaxing in a living room and Mewtwo levitating in an urban setting. The set is also noteworthy because it introduced a hard-to-find Ditto card. It’s pretty easy for collectors to entirely miss this card, and it may be sitting in their collection right now undetected. Certain cards that contain a small Ditto symbol in the bottom corner can be peeled to reveal a Ditto beneath. This mimics the Pokemon’s ability to morph into other creatures.
Pokemon That Deserve the Ditto Treatment
The peelable card is a fun gimmick that further blends the VGC and TCG worlds of the series. However, the mechanic should not stop with Ditto, as several other critters could also greatly benefit from it. This is especially true for Pokemon that have different forms, or that can shape-shift. The most obvious candidate is Zoroark, a Pokemon that is a master of trickery. It is known for its love of fooling humans and Pokemon alike, and its signature move is Illusion. Using this move, it can change its appearance to look like a different member of a Trainer’s team. It is a highly useful move in the competitive scene, as it allows for plenty of surprises. A peelable Zoroark card would highlight the most special aspect of this creature.
Another Pokemon that deserves a peelable card is the Pikachu-clone Morpeko. Most of the time, Morpeko looks like an adorable, golden rodent with patches on its cheeks. However, things drastically change when it gets hungry. When its stomach starts grumbling, it transforms into Hangry mode and changes its appearance. It becomes a Dark-Type Pokemon with a mean attitude. With a peelable card, both sides of this Pokemon could be shown off with one card. Mimikyu is a Pokemon that redefines the concept of a Pikachu clone. It has seen the popularity that Pikachu has received, and it attempts to garner the same attention for itself by putting on a terrible disguise. If it is attacked, the neck of its disguise breaks, giving it a slightly different form with a lop-sided head. Although fans will likely never see what is under the creepy costume, a peelable card could show the Pokemon with its neck intact and with its neck broken.
Scarlet and Violet open a new avenue for peelable cards through Terastallization. This is a new mechanic that allows Pokemon to take on a crystal form, sharply boosting the power of attacks that match their Tera Type. The next generation of Pokemon TCG could celebrate Terastallization by featuring cards that appear normal but can be peeled to reveal scintillating Terastal Pokemon beneath.