The Pokémon Company has revealed details about the next Pokémon TCG expansion, arriving on March 22. Scarlet & Violet – Temporal Forces marks the return of the super-powerful ACE SPEC cards from 2011’s Black & White series, and a press release from January 10 confirms that boosters are already available to pre-order.
The return of ACE SPEC cards was first announced at the August 2023 Pokémon World Championships, so we’ve been expecting their comeback for some months now. These Pokémon cards are intended to be real game-changers, so only one ACE SPEC of any kind is allowed in your best Pokémon deck.
Previously, ACE SPEC cards were only ever Items or Pokémon Tool cards, but Wednesday’s press release says the new Pokémon TCG expansion will include seven ACE SPEC Trainers and Special Energy cards. You’ll know an ACE SPEC card by its new magenta design.
It’s also been confirmed that Temporal Forces will feature all-new Pokémon, including some from the Scarlet and Violet videogames – the Pokémon Company name-drops Walking Wake and Iron Leaves as some of the newcomers. Additionally, the new expansion promises 13 Pokémon ex, two Tera Pokémon ex, plus 22 illustration rares, 10 special illustration rare cards, and six hyper rare gold etched cards.
Booster packs are available from the Pokémon Center website in America, Canada, and the United Kingdom, with prices ranging from $4.49 to $161.14 (£3.99 to £143.64). There are also two Elite Trainer Boxes up for pre-order, showing Iron Leaves and Walking Wake on the boxes. Each costs $59.99 (£54.99) and comes with two extra booster packs, plus a rare promo card featuring the Pokémon Center logo.
Anyone who likes to play their Pokémon games online will gain access to Temporal Forces a day early, as the expansion arrives on Pokémon TCG Live on March 21.
For more on pocket monsters, check out the value of these rare Pokémon cards. We can also point you to the best Pokémon cards and most powerful Pokémon in the trading card game right now.