It’s been a busy year for the Pokemon TCG, but then again, isn’t it always? The release schedule doesn’t slow down, and the new cards just keep on coming! As the end of 2024 looms, the final set of the year has been revealed, and it’s set to arrive in November.
Surging Sparks is the name of the final set of 2024, and it’ll mostly be made up of cards from the Japanese set, Paradise Dragona. If you take a look at our Paradise Dragona card list, you’ll get a good look at what to expect from Surging Sparks.
In fact, there’s been very few details or images released for Surging Sparks so far, but let’s take a look at all of the details we do know about the set, and its cards.
Surging Sparks: Base Set Card List
The eagle eyed among you will note that the above card is in Japanese! There’s a good reason for that; so far, the only English language card that’s being released as part of the Surging Sparks product range is the one that’s being included in the Elite Trainer Box, along with other promo cards (see the ‘Are Other Cards Being Released With Surging Sparks Packs?’ section below).
So why are we showing you this particular Japanese card? Well, The Pokemon Company’s own information on the Surging Sparks set mentions a few Pokemon, including ‘Stellar Tera Pokemon ex’ and ‘a parade of dragon Pokemon, led by the towering Alolan Exeggutor ex’. So we are certain that we’ll be seeing the above pictured Pokemon in Surging Sparks, as this is the Alolan Exeggutor ex that’s named in the description!
The Alolan Exeggutor ex is a Stellar Pokemon, which are arriving on Western shores in the set prior to Surging Sparks, Stellar Crown. These Pokemon are also Tera Pokemon ex, albeit with a notable difference: their attacks use multiple Energy types. Though this makes them more challenging to use, the power of their attacks makes them worth checking out.
Other Pokemon named in the Surging Sparks set include Archaludon ex and Latias ex, and we also know that more Ace Spec cards will be included too.
Surging Sparks: Secret Rare Card List
In order to identify a Secret Rare card in any Pokemon set, you can simply look at the set number in the bottom left of the card. If the number of the card exceeds the number of cards in the set, for example the Alolan Exeggutor ex shown above has the card number 089/064, making it it a Secret Rare.
Though Secret Rare cards look unique, they’re all all alternate versions of cards from the base set. That means they’re not different in terms of their stats and abilities, but their artwork and foil treatments (not to mention their scarcity, as they’re rarer to find in booster packs) is what makes them more sought after for Pokemon fans.
No English language Secret Rare cards have been revealed for Surging Sparks yet, but of course we do know that the Alolan Exeggutor ex will be included, so we have no doubt that we’ll also see the Special Illustration Rare version of the card too; so that’s the one we’ve pictured above!
Are Other Cards Being Released With Surging Sparks Packs?
Though they won’t show the same set code as other Surging Sparks cards, every Pokemon set features Promo cards that you’ll find in various packs. They are generally accepted as being part of the set’s release, despite not having the same set code as other cards. For Surging Sparks, we’re sticking with the Lightning energy theme; the promo card that’ll be included in the Surging Sparks Elite Trainer Box will be Magneton, as pictured above.
Thanks to Pokebeach, we’ve also seen four more promo cards that’ll be included with various Surging Sparks products, such as the multi-booster blister packs. Above, you can see the cards Gouging Fire, Chien-Pao, Magneton and Indeedee.
When Will Surging Sparks Be Released?
Surging Sparks is due to be released on the 8th November, 2024. As with most sets, it’ll be preceded by pre-release events in the week leading up to the official release; these events are a great way to get a look at the cards and booster packs from a new set, a few days ahead of their official retail release. They’re also a very good way of finding out what cards you’re likely to see popping up in decks over the next few months after release (and sometimes longer, if you get a card like the Dark type Tera Charizard ex, which has really stood the test of time since emerging in Obsidian Flames!).
If you’d like to get sneak previews of the cards and booster packs by entering one of those events, it’s easy to find out where they’re being held locally to you; you just need to enter your location on the official Pokemon website’s Event Locator, here.
As always, as soon as more cards are revealed, we’ll add them to this article, so watch this space!
