New Release: Pokemon Scarlet & Violet - Destined Rivals (DRI)

Pokemon Trading Card Game Announcement:
Destined Rivals expansion confirmed

After months of speculation, The Pokemon Company, have confirmed is, again, going to be focused around Pokemon & their trainers - including the much anticipated return of Team Rocket!

The official announcement from Pokemon says:

"Pokémon Trainers, be on high alert! The nefarious Team Rocket is setting its latest plan into motion, and heroic Trainers are racing to stop it. Join forces with the likes of Cynthia and Garchomp ex, Ethan and Ho-Oh ex, or Arven and Mabosstiff ex… Or reconsider your loyalties and fight alongside Team Rocket’s Pokémon like Mewtwo ex—under the command of Giovanni! Choose a side, assemble your allies, and battle boldly in the Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet—Destined Rivals expansion!

• Over 240 cards
• Over 85 Trainer’s Pokémon, including over 45 Team Rocket’s Pokémon
• More than 15 Pokémon ex
• More than 20 Trainer cards
• More than 45 Pokémon and Trainer cards with special illustrations"

When Will Pokemon Destined Rivals Be Released?

As we anticipated before the official announcement (below), the official release date for Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: Destined Rivals is the 30th May 2025.

*Before the announcement on the 24th March, we said:*
As mentioned, this set is not yet officially confirmed, so the release date is unconfirmed. However, based on previous release schedules, it's fair to estimate that Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: Destined Rivals will be released around the 30th May 2025.

What's Going To Be In This Set?

The Destined Rivals expansion is going to combine the 2 newest Japanese expansions, Heat Wave Arena (released 14th March 2025) and the super hyped set The Glory Of Team Rocket (set for release on 18th April 2025).

There's an exciting card list for Heat Wave Arena, which includes stunning cards like:

Ethan's Ho-Oh ex:

Cynthia's Garchomp ex:

Our favourite, Ethan's Typhlosion:

There's no confirmed card list for The Glory Of Team Rocket yet, however, one thing is for certain - Rocket's Mewtwo will feature! We also know that there will be no Dark Pokemon in this expansion.

Combining these 2 Japanese sets will make the English expansion, Pokemon Destined Rivals another hugely popular set in 2025!

How Can I Buy Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: Destined Rivals?

With the ongoing stock shortages for Pokemon, which has been an issue since 2023's Pokemon 151, and hitting hardest with Surging Sparks & Prismatic Evolutions, we will be trying our hardest to get as much stock as possible and making it available for RRP. We also recommend you check your local game stores the week of release.

There are a wide variety of Destined Rivals products that will be available to buy upon release, each with their own unique benefits, such as special promo cards or number of packs:

• Booster Packs
  • 1 individual pack
    
    
• Triple Pack Blisters
  • 3 packs
  • 1 promo
    
    
• Booster Bundles
  • 6 Booster Packs
    
    
• Build & Battle Box
  • 40 card playing deck
  • 1 of 4 promos
  • 4 Booster Packs
    
    
• Build & Battle Stadium
  • 2 Build & Battle Boxes, with all their contents
  • 3 additional Booster Packs
  • 121 Energy cards
  • 6 dice
  • 1 coin
  • 2 condition markers
  • A collector's box
    
    
• Elite Trainer Box
  • 9 Booster Packs
  • 1 full art promo
  • 65 card sleeves
  • 45 Energy cards
  • 6 dice
  • 1 coin
  • 2 condition markers
  • A collectors box
    
    
• Pokemon Center Elite Trainer Box
  • 1 Elite Trainer Box, with all it's contents
  • 1 Pokemon Center stamped full art promo
    
    
• Booster Boxes
  • 36 Booster Packs

Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: Destined Rivals Pre-Orders

We've placed a large number of pre-orders with shops over the years, but recently, we've seen more & more pre-orders get cancelled or delayed. Most recently, a huge UK retailer has delayed a pre-order on 3 separate occasions, leading to more than a 2.5 month delay, and counting! As players, we know & understand the frustration that this can bring.

That's why we currently don't offer pre-orders on any products, including the latest Pokemon sets like Journey Together or Destined Rivals. Any item available for purchase from The Card Table is stock that we already have in hand, ready to post as quickly as possible. This means you'll never get disappointing news from us, like delaying your pre-order!

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