Speculations, Expectations and Guesstimations: End of an Era

It looks like Scarlet and Violet is coming to an era.

Looking back to its predecessors, Sword and Shield (2020 - 2022) and Sun & Moon (2017 - 2019), each era of the TCG tends to last for 2 and a bit years. So following this trend and considering that Scarlet and Violet base set began in 2023, Prismatic Evolutions which is planned for release in January 17, 2025 might mark the end of this era.

With this, Sword and Shield will firmly be planted in that transitionary vintage stage which will see the price of certain chase cards sky rocket through the roof. I speculate that alt arts will be the cream of the crop with my top picks from this era being:

1. Celebi (245/264 - Fusion Strike) - Onion fairy blesses us with this simplistic, yet intricate artwork. Reminiscent of its special event animation from Soulsilver and Heartgold, this is one that collectors are sure to chase even 5 years from now.

2. Simisear (GG37/70 - Crown Zenith) - Monke see monke do. This artwork, along with each galarian gallery art gives pokemon and trainers new life with their unique spin on the traditional trainer gallery style. I mean, who doesn't love a cartoon monkey chewing on a berry.

   
   

3. Empoleon (146/163 - Battle Styles) - Sinnoh starters + Falinks cameo = recipe for success. This card already has a hefty price tag to it but with the slow rise of Battle Style, this set seems to mimic the glorious rise of Fusion Strike.

What cards do you think will rise?

**All of this is speculation, please do not take this as solid advice and please do your own research before investing in pokemon cards.**