Week of September 7, 2003

AD4 (EX1) Updates Du Jour

A Quick Diversion: Tetris is the world's best game in the world.

Surprizingly enough, Japan's Pokémon TCG website is updated before my sources did. Bleh! Anyways.... the site opened up some mysterious info on the new set, like how it's gonna look and all that...

First off though... link time.

http://www.pokemon-card.com/yomimono/news_express/vol03_maguma_aqua.html

This page here has a whole bunch of little things TPC decided to tease us with. I however, using my Duotronic Octogramic Neutronic Wave Translatitron device, will give you the run down of what's going on here...

• It's official, this set is called "EX1". You can see it on the back design right below the ADV symbol.
• There seems to be only two deck packages, but it looks like there are two 30 card decks in each package (for a total of 4 mini decks)
• Looks like TPC is doing something new by doing dual-types. That Groudon is Darkness-Fighting. Super. You can be darn well sure that I certainly won't be blanking THAT. :)
• Two new Energies are added to the game; Magma Energy and Water Energy. I think they might provide either two Water/Fighting energy, two Darkness energy, or 1 Fighting/Water energy and 1 Darkness energy. Innnnnteresting.
• Also a new Technical Machine is listed; Magma Machine 01. Hmmm....

New cards seem to be:
• Magma's Groudon
• Magma's Aggron
• Aqua's Kyogre
• Aqua's Walrein
• Magma's Camelrupt
• Aqua's Sharpedo
• Magma Energy
• Aqua Energy
• Magma Machine 01

Interesting stuff indeed. The set will be released October 24th in Japan, but be sure to keep an eye here... chances are that I'll have the entire set translated before the 24th. :P

Battle-e coming to US and Pokémon Colosseum news

A Quick Diversion: I'm putting my money on the fact that Pokémon Fire Red Version and Pokémon Leaf Green Version ARE remakes of Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Green Version (Blue in the US). I've learned not to trust IGN anymore.

Update on Leaf/Fire

A Quick Diversion: I need to sleep.

Contrary to what we reported earlier today, IGN Pocket is saying that Fire/Leaf is to Ruby/Sapphire as Crystal was to Gold/Silver. However, that doesn't seem to make much sense. Why release two 'updates'? And why is one green instead of Water Blue or something? I think that our earlier report of them being updated Red/Green games may be true.

My question is, if they are updates, will the US be getting Fire Red/Leaf Green, or will we have Fire Red/Water Blue?

Remake of Red/Green?

A Quick Diversion: I am alive!

Special thanks to Meweight on our forums for pointing us to this.

Serebii.net and Nintendojo are reporting that Pokemon Fire Red and Leaf Green have been announced for the GBA. These are updated versions of the original Pokemon games released in Japan. The next Coro Coro magazine is supposed to have images.

Supposedly, the graphics are going to be upgraded to what we have with Ruby and Sapphire. You will also be able to trade Pokemon from Fire Red/Leaf Green (F/G) to Ruby/Sapphire as well as the upcoming Pokemon Coluseum for Gamecube. Now we can finall get all of them!

No sales date has been confirmed.

On a side note, Pokemon in the USA recently turned five! [waves around small noise maker]

EX: Dragon Info

A Quick Diversion: Don't forget... today is the 2nd Anniversary of the September Eleventh World Trade Center attacks. Never forget it. You should also never forget the bombing of Peral Harbor while you're at it (December 7th, 1941). And no, I'm definitely not joking about that. :)

http://www.pokegym.net/showthread.php?t=977

EX: Dragons, known as ADV3 in Japan, will be released statewise this December. Expect prerelease tournaments to come about in late-November, early-December.

That is all.

Looking For Sandstorm Scans?

A Quick Diversion: Guh

Water Pokemon Master at the PokéGym posted this earlier today; it's just a few scans of Sandstorm cards... something to tide you over while we work on our own scans page. :D

http://pokebeach.topcities.com/adv2/adv2.shtml

You like? I like! And for anyone who has doubts about the coolness of the EX-block sets, I just want to point out that they've actually made Dunsparce USEFUL. I LOVE the EX-block sets, again I must say that this block is a HECK of a lot better than both the Neo-block and the Card-e-block. Good times. ;)

Cards From The Future, Today!

A Quick Diversion: Not in California? See what you're missing!

Recall Election Ballot (Front)
Recall Election Ballot (Back)

VOTE SCHWARZENEGGER! I know I will be, but I'm probably the only one who'll vote for him because I actually AGREE with his politics. :D

Want a sneak peak at some of the cards in Japan's new EX1 (aka ADV4, aka Team Magma/Aqua set) set to be released in October in Japan?? Open up a pack of Sandstorm then. :D

FlygonChampion at the 'Gym saw something that I totally missed... remember that ADV4/EX1 info I posted a while back (look for "Some ADV4 News" here)? As it turns out, although these cards look like they'll be in ADV4/EX1 when it's released in Japan, we ended up getting these cards in Sandstorm.

Take a look! Kabutops EX is in Sandstorm, as was Arcanine, Murkrow, and Umbreon (and drawn by the artists I mentioned as well). Not to mention that my prediction of the other 'Eons, as well as the Growlithe, Kabuto, and Mysterious Fossil were correct as well.

Innnnteresting, even more so, my guestimation of where the 47 new cards came from was correct as well (from ADV4, I said).

Now this brings up a bigger issue... when ADV4 is released State-side, what will we be getting??

Some Sandstormy Business

A Quick Diversion: I sleep in a drawer!

The Sandstorm Prerelease tournaments started yesterday, and did it ever come with a load of rich, creamery news! Let's see what we got...

- The Sandstorm set list is up and ready to be looked at, thanks to pikajosh84 (sorry Scyther...).

- According to Water Pokemon Master as the 'Gym, the next set may be called EX Dragons. I've foolishly assumed this rumor to be fact when I updated the TCG section section of the site. (BTW, I fixed up the Sandstorm page a bit with some new info.)

- As it turns out, all 47 new cards are indeed NEW. I still can't put my finger on where they came from though...

- The prerelase promo was an Armaldo, so says SteveP at the 'Gym.

Fun stuff! Scyther's Prerelease tournament will actually be starting today, and I'm sure he's gonna work hard on WINNING just so he can get us some scans of the cards. Good times. :D