Fusion Strike Pull Rates Might Be the Worst We’ve Seen

Fusion Strike Pull Rates

Fusion Strike is the newest released set in the Pokémon TCG and many people are pointing out how difficult it is to pull anything rare. There have been multiple case studies done that supports evidence of this set having really bad pulls rates compared to any set we’ve seen before. @PokeTCGiveaways on Twitter posted a graphic that shows the rarest cards in Fusion Strike and their pull rates. These are very high numbers for pulling rare cards. @PokemonTCGDrops replied saying that they opened an entire booster box of 36 packs and only got 2 rares. This could be an outlier but it’s still not promising to see stats like this.

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The good thing about this set is there are more than 260 cards in the set. This means you’re always pulling something different. It’s refreshing to constantly see cards you haven’t seen before even after opening a bunch of packs. There’s a lot of amazing art in this set and it’s great seeing such a variety of cards.

Compared To Other Sets

For a comparison, the rarest card in Chilling Reign was a Alternate Art Vmax Blaziken. The pull rate on this Blaziken is about 1/450. The pull rate on the Alternate Art Vmax Mew in Fusion Strike is about 1/2100. That means the rarest card in Fusion Strike is 4x harder to pull than the rarest card in Chilling Reign.

What Does This Mean?

Individual cards have extremely rare pull rates, as shown above. But pulling rares in general shouldn’t be as difficult. For example, its easier to pull any Secret Rare than it is to pull a specific secret rare card. If you like opening packs to see different cards, you can still buy Fusion Strike packs and this set will be great for you. This just means specific cards you want probably aren’t worth chasing because of how difficult they are to pull. Some people are considering buying chase cards instead of opening packs. Let us know what your chase card is below!

What Starter Pokémon are in Legends: Arceus? And Possible Regional Variants

At the start of most Pokémon games you have a choice between 3 Pokémon what you want your first Pokémon to be. The Pokémon you choose will go with you on the rest of your journey and evolve as you play. Pokémon Legends: Arceus will take place in the past of the Sinnoh region, called the Hisui region. Ironically it won’t feature the same starters that came from the Sinnoh region in Pokémon Black and White. It is not yet known if there will be Hisuian regional variations of these three starters but there has been many rumors that this is a possibility. Here are your options.

Rowlet – Grass / Flying Type

Rowlet is a grass type Pokémon that resembles an owl. Rowlet evolves into Dartrix and then Decidueye. This Pokémon is originally from the Alolan region.

Cyndaquil – Fire Type

Cyndaquil is the fire type starter in Pokémon Legends. Originally from the second generation Johto region, it evolves into Quilava and then, finally, Typhlosion.

Oshawott – Water Type

The water type starter is Oshawott. This Pokemon evolves into Dewott and Samurott. Oshawott is from the Unova region.

What’s the best starter in Pokémon Legends: Arceus?

Most players choose their starter based on what they’re favorite type is or which Pokémon they like more, which is always a good option. It could also depend on what Pokémon you plan on having on your team. If you want the new Hisuian Growlithe on your team then you may want to choose Rowlet as your starter to balance your team out. This way if you’re against a water type, you don’t have to use your Growlithe, which is weak against water types. Ultimately, any starter is a good choice and you will run into many more types of Pokémon on your journey that you’ll be able to catch later.

Will There Be Starter Regional Variants?

There have been many rumors that there may be regional variants of all starter Pokémon or their evolutions in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. We don’t have any evidence of this yet but it’s definitely a possibility. There should be plenty more Pokémon in the Hisui region that we have yet to see and the starter Pokémon could be a hint at what we will see. What we know so far is on the official website, it lists these Pokémon as starters and does not mention Hisui variants of them. On the flip side, there have been posts by Centro Leaks (a source that has predicted other correct, unreleased Pokémon information in the past) that hints there will be regional forms of these starters and they will have new types as well. For now, we’ll just have to wait and see.

What is the Arc Phone in Pokemon Legends: Arceus?

Pokémon Legends: Arceus is the newest installment of a Switch game in the Pokémon universe that is set to come out January 28th, 2022. Instead of battling challengers like usual, the gameplay will mainly be focused on adventure and exploration of the Hisui region. You’ll be able to explore the area and catch wild Pokémon in ways we’ve never seen before. In this upcoming game there has been a device constantly teased in trailers called the Arc Phone but we haven’t been shown the specific capabilities of this strange device just yet. Here’s the information we have so far.

What does the Arc Phone do?

Many have compared the Arc Phone to the Sheikah Slate we’ve seen in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. There are plenty of times Pokémon Legends has been compared to this Zelda game and this is another example of that. The Sheikah Slate is used for setting markers on your map and used as a camera. It also has magic abilities, like freezing time and unlocking certain areas. The Arc Phone will probably have some magical abilities as well considering its a technology from the future, possibly brought back by Arceus.

Theories about the Arc Phone

If you don’t know already, Arceus is known as the longest living Pokémon that possibly created the entire Pokémon world. They’re also known for halting and bending time as well as creating things. This Pokémon has extraordinary capabilities and having a device named after this Pokémon might wield some of that power. This device is referred to as strange because it doesn’t fit in the timeline of the game. Pokémon Legends: Arceus takes place far in the past, when phones and such devices didn’t exist. So why does our character have one? Some fans are theorizing that the character we play as is from the future. Others think the device was created by Arceus, themselves and given to our character for a purpose we don’t know yet. There’s only one way to find out the truth and that’s to play the game ourselves.

If you’d like to pre-order a digital or physical copy of Pokémon Legends: Arceus, we have information on the best place to do that here.

5 Rarest Cards in Pokémon Celebrations TCG Set

A reddit user posted a case study in the r/PokemonTCG subreddit that has been very useful to people chasing certain cards in the new Celebrations Pokémon TCG set. The post details the amount of times they pulled each card out of 778 packs opened. A card being rare doesn’t mean it’s among the most valuable cards in Celebrations. Here’s a ranked list of the rarest and hardest cards to pull from the Celebrations set.

1. Tapu Lele GX

You were probably expecting Charizard or something to be up here at number 1. This card isn’t what people expect as the rarest card in the Celebrations set, but from this study it seems like it is. The record shows a chance of 1/x to get this card, meaning you’ll have to open x packs on average to pull this card. This could be an outlier or just a really rare card. Either way, it has some amazing art with an underrated Pokémon all around.

2. Mewtwo EX

There’s a 1 in x chance to pull Mewtwo EX from Celebrations, making it the second rarest card in the set. It’s also a nice remake of an early EX style card many people would love to add to their collection.

3. Shiny Golden Mew

This may not be a remake of an old card, but still quickly became a fan favorite from Celebrations. This Shiny Gold Mew card is in 1 out of every x packs on average according to this study. It’s also so wanted, it’s among the most expensive and valuable cards in the Celebrations set as well.

4. Gold Star Umbreon

The Umbreon Gold Star remake card is another card many fans and collectors are chasing and is proving to be hard to get. The pull rate is 1/111.

5. Shining Magikarp

Similar to the Gold Star Umbreon, you also have a 1/111 chance of pulling the Shining Magikarp card from Celebrations. Because it is another card that is chased by many, it makes it a little more scarce than others with the same rarity rating.

5 Most Valuable Cards in Pokémon Celebrations TCG Set

The Pokémon TCG set, Celebrations, is one of the most anticipated and sold trading card game sets we’ve seen in a while. That’s because this set features new and old cards that are remakes and re-imagined art of beloved classic Pokémon cards to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the franchise. Naturally some of the more nostalgic and rare cards are the most valuable. But the most valuable doesn’t always mean its among the rarest cards in the Celebrations set. Here’s a list of the most expensive cards you can pull in Celebrations as of November 2021. These prices will change over time.

1. Charizard ~$150

This card doesn’t need an introduction as it’s probably the most popular and well known card out of all Pokémon cards. This is a remake of the original base set Charizard, which is one of the most expensive Pokémon cards out there. An original shadowless version of this card in gem mint condition sold for more than $300,000. This remake version is obviously not as rare but it is still wanted by many and that means people are willing to pay for it. This will most likely stay number 1 in this list as the most expensive card in Celebrations.

2. Shiny Gold Mew ~$60

Unlike the Charizard, this Shiny Golden Mew card isn’t a remake of an older card, but a new one. Even though it’s not an old card, the art still looks amazing and Mew has always been a fan favorite. This card is also quite hard to pull and is pretty rare. All these factors combined makes it the second most expensive card in the set.

3. Umbreon Gold Star ~$50

This is another nostalgic card for many people to pull. The Umbrella Gold Star is a remake of an older card that many people love and collectors are always looking to add recognizable old art to their collection.

4. Shining Magikarp ~$30

Shining Magikarp is another remake of an older card that doesn’t just feature any Magikarp, but a shiny Magikarp. This is another rare card that is difficult to pull. It may not be super holographic but for people that like the older Pokémon cards, this one is a must have.

5. Blastoise & Venusaur ~$15

Though the Blastoise and Venusaur cards aren’t as hard to pull as many other cards in this set, they are still wanted by many collectors. These are similar to the Charizard, as they’re recreations of the base set cards. The difference being Charizard is more popular among fans and more rare.

All Ridable Mounts You Can Get in Pokémon Legends: Arceus

Pokémon Legends: Arceus is the newest upcoming game in the Pokémon franchise that comes out January 28th, 2022. This new title will be unlike any other Pokémon game we’ve seen before. It’s gameplay is focused on story and adventure more than battling like previous games. Another feature that will be in Pokémon Legends are rideable mounts, meaning you can ride on Pokémon as a mode of transportation. This isn’t something you’d normally see from a Pokémon game. In previous games we would use Pokémon to fast travel to different locations but now you’ll be able to control the Pokémon yourself. Usually mounts are seen in MMO games like World of Warcraft, which was a huge success when the feature was released for that game. In WoW, it’s now seen as a main unlockable gameplay feature that everyone strives for when first playing. This will most likely be something everyone wants to unlock as quickly as possible in Pokémon as well. Here are the possible mounts you will be able to get in Pokémon Legends: Arceus announced so far, as of November 2021. This list might be longer or updated in the future.

Hisuian Braviary

A Hisui region variant of the original Pokémon, Braviary, a 5th generation Pokémon from the Unova region. This mountable Pokémon has been shown to help players travel with flight. You’ll be able fly over mountains and structures to get to where you need to be, which is presumably faster than any land transportation.

Basculegion

Basculegion is a new Pokémon introduced in the new Pokémon Legends: Arceus game. It evolves from Basculin. This has been showcased in trailers as a mount players will be able to use to travel across water.

Wyrdeer

Wyrdeer is another new Pokémon discovered in the Hisui region that will also become a ridable mount in Pokémon Legends. This will mainly be used for ground transportation.

Pokémon Unite Season 3 is Bringing Summer Holowear and Cosmetics in the Winter

With Season 2 ending in Pokémon Unite, naturally players have been awaiting what lies in the Season 3 update. The Official Pokémon Unite Twitter account posted a video announcement for the next season. Season 3 has started today and you can now download the update and play. According to the Tweet, the Season 3 Battle Pass name is “Sun, Sun, Sunshine!”. In Season 1 we also saw a similar style with the Beach Style theme. Many players have already mentioned the strange timing considering that the end of the year is known for the winter season, as it gets colder and starts snowing in the Northern Hemisphere. But in Pokémon Unite it seems like we’ll be seeing more summer themed holowear and outfits for Season three. We also have to consider the Southern Hemisphere has different seasons and plenty of players live there too. Regardless, it’s always nice to see new content being added to the game.

Season 3 Holowear

As seen above, there are two main Holowears that you can earn through the Battle Pass in Season 3, which will be Charizard and Venusaur Holowear. The Charizard holowear looks sophisticated with a nice shirt and glasses. While Venusaur looks celebratory and stylish. These both definitely fit the Sunshine theme but we’re seeing a lack of sunglasses.

Season 3 Trainer Outfits

Luckily they make up for the lack of sunglasses by giving us new ones for our trainers. The new trainer outfits and cosmetics for Season 3 gives us more variety of items to customize our characters with. From button up shirts and shorts to work related outfits, there are plenty of unlockable rewards in the new Battle Pass.

PokePatch Pokemon Unite Season 3 Trainer Outfits
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Will Pokemon Legends: Arceus have Multiplayer? How will it work?

Multiplayer Features in Pokemon Legends Arceus

Pokémon Legends: Arceus seems to be a single player focused game. For this reason, we don’t hear much about potential multiplayer features that will be in the upcoming game but we do know there will be certain ways to connect with your friends and other players. The gameplay is focused on adventure and exploring more than it is with battling others. With this new game being completely different from other Pokémon games we’ve seen before, we’re not sure how multiplayer would work if it becomes a feature. The question still stands, will Pokemon Legends Arceus be multiplayer? Here’s what we know so far.

Trading in Pokémon Legends: Arceus

It has been confirmed that we will have the ability to trade between players in this new game. There will be a trading post in Jubilife Village that allows you to trade Pokemon with friends. This isn’t much of a surprise considering trading has been a prominent feature in many Pokémon games, but this could mean there are more multiplayer features to be announced. To use this feature you will need a Nintendo Switch Online subscription.

Pokemon Home Compatible

It has been confirmed that Pokemon Home is compatible with Pokemon Legends Arceus. This means you will be able to transfer your Pokémon to and from your Pokémon Home collection. This allows players to bring you old Pokemon from previous titles into the new game.

Multiplayer Battles in Pokémon Legends: Arceus

Online battles have not been announced or confirmed yet. This however doesn’t mean that it won’t happen. Many Pokémon games in the past have included online multiplayer battles where you can battle alongside other players, like max raid battle dens in Sword and Shield, or fighting against your friends’ Pokémon in several other games. At this point we’re waiting for GameFreak to announce or reveal this feature. Until then, we’ll have to wait for further news and updates.

Best & Rarest Pokémon Cards to Pull in Fusion Strike

Fusion Strike is the newest set in the Pokémon TCG and coming off such an amazing set like Celebrations, people are looking for what’s next. Fusion Strike offers a lot of amazing cards to pull. So much in fact, that its the largest set we’ve seen in the Pokémon Trading Card Game. There will be 284 cards and some of those will be cards that were cut from Evolving Skies and weren’t included. Fusion Strike will also be the first set we see code cards that you can claim for the upcoming online game, TCG Live. TCG Live will replace the previous online Pokémon card game, called Pokémon TCG Online. Here are some of the rarest cards we’re excited for coming out of Fusion Strike. So far it looks like Fusion Strike might have the worst pull rates we’ve seen before. This means these chase cards may be very difficult to find.

1. Full Art Vmax Mew

With Mew being the mascot of this entire set, it’s not surprising to see Mew be the most rare and most wanted chase cards. There are plenty more Pokémon in the set but Mew will be the primary focus of rare cards in Fusion Strike. It looks like this Vmax card in particular is one everyone wants. The current pull rate on this card is 1/2160 which is extremely rare.

2. Alternate Art Vmax Espeon

PokePatch Pokemon alt art espeon Fusion Strike display

Espeon is a huge chase card in Fusion Strike. This was a card originally from the Japanese set, Eevee Heroes. Fans have been waiting for an English version of this card for months and finally got it. Now that it’s here, obtaining it is proving to be difficult. The current pull rate is about 1/1440.

3. Alternate Art Vmax Gengar

PokePatch Pokemon Fusion Strike alt art vmax Gengar display

This alt art Gengar is the 3rd most difficult card to pull out of Fusion Strike right now, with a pull rate of 1/1080. Not only is it rare but it looks super cool and has become several fans’ favorite chase card.

Notable Mentions

Secret Rare Mew

The first card on the list would be the Secret Rare Rainbow Mew. In the previous set, we got a shiny, golden, secret rare Mew card. That is one of the most wanted cards out of the Celebrations set. Now we have a rainbow secret rare of Mew that may become the most wanted card out of Fusion Strike.

Alternate Art Mew

Alternative art Pokémon cards are cards that stand out by deviating from the art style of other cards in the same set. These cards are usually very rare and in the case of this alternative art Mew, it looks like it’s going to be this way. There are also some other amazing looking alt art cards in Fusion strike such as Celebi and Gengar. These will easily become very popular chase cards as well. Keep your eyes open and let us know what kind of pulls you get below when Fusion Strike comes out!


One of the most trusted sources for buying or preordering Fusion Strike right now is GameStop. They’re listed at retail, MSRP price, so you don’t have to buy them off a scalper for a higher price. Not only will you be getting packs from a trusted source, but if you use our link below we earn commissions and you’ll help the PokePatch website stay up. Check out GameStop’s availability here:

What are Alternate Art Pokémon Cards?

Alternate art Pokémon cards are cards that deviate from the usual art style in a set. Usually most cards in a set will share a common art style or theme, while these cards have an alternative look to them. In older sets of the Pokemon TCG, you’ll find that many cards in the same set had a variety of art styles, but nowadays sets tend to look more uniform. These alternate art cards allows for sets to feel consistent while still having cards that stand out from the crowd. This technique started in the Sword and Shield: Battle Styles set.

The card on the left is an alternate art Galarian Moltres V while the card on the right is a normal Galarian Moltres V. Just by looking at these two cards you can tell one is more rare because we don’t see many Pokémon cards that look like the one on the left. Another thing to note for people that not only like collecting, but those that play the TCG, these alternate art cards have the same moves. So these cards do the same thing, they just look different and it’s a good way to flex on your opponents.