Best "retro" era (post WotC/pre BW)

General
1

I’m curious which one will be on top. I know there are some diehards for year 1 of the ex era and some diehards for the HGSS era, but I don’t think either are the most loaded blocks in this timeframe.

Also, do you feel the E series era should be considered part of this “retro” era and not considered in the same era as “WotC”? Technically this is the start of “new back” jp cards and artwork wise definitely looks more like the generations that followed it… If enough people think so, I’ll add it to this poll and you can revote.

  • ADV (ex year 1)
  • PCG (ex year 2/3)
  • Dp
  • Pt
  • L (HGSS)

0 voters

Side Note/Conversation:

I’m an advocate for this era to be called “retro” within the collectible space. I know “retro” means “past” for players when reviewing old decks and playing retro formats, but I still feel like it is an adequate word for this purpose for collectors. It is not as old as Vintage (otherwise known as the WotC era) and it is older than Modern (BW on).

BW marks the start of Modern IMO because it was the era that introduced full arts which was a massive turning point for the chases/aesthetic of the rarest cards/general look of pokemon cards.

I would go one step further with a fourth category of age and call the current generation(s): Contemporary, implying they are the era happening now. A strict cutoff would be whatever generations are legal in standard format (so SWSH/SV), but another way to look at it in retrospect 5-10 years down the road when more segregations are beneficial for compartmentalizing the hobby, would be the prominence of Special Arts which I would argue starts at year 3 of SM onward (even though year 1 of SWSH didn’t have them).

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2

my personal rankings at this time would be:

1 PCG
2 Pt
3 ADV
4 L
5 Dp (far behind 1-4 in my eyes)

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3

oh also, i’m not sure what the consensus is on Stormfront, but in my mind, it fits more with the Platinum block since it has set numbering in japanese just like Pt/onwards, while Dp did not

4

platinum and the later ex sets (or all of them honestly) >

not a big fan of hgss, though it has some of the best arts and if you lump col in then the whole era gets dramatically better

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5

Afaik CoL is an amalgamation of reprints with different arts and promos, so if would definitely still be considered part of the L/HGSS era

6

Genuinely surprised nobody has picked Pt yet. The shinies alone make it more interesting than Dp,

I think one of the reasons PCG is so good is because not only does it have gold stars, but it also has delta species which makes for some cool cards. Not to mention sets like TRR and Unseen Forces for sets that don’t have deltas

7

If I have to rank the promo sets for the Retro Era, it would be

  1. PCG-P
  2. L-P
  3. DPt-P
  4. DP-P
  5. ADV-P

Cheers!

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8

I went with Pt because it had Character 0wned Pokemon, Shiny Pokemon, Lv. X(Which are basically just Ex), and exciting standard holos.

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9

ex sucks do not buy it thank you

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10

Have you not bought it all anyway :laughing:

11

Eek voted PCG but complete missed the HGSS option… definitely my favourite

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12

I like “legacy” as a term. I feel like retro is too easily misunderstood as the older stuff.

13

interesting. legacy feels like a reference to the original to me lol.

when i think of something being “vintage” IRL, i think of stuff from the 70s or earlier. when i think of something being “retro” i think of the 80s-90s

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14

FWIW, they both have the same practical definition ¯_(ツ)_/¯ I’ve heard vintage used to describe anything over 15 years old and I’ve heard retro used to describe anything from the 1960’s-1970’s. It’s all semantic, but I agree retro is probably a little more fitting given we use the word more often in the gaming/hobby atmosphere

Oh, and ADV reigns supreme :pray:t3:

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15

looking at the definition, vintage has the most precise meaning when referring to wine, but otherwise is fairly vague. still seems like the best for oldback/wotc before many changes were made (see: 3b)

vintage

2 of 2

adjective

1

of wine : of, relating to, or produced in a particular vintage

2

: of old, recognized, and enduring interest, importance, or quality : CLASSIC

3

a

: dating from the past : OLD

b

: OUTMODED, OLD-FASHIONED

4

: of the best and most characteristic —used with a proper noun

vintage Shaw: a wise and winning comedy—Time

retro is also kind of meaningless lmao, but i’d argue you could use the adjective definition to refer to cosmos foil

retro

1 of 2

adjective

ret·​ro ˈre-(ˌ)trō

Synonyms of retro

: relating to, reviving, or being the styles and especially the fashions of the past : fashionably nostalgic or old-fashioned

a retro look

retro noun

retro-

2 of 2

prefix

1

: backward : back

*retro-*rocket

2

: situated behind

retroperitoneal

I can understand why @xileets might choose legacy. depending on the context, it could refer to pre-full arts, or pre-whatever changes someone might want to use as a reference point. I think the second part of the legacy adjective definition is why i think of “original” when i think of legacy, as in something that was there originally before new versions of it’s kind emerged.

legacy

2 of 2

adjective

1

: of, relating to, or being a previous or outdated computer system

transfer the legacy data

a legacy system

2

: of, relating to, associated with, or carried over from an earlier time, technology, business, etc.

And it is about more than just TV—newspapers, magazines, radio, all the “legacy” media are feeling the earth move beneath them. Journalists look out and see thousands of empty campus TV lounges and newsprint-less recycling bins and millions of iPads and smart phones and they wonder what’s coming next.—Dante Chinni

Following ISG’s takeover, 100,000 Bethlehem retirees and their dependents also lost their medical coverage, and they will get only a fraction of their original pension benefits. Avoiding those expenses, known as legacy costs, will save ISG more than $400 million a year.—Nelson D. Schwartz

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16

Hmm. I can see where you’re going there. Yeah, that makes sense. I use ‘legacy’ because it’s a term in TCGs. PkMn uses ‘expanded’, but in magic, you’ve got
vintage >
legacy >
other complicated near-modern formats >
modern >
standard.

I like the sense of continuity that legacy gives. Like it’s always been there, but isn’t modern.
edit: when working with computer systems, ‘legacy’ is often used to refer to systems that are still needed or highly valued, but no longer supported or updated. the latter part doesn’t apply, but i think the important part is the “value” that legacy seems to impart. IDK I’d say ‘retro’ holds particular value other than style. (They are certainly stylish, tho.)

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17

HGSS purely because they had the best borders we’ve ever had and likely ever will have. Pcg close second though as gold stars and the original ex cards were amazing as well as it being the last era i collected as a kid.

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18

In my opinion it’s Platinum
The secret rares in many of those sets are some of the nicest we have seen.
The reprints of iconic WOTC cards, the 3 birds reprint for the first time outside of Japan, the SH set of shinies, the Rotom mini set and the AR arceus cards are some of the best cards in all of Pokémon, in my opinion.

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19

platinum is really nice. best part of gen 4 cards imo

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