Considering a modern generation consists of up to 30 JP sets and 18 English sets over 3 years, itâs hard to call anything older than the current generation ultra modern, especially after 1.5 years into Scarlet & Violet. Time moves so much faster between the newest sets
I believe that given enough time, âultramodernâ will slide to begin with SV simply due to card layout and border coming in line with Japanese. The main argument at the moment for including SWSH (which I agree with, for now) is that print runs were substantially increased compared to âthe past,â up to and including Sun & Moon.
Because you canât have an âultraâ without a âsuperââitâs a rank above in superlative-ness. Just think about it, Ultraman wouldnât make sense without Superman.
I think for the amount of time thatâs passed in the TCG, the scale Vintage/Transitional/Modern/Ultramodern seems to work pretty well just now. Even then, âmodernâ and âultramodernâ are definitely sliding scales, like Koala said I donât think you can really call anything earlier than the current era âultramodernâ.
The more time passes the more the different niches within the timeline of the TCG will make themselves apparent, especially because the category of âvintageâ being anything more than 20 years old will get way too broad. I think âWOTC eraâ will always remain, but uncertain about what comes after. Weâve already talked about Hidden Fates through SWSH being the Golden Era of modern collecting because of how distinctly better the sets and cards are compared to preceding eras, but how this will be viewed in the future Iâm not sure.
My big question is, who ratifies these eras? Do we need to consult our overlords in r/Pokeinvesting or does e4 have enough clout on its own?
