Although the Lost Origin Pokémon Trading Card Game expansion is releasing in late 2022, it is not going to be the end of the Pokémon Sword and Shield TCG series. Following the announcement that Gen 9 Pokémon Scarlet and Violet would be launching in November, many fans speculated that the Lost Origin TCG set would serve as the finale to the Sword and Shield series. However, leaks have revealed that players will get one final Galar Pokémon card set this Fall called Silver Tempest.
The Pokémon Sword and Shield TCG series officially launched in 2020, and now spans ten mainline expansions. The Galar region era introduced several new mechanics, such as Dynamax, VSTAR, and Radiant Pokémon cards. As Gen 8 closes out its final year, the Nintendo tabletop game has already released two massive expansions with Brilliant Stars in February, and Astral Radiance in May. The Lost Origin Pokémon TCG expansion hits stores on Friday, September 9th, and will feature the debut of Legendaries Giratina and Kyurem as VSTAR cards.
Despite the eleventh Gen 8 TCG expansion releasing so closely to Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, The Pokémon Company is actually going to debut one more final set after it. In November, the TCG will get the Silver Tempest expansion, which will include cards from the Japanese set Incandescent Arcana as well as cut cards from Lost Origin. Although some fans might not have expected a twelfth Sword and Shield TCG release, the set is tied to Game Freak's launch of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
Why Lost Origin Is Not The End Of The Pokemon Sword & Shield TCG Series
While some fans may be surprised by the announcement of the Pokémon Silver Tempest TCG expansion, it actually falls in line with how The Pokémon Company has handled previous generations. Going back to the release of 2013's Pokémon X and Y, the Gen 6 RPG made its debut in November of that year. However, fans didn't see the first Kalos region Pokémon cards until February 2014. The same cycle was used for Gen 7 Pokémon Sun and Moon, which also released its first Alolan TCG expansion the following year after the new game hit stores. With Gen 8 Pokémon Sword and Shield sticking closely to this format, The Pokémon Company has established a pretty consistent cycle for each new generation.
So even though Lost Origin is releasing in late 2022, the Sword and Shield series was always likely to extend past the debut of Gen 9 on the Nintendo Switch. This means that the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet TCG expansion will likely be available starting in February 2023. So the November release of Silver Tempest will be used as the final Sword and Shield TCG set to wrap up any remaining Gen 8 Pokémon cards that need to be released worldwide. Fans who want to move on from the Galar region era early can technically get the first Gen 9 Pokémon Trading Card Game collectibles starting in December 2022, but they will need to be imported from Japan.