XY—Evolutions

Status: Released (November 2016)

A Blast from the Past in XY—Evolutions

The XY era concluded with a wave of nostalgia on November 2, 2016, with the release of XY—Evolutions. This set was a modern tribute to the original Base Set, reprinting classic cards like Charizard, Blastoise, and Venusaur with their original artwork but modernized stats. XY—Evolutions celebrated 20 years of Pokémon by blending old-school design with new-school mechanics, introducing Mega Evolutions of the Kanto starters and stunning secret rares like "Flying Pikachu" and "Surfing Pikachu."

The Legacy of Dragonite-EX

While many played XY—Evolutions for the memories, it offered serious competitive value as well. "Dragonite-EX" became an instant staple for its "Pull Up" ability, which allowed players to recover two Basic Pokémon from their discard pile, adding incredible consistency to decks. The set also featured a reprint of "Brock's Grit," a supporter that helped manage resources in long games. As the final set of the XY block, XY—Evolutions served as the perfect bridge between the past and the future, reminding us why we fell in love with the game in the first place.