Pokemon: Shrouded Fable Release Date, Product Guide
With its release date on August 2, 2024, Shrouded Fable is just around the corner. Featuring some of the mythical and legendary Pokemon of Kitakami Island, an island in a special region you can only access via the Teal Mask DLC in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, Shrouded look pretty cool. Not only does it feature a few meta changing cards, it also boasts some great cards for collectors.
The way you get these cards, of course, is by cracking open packs and products. Luckily for you, some of the products getting released in this expansion look extra extraordinary. Let’s take a look at them in more detail and help you decide which ones are the best fit for you.
*Update July 23, 2024: Shrouded Fable Elite Trainer Boxes (both Pokemon Center and regular) won’t be releasing until August 23, 2024 due to manufacturing issues the Pokemon Company is facing. Read more about the impact this will have below.
Shrouded Fable set details
The Pokemon TCG: Shrouded Fable special set will include:
Over 95 cards
Three ACE SPEC rare Trainer cards
Five Pokémon ex and one Tera Pokémon ex (a Lightning-type Revaroom ex)
15 illustration rare Pokémon
10 ultra rare Pokémon ex, Tera Pokémon ex and Supporter cards
Five special illustration rare Pokémon and Supporter cards
Five hyper rare gold etched cards
Shrouded Fable Set Description:
“Rumors swirl and memories deceive as the march of time beats on in the land of Kitakami! Prepare for nightfall and discover a malevolent presence as Pecharunt ex commands the Loyal Three—Okidogi ex, Munkidori ex, and Fezandipiti ex—to do its nefarious bidding. These amazing Pokémon and more all await in the Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet—Shrouded Fable expansion!” – The Pokemon Company International
Shrouded Fable Elite Trainer Box and later release date
While the rest of Shrouded Fable will be releasing early August on schedule, Shrouded Fable Elite Trainer Boxes won’t be releasing until much later in the month on August 23rd. This is a pretty big deal for a couple of reasons, but the main one is that given Shrouded Fable is a special set, ETBs are the best way to get a lot of packs. Special sets, after all, don’t deliver booster boxes the way other sets do. This could mean an inflation in prices for other products in the Shrouded Fable line as well as inflated prices for Shrouded Fable chase cards.
This delayed release date applies to both the Pokemon Center and regular ETB versions you get in stores.
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Contents include:
The Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet—Shrouded Fable Elite Trainer Box includes:
9 Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet—Shrouded Fable booster packs
1 full-art foil promo card featuring Pecharunt
65 card sleeves featuring Okidogi, Munkidori, and Fezandipiti
45 Pokémon TCG Energy cards
A player’s guide to the Scarlet & Violet—Shrouded Fable expansion
6 damage-counter dice
1 competition-legal coin-flip die
2 plastic condition markers
A collector’s box to hold everything, with 4 dividers to keep it organized
A code card for Pokémon Trading Card Game Live
To start with, let’s dive into what’s included in the ETB (Elite Trainer Box) in Shrouded Fable and why you might want it. The reason I like ETBs is they are usually the best way to get the most packs for the least cost, especially when we’re talking about special sets like Shrouded Fable.
Yes, Shrouded Fable is a special set, and this means that it won’t be available in Booster Boxes the way main expansions are. With nine booster packs included, the Shrouded Fable ETB is the single best way to get the most packs in a single product.
Along with the booster packs you’ll also get the box which features the Loyal Three, some sleeves, energy cards, dice, condition markers and a limited edition Pecharunt promo card.
Who should get the Shrouded Fable ETB?
There are two type of Pokemon fans who benefit from the Shrouded Fable ETB: newbies and those looking for the most packs for their bucks. If you’ve been playing/collecting Pokemon for a while you probably won’t be uber excited about having a new box to put cards in or a bunch of new dice and damage markers. I know I have so many of these they turn into a jumbled mess in my closet.
However, if you are a new player, ETBs give you everything you need to compete directly out of the box, minus a competitive deck. If you don’t have card sleeves and damage markers etc already, this ETB has you covered.
I, however, would get the ETB simply because it’s the most cost effective way to get the most packs possible from this special set.
Shrouded Fable Booster Bundle
Shrouded Fable Booster Bundles are straightforward enough: they have six booster packs of Shrouded Fable.
Who should get the Booster Bundle?
The Booster Bundle is ideal for those who, like me, have plenty of ETBs already and don’t want additional dice, sleeves, or boxes. Although I prefer getting the ETB over a Booster Bundle, I certainly would opt for the Booster Bundle if I were purchasing a large number of Shrouded Fable products, as you really don’t need more than one ETB and all the stuff that comes with it.
They’re also great for people looking to have fun opening Shrouded Fable packs at a reduced cost.
Special Illustration Collection – the best Shrouded Fable product
Although ETBs are always a solid bet when investing in a special set, the Pokemon Company is doing something especially cool in this expansion by releasing what they call a Special Illustration Collection box. These face two different, alternate art promo cards of popular Pokemon including Greninja ex and Kingdra ex. These artworks are marketed as having “special illustration like artwork,” hence the reason for the name.
While these promos certainly aren’t going to be as rare as real SIRs (special illustration rares), their artwork speaks for themselves, and are a huge draw for players and collectors alike who want to open some packs as well as bag some gorgeous cards automatically.
These SIR collections are the products I’m looking forward to the most, and I think they are an excellent value for any collector.
Read my overview of the Special Illustration Collection boxes in Shrouded Fable for more info
Other Shrouded Fable products you should know about
While the above products are the best ones you should be looking out for from Shrouded Fable, there are a few other products being released with this special set. These include:
Mini tins
Three pack blisters with a Pecharunt card
An Illustration Collection featuring King Gambit
A Pokemon Center stamped ETB with additional packs and promo
Personally I’m not a huge fan of the Mini Tins. They include a couple booster packs but I’d much rather get one of the other above products and get more value out of my purchase. Also, the Illustration Collection featuring King Gambit is a far cry from the Kingdra ex and Greninja ex Special Illustration boxes so I would focus on those over King Gambit.
Lastly, The Pokemon Center always comes out with their own limited print ETBs for expansions. Personally I don’t pick these up as they are significantly more expensive for what you get, but for those of you who are fans of these, you’ll be glad to know they will be making a return in Shrouded Fable as always.
Where should you preorder Shrouded Fable products?
I would recommend preordering these products via TCGPlayer as it will have the best price. Already the price its being listed on TCGPlayer is significantly lower than what you’ll find at local department stores.
And that’s just about everything you need to know about the exciting upcoming Pokemon set: Shrouded Fable!