Pokémon TCG: Island Guardian Tins Review

In May of 2017, the Pokémon Company released two new tins to add to the latest Guardians Rising expansion for Pokémon Sun and Moon. Called the Island Guardians Tins, each comes with 4 booster packs – two for Pokémon Sun and Moon: Guardians Rising, 1 for Pokémon Guardians, and a Steam Siege pack – as well as select Island Guardian GX cards. Regardless of which tin you choose to purchase, you will get a fantastic Pokémon in Tapu Koko-GX or Tapu Bulu-GX. What do we think of these cards, packs, and tins? Read below and find out!

Aesthetically Pleasing Tins

We didn’t comment on the original Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon tins when we reviewed them a number of months ago, but I think it’s worth mentioning now: I love that the Pokémon Company has continued to release tins for each generation of Pokémon. Even if you don’t store cards inside the tin after you open them – which I personally don’t because there isn’t a great way to protect them and keep them secure – the tins themselves are great to put on display and look fantastic. Right now, I have about 10-12 of these stacked on my desk, and even though they are completely empty, they look great!

The Collection of Cards

As stated previously, each tin comes complete with 4 packs of cards from various generations of Pokémon. Traditionally, the theme of the tin itself will dictate two of the picks found inside. As these are Pokémon Sun and Moon: Guardians Rising tins, of course we had two Guardians Rising packs in each tin. The other two packs are often randomized based on what has come out previously. In this case, it was XY Evolutions and XY Steam Siege.

Depending on how you look at it, this could be a positive or a negative. In this situation, it does prove to be a negative for me, had the Pokémon Company not supplied us with the products for this review. I’m looking to build my Pokémon Sun and Moon collection, for both completion purposes and for playing competitively. I have more than enough XY Evolutions and XY Steam Siege cards, so those packs are, for myself, a waste in this package.

However, this is how the tins have always been setup, and that will continue into the future. Because I enjoy the tins so much, I would bite the bullet on the two packs of cards I didn’t really need. That being said, for those looking to zero in on a specific set of cards, this probably isn’t the way to go. For the casual Pokémon player and fan, I think this tin is fantastic, in terms of which cards you will pull from your packs.

In both tins, I was able to get some pretty good card pulls throughout. I don’t think the Pokémon Company would ever guarantee a good card pull, but I find them to be pretty great overall. Obviously, you will be guaranteed one stellar GX card, and frankly, pulling one great card like that out of 4 packs would be considered pretty good. Essentially, anything else is pure gravy!

Here are the a few of the cards I pulled from the Tapu Koko-GX Tin!

Pokémon Trading Card Game Online

Of course, with every tin and pack of cards comes an online redemption code to unlock extras and packs of cards within the PC and mobile Pokémon Trading Card Game Online title. While the packs you unlock will always be associated with the pack you physically opened, the cards will be completely random. In the case of the Tapu Koko-GX tin, I received digital packs for Pokémon Sun and Moon: Guardians Rising (x2), Pokémon XY: Evolutions, and Pokémon XY: Steam Siege.

When you open your packs, you will get a ton of great cards to add to your digital library. The more sought after cards can be traded in the public trading space for other cards, or even packs! I like this addition to the physical products as it does add some value to your initial purchase. Now you are getting 8 packs of cards, as opposed to 4, if you are dedicated to playing the game online.

Overall, I think the Pokémon Trading Card Game Tins are a great value for those looking to build their collections, but for those looking for something specific, their money can be better spent elsewhere on a specific Pokémon generation and theme they want to collect.