HeartGold & SoulSilver (TCG)

HeartGold & SoulSilver (Japanese: ハートゴールドコレクション ・ ソウルシルバーコレクション HeartGold Collection · SoulSilver Collection) is the name given to the first main expansion of cards from the English HeartGold & SoulSilver Series of the Pokémon Trading Card Game. The Japanese release is the first of the LEGEND era. The set brings several new mechanics and features to the game.

Description
''Pokémon are the heart and soul of any great Pokémon Trainer, and now is your chance to catch some of the greatest Pokémon of all time! With new kinds of cards that will change the way you play—like Pokémon Prime and the astonishing Pokémon LEGENDs Ho-Oh and Lugia—plus lots of Trainer cards that will accelerate your game and select Energy cards with a brand-new look, the HeartGold & SoulSilver expansion will get you started on your journey to greatness!''

Information
HeartGold & SoulSilver is the first expansion of the Pokémon Trading Card Game series of the same name, though often shortened to HGSS (the same abbreviation is also used for the expansion itself). Based on themselves, the expansion includes mostly Pokémon from Generation II, which itself includes all Pokémon from Generation I. Unlike its predecessor, TCG Neo Genesis, HeartGold & SoulSilver also consists of many Pokémon from the first generation, whereas Neo Genesis included only those related to new Pokémon (such as and, which had to be included for 's sake). In Japan, the expansion heralded the start of the Pokémon Card Game LEGEND era.

HeartGold & SoulSilver was the first expansion to use a revamped card design, which included multiple changes:


 * The card border is now gold and silver as opposed to yellow.
 * The illustrator's bar, the Pokémon stage bar and the Pokédex data strip all include tinges of gold.
 * The evolution circle returns to the extreme top-left of the card. The stage name strip is extended further to the left due to this.
 * An unfinished circle is present on Basic Pokémon cards where the evolution circle would be present on Stage 1 and 2 Pokémon cards.
 * The flavor text area has been compressed further down with the illustrator's bar shortened in length to compensate.
 * The top-right corner is now gold and silver to display the Hit Points more prominently.
 * The weakness and resistance bar no longer has the swooshes featured since Neo Genesis.

HeartGold & SoulSilver also introduced two new mechanics, as well as discontinuing two other mechanics. TCG Pokémon SP (Pokémon SP) cards and TCG Pokémon LV.X (Pokémon LV.X) are no longer present, the latter due to the removal of levels on the cards. Pokémon LV.X were replaced by a new mechanic in the form of TCG Pokémon Prime (Great Pokémon in Japan), Pokémon that are considerably rarer and more powerful than any of their regular counterparts. Pokémon Prime do not play home to any new mechanics: they do not have special names, there are no drawbacks to their use and they evolve the same as any other Pokémon. They have a holographic gold border, much like the silver border of Pokémon LV.X and TCG Pokémon-ex before them, and additional graphics around the illustration box and the card name (which is also holographic gold). They also lack Pokédex data in order to free up space for more Pokémon Powers and attacks.

The second new mechanic to be introduced by the set was TCG Pokémon LEGEND, named after the series in Japan. Pokémon LEGEND are two cards that are treated as a single card when in play. The component cards form the top and bottom halves of the Pokémon LEGEND and can feature either one or two Pokémon. They can be put into play only during the game itself and only when both halves of the card are ready to be played at the same time. To compensate for their higher-than-average HP and stronger attacks, there are two drawbacks to playing Pokémon LEGEND cards. Both halves of the card have the same name, so only two of each half can be used in a 60-card deck. Also, Pokémon LEGEND cards depicting two Pokémon cause the opponent to take two Prize cards upon their defeat, much like with Pokémon-ex. Pokémon LEGEND cards are entirely holographic and three-quarters of the overall card is the illustration.

The Japanese version of the expansion also brings about a change to the long-standing TCG Trainer card: The three different types of Trainer are now classified as Item, Supporter and Stadium, though Item cards retain their title of Trainer cards in English regions until the release of TCG Black & White. Similarly to TCG Supporter cards and TCG Stadium cards, which were color-coded red and green respectively after their reclassification in the TCG Diamond & Pearl expansion, Item cards (including Trainer cards in English) are now color-coded blue. As with Pokémon cards, Trainer cards have also been redesigned: the illustration box now has a gold outline and the text area is metallic silver.

Japan's set also introduced a type of card that had been present in English regions since the launch of TCG Expedition Base Set in the form of reverse holographic cards, known in Japan as mirror cards (ミラーカード). These feature the same holofoil treatment as reverse holographic cards that has been present since Diamond & Pearl in English.

The English prerelease card for this set is.

Trivia

 * This expansion marks the first instance in the TCG in which one generation of cards has included three distinct series; these are referred to as the DP Series, the PL Series and the HGSS Series (Pokémon Card Game DP, DPt and LEGEND respectively in Japan).
 * The card revamp for this series of expansions marks only the second time in the TCG that the card layout has been revamped mid-generation, following the shift from Neo to e-Card in Generation II.
 * Six evolutionary items are featured in multiple different artworks from the expansion:
 * A Thunderstone can be seen on 's artwork;
 * A Fire Stone can be seen on 's and 's artworks;
 * A Water Stone can be seen on 's artwork;
 * A Leaf Stone can be seen on 's artwork;
 * A Moon Stone can be seen on 's and 's artworks;
 * A King's Rock can be seen on 's artwork.
 * The Energy cards were the first ones that featured Pokémon:
 * TCG Fighting Energy features
 * TCG Fire Energy features and the Bell Tower
 * TCG Grass Energy features
 * TCG Lightning Energy features and the Glitter Lighthouse
 * TCG Psychic Energy features
 * TCG Water Energy features and the Whirl Islands
 * TCG Darkness Energy features
 * TCG Metal Energy features and the Goldenrod Radio Tower
 * These basic energy cards are also reprinted in TCG Call of Legends as Reverse Holographic cards.
 * Energy cards received in the three starter theme decks do not feature Pokémon.
 * This is the first time that Double Colorless Energy has been printed since the TCG Base Set in Japan, and since TCG Base Set 2 elsewhere.
 * Typically, there are about 6 Prime Cards per 36 booster packs for HGSS Series.
 * Only cards from this expansion onwards can be obtained in the Pokémon Trading Card Game Online.

In other languages
HeartGold & SoulSilver (TCG) es:HeartGold & SoulSilver (TCG): HeartGold & SoulSilver HeartGold SoulSilver HeartGold & SoulSilver (GCC) HeartGold & SoulSilver 心金＆魂银（集换式卡片）