Rare Candy (EX Sandstorm 88)

Rare Candy (Japanese: ふしぎなアメ Mysterious Candy) is an TCG Item card. It was first released in the TCG EX Sandstorm expansion as a TCG Trainer card.

Release information
This card was included in the TCG EX Sandstorm expansion with artwork by Ryo Ueda, first released in the Japanese TCG Miracle of the Desert expansion. It was reprinted in the TCG EX Emerald expansion with the same artwork, and in the TCG EX Holon Phantoms (TCG Holon Phantom in Japan) and TCG POP Series 5 sets with new artwork by the same artist. Another artwork also by Ryo Ueda was used in the TCG Great Encounters expansion, first released in the Japanese TCG Moonlit Pursuit and TCG Dawn Dash expansion, and later reprinted in TCG POP Series 8.

Rare Candy was later reclassified in Japan as an TCG Item card during the HeartGold & SoulSilver Series, though the English Trainer cards did not adopt this naming convention until the Black & White Series. The TCG Unleashed expansion featured new artwork by Noriko Hotta, which was previously released in the Metagross Deck of the Japanese TCG Leafeon vs Metagross Expert Deck, and the Japanese TCG Reviving Legends expansion featured yet another new illustration by Shizurow.

Rare Candy was later reprinted in the TCG Dark Explorers expansion with new artwork by Ryo Ueda, first released in the Japanese TCG Dark Rush expansion. This print brings the card effect in line with an errata issued at the start of the Black & White Series. It was later included in the Japanese TCG Hydreigon Half Deck (Hydreigon) and TCG Garchomp Half Decks. This card was reprinted as one of the Japanese TCG BW-P Promotional cards, available as part of a ten card random pack released during the June 2012 Gym Challenge. It was reprinted again in Japan as part of the TCG Master Deck Build Box EX, released on September 14, 2012, and the TCG Black Kyurem-EX Battle Strength Deck (Black Kyurem-EX) and TCG White Kyurem-EX Battle Strength Decks. The TCG Plasma Blast expansion featured Rare Candy as a Regular card, and as a TCG Secret card with new artwork by Ayaka Yoshida. These prints originated from the Japanese TCG Blastoise + Kyurem-EX Combo Deck and the TCG Megalo Cannon expansion, respectively.

The XY Series brought an additional reprint of Rare Candy with new artwork by Toyste Beach, included in the TCG Primal Clash expansion, first released in the Japanese TCG Gaia Volcano expansion. This print was reprinted as a Mirror Holofoil print as one of the Japanese TCG XY-P Promotional cards, available as part of a twelve card promotional pack awarded to those who participated in the Pokémon Card Gym tournaments from the month of May 2015 through the month of July 2015. This print features the Pokémon Card Gym logo. The Gaia Volcano print was later reprinted in the Japanese TCG M Master Deck Build Box Power Style and TCG M Master Deck Build Box Speed Style, the TCG BREAK Starter Pack, and as a Mirror Reverse Holofoil for the TCG Premium Champion Pack.

Rare Candy was reprinted again during the Sun & Moon Series as part of the TCG Sun & Moon expansion with new artwork by Toyste Beach, first released in the Japanese TCG Sun & Moon Starter Set and TCG Premium Trainer Box simultaneously on December 9, 2016. This print was subsequently available as both numbered and unnumbered Holofoil TCG SM-P Promotional cards as part of two Japanese events. The numbered print, 025/SM-P, could be obtained as a victory award for players participating in the Pulverizing Pancake Battle at the Welcome Festa, held at the Sunshine City Convention Center in East Ikebukuro, Toshima, Tokyo on January 14, 2017. It could also be obtained as a victory award for players participating in the Pulverizing Pancake Battle 2 event at the 2017 Osaka Champion's League, held at MyDome Osaka, Osaka on February 18 and 19, 2017 and at the 2017 Miyagi Champion's League, held at Sunfesta, Sendai on April 1 and 2, 2017. The Pulverizing Pancake Battle 2 event was only held on the second day at each Champion's League venue. Both events comprised a Trading Card Game segment and a Video Game segment, and required a pair of players to enter together. The segments were not concurrent, therefore individuals could participate in both segments if they so wished, so long as each member of the pair participated in different segments. Players would receive 1 copy of the numbered print for every 1 win in any segment, with a limit of 4 copies per person. Each numbered print also featured a serial code used to redeem a Rare Candy in Japanese region copies of Pokémon Sun and Moon. The top four pairs in terms of overall number of wins would progress to the single-elimination finals. At the Welcome Festa only, the top three pairs at the end of the event were each awarded an unnumbered copy of this card featuring a foil stamp of their overall position, presented in a Perspex case.

It was reprinted as a Mirror Holofoil in the Japanese TCG Strength Expansion Pack Sun & Moon, and as a TCG Full Art card (Full Art) TCG Secret card, both with artwork by Toyste Beach. The Secret print was later included in the English TCG Guardians Rising expansion. In Japan, the Sun & Moon Era print was reprinted in the TCG Tapu Bulu-GX Enhanced Starter Set, in the TCG GX Battle Boost subset as a Mirror Holofoil card, and again as a Non Holofoil card in the TCG Solgaleo-GX & Lunala-GX Legendary Starter Set, TCG Ultra Moon expansion, TCG Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon Premium Trainer Box, TCG Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon Deck Build Boxes (Ultra Sun Deck Build Box), and TCG Forbidden Light expansion. Rare Candy was reprinted with the initial Ryo Ueda artwork in the TCG Celestial Storm expansion, first released in the Japanese TCG Champion Road subset. The Sun & Moon Era print was once again reprinted in the Japanese TCG Sky-Splitting Charisma expansion, in 7 of the 9 TCG GX Starter Decks, in the TCG Super-Burst Impact expansion, simultaneously in the TCG Tag Bolt expansion and TCG Tag Team GX Premium Trainer Box, and simultaneously in the TCG Double Blaze expansion and TCG Tag Team GX Deck Build Box.

Trivia
This card's Dark Explorers effect matches that of, a card previously released in the TCG Base Set.

Origin
Rare Candy is an item in the Pokémon games that increases the level of the Pokémon it is given to by 1.

Sonderbonbon (TCG) Caramelo Raro (TCG) Super bonbon (EX Émeraude 83) Caramella Rara (EX Tempesta di Sabbia 88) ふしぎなアメ (カードゲーム) 神奇糖果（集换式卡片）