An Epic Year in Review

2016 was a great year for lovers of Pokémon, Upper Deck Hockey Cards and even Yu-Gi-Oh! In case you missed it, or just  need a refresher, here’s what happened in 2016, and as a bonus what we’re looking forward to most in 2017.

2016 Pokemon

2016 was a huge year for Pokemon. Between the release of Pokemon Go, the release of Pokemon Sun and Moon and several new and exciting card game expansions, we can safely say that 2016 was one of the most exciting years in the history of Pokemon. Here’s a closer look at what happened:

Pokemon Go

Pokemon Go was not only one of the biggest news stories this year, but also full of surprises. It’s overnight rise to the top of the charts caught many by surprise, and maybe even Niantic (the app developer) themselves as their servers were constantly struggling to support the massive influx of players during the first weeks. After things leveled out a decline in popularity surprised many once again as players began to search elsewhere for their pokemon fix. We even wrote a piece on 3 ways to enjoy pokemon if Pokemon Go wasn’t enough, which became one of our most popular posts of the year!

However, just when we thought there were no surprises left, Pokemon Go went on to end December with it’s highest week in revenue since launch.

Pokemon Sun and Moon

2016 also saw the release of Pokemon Sun and Moon, two games which many are already calling the best generations in the last decade, have shaken up many core Pokemon mechanics and for the best. Sun and Moon sold an unprecedented number of copies at release and brought many who had left the franchise back – which is always a great thing, especially for the trading card game.

Pokemon Trading Card Game

Okay, it’s safe to say that 2016 was a legend in terms of Pokemon TCG products and expansions. There were the highly coveted 20th anniversary cards which contained the original designs and cards from the 1st printing of Pokemon TCG.

There were also plenty of highly sought after elite trainer boxes which have become instant collectors items raising in price soon after they’re no longer available as new products. Popular elite trainer boxes can double in price given time if they are still sealed. Luckily you can still get in on the TCG XY Evolutions Elite Trainer Boxes before they’re replaced by the new sun and moon Elite Trainer Boxes.

As always, this year saw several new Pokemon deck building strategies and surprising decks. You can learn more about the winning decks of this year by checking out our popular blog post on the subject.

2016 Yu-Gi-Oh!

If you’re a diehard Yu-Gi-Oh! fan, you’ll likely already know about the exciting development that happened this year. For those unaware, a fan project called the Yu-Gi-Oh! Hololens project is bringing the popular card game to real life with augmented reality just like Pokemon Go.

You can follow along with the project’s development on it’s blog.

2016 Upper Deck Hockey Trading Cards

Upper Deck Series 1 cards hit the scenes in 2016 and were some of the most popular trading cards of the entire year. Collectors were extremely excited at the chance to get their hands on the Young Guns rookie cards that came 6 in a box. There were 50 Young Guns rookie cards total, including players like William Nylander as well as key 2016 NHL Draft picks such as Auston Matthews.

There were also several pieces of hockey history included such as the 300-win club, 1,000-point club, and 500-goal club which were all incredibly rare. You still have a chance to find these great, rare cards too as the Upper Deck Series 1 boxes are still on sale.

Looking to 2017

If 2016 was anything to go by, we have plenty to be excited for in 2017. New Sun and Moon Pokemon cards are beginning to be released, and players are eager to try out the new game dynamics like GX cards. Alolan form cards will also be highly sought after as fans of Pokemon look to collect the variations on the original generation of pokemon.

Upper Deck series 2 will also be coming out in February and many are excited to see what new cards will be coming with the next series. Plenty of Zephyr Epic fans will be looking forward to another year of great contests, giveaways, sales and more, and if you’re eager to get in on the action, like our page on Facebook.