The newest set for Pokémon TCG Pocket, titled Celestial Guardians, has been out for almost three weeks now. Based on past timing, that could mean we’re due for an announcement pertaining to the next set. To be frank, the public doesn’t know the nature of the next set. However, there are some possibilities behind A3a (or A4, or even B1, as it were). Based on further precedent, here are three predictions about the next set for PTCGP!

Prediction #1: Pokémon TCG Pocket‘s Next Set Is A3a

This prediction is a bit of a low-ball, I’ll admit. However, hear me out: the next set for Pokémon TCG Pocket is, most logically, coded as “A3a”. This implies that the set will be a mini-set. There is a lot of speculation as to what this set will contain mechanically, or detail flavor-wise. The truth of it is that savvier app users datamined the game and found information that suggests Ultra Beasts will make an appearance soon.

Coincidence? Not really, considering Celestial Guardians revolves around the Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon games. Sun & Moon have a through-line that gets pretty close to explaining Ultra Beasts. However, those games’ sequel pair, Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon, go way deeper into the concept. The games even introduce four new Ultra Beasts! They seem like a shoo-in for whenever we do revisit Alola, be that with the next set or with an expansion later on.

While Solgaleo, Lunala, and Necrozma are technically UB-adjacent, they aren’t quite Ultra Beasts. However, this doesn’t mean their part in the Generation 7 storyline is over with Sun & Moon (or Celestial Guardians, by association). Besides Ultra Beasts, what a set based on Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon implies is Necrozma’s various other forms.

This prediction was, as mentioned above, a low-risk one. Let’s look a little closer and make some more predictions!

Prediction #2: No Completely New Gimmicks

When we got A2, Space-Time Smackdown, the set introduced us to Pokémon Tools. Granted, we only got three in that set and a few more in Celestial Guardians, but they were and still are extremely useful, and popular at that.

I don’t foresee the next Pokémon TCG Pocket set having any new gimmicks. I mean that completely. No game-changing gimmicks whatsoever, mechanical or collectible. As a mini-set, it needs to expand on established ideas to cement itself as a solid set both for itself and for the main set it’s riffing off of. This means no Stadium cards or Past/Future shenanigans, for instance.

And yes, Shining Revelry had Shiny Pokémon, but those were a collectibility gimmick and only a moderate success at best. I’m often seeing social media posts about PTCGP where people are complaining about drop rates for “god packs” being marred by the inclusion of Shiny cards. I’m inclined to believe this wasn’t a great thing for the game. So, it feels like this kind of complaint is something that The Pokémon Company and DeNA should learn from. If they add a new collectability gimmick to A3a, or whatever the next set will be, they’ll be shooting the game in the foot for the sake of money.

Prediction #3: Aether Foundation-Centric Supporters (And Team Skull)

If, in fact, A3a is set in Generation 7 lore, even if we don’t necessarily get Ultra Sun or Ultra Moon, I predict we will see various other characters from Sun & Moon. The characters we haven’t seen much of from the app so far are the following:

• Lusamine, Lillie‘s mother and the founder of the Aether Foundation, an organization that seeks to conserve Pokémon in a sanctuary called the Aether Paradise. Spoiler alert: Lusamine is the main antagonist of the generation.
• Gladion, Lusamine’s son (and Lillie’s brother). He is a runaway and a bit of a punk. His ace Pokémon is a Type: Null that eventually evolves into a Silvally.
• Professor Kukui, the main professor of the Alola region. We could also see his pro-wrestler alter-ego, “The Masked Royal”, but they could also save that for an A3b, in theory.
• Hau, the obligatory rival character in Pokémon Sun & Moon and their sequels. He is the grandson of Hala, one of the Kahunas of the islands of Alola.
• The Island Kahunas and other Trial Captains could easily also make an appearance in this mini-set.
• Plumeria, Guzma‘s second in command of Team Skull. She is often around to keep the Team Skull Grunts in line. You can also see her (and them) in the immersive art presentation for the full-art Guzma.
• Team Skull Grunts seem like another likely addition to this mini-set.

What could these particular Supporter cards do? That’s anyone’s guess at this time, but at least one will be a breakout card for a little while, I predict.

“Alola” Can Mean “Goodbye,” Too!

Whatever the next set could be, we expect that it’ll be as impactful as many of the other sets from past Pokémon TCG Pocket releases. But with that, let’s open the floor to you. What do you think the set will be like? Do you anticipate a mini-set, or do you expect it’ll be something bigger? Sound off below!