Pokémon TCG Japan: Snow Hazard & Clay Burst Preview: Frigibax Line

The next two sets of the Scarlet & Violet era were released on April 14th in Japan. The two sets, Snow Hazard and Clay Burst, largely focus on the Treasures of Ruin Legendary group from the region of Paldea introduced in Scarlet & Violet. In this expansion, all four Treasures of Ruin (Chien-Pao, Ting-Lu, Chi-Yu, and Wo-Chien) will receive Pokémon ex. This set follows Pokémon TCG Japan’s Scarlet ex and Violet ex and the subset Triplet Beat which were released in early 2023, kicking off the new Paldea-themed series block that will presumably run for the next three years. Snow Hazard and Clay Burst will merge with Triplet Beat as the basis for Scarlet & Violet – Paldea Evolved, the second English-language expansion set of the Generation Nine era, which will release on June 30, 2023. The Pokémon ex mechanic, the main mechanic of this new era, continues in Snow Hazard and Clay Burst, as does the layout of the Secret Rare section, which includes Illustration Rares, Special Illustration Rares, Full Art ex, Full Art Trainers, Special Illustration Rare Trainers, and Gold cards.  Today, let’s take a look at another Illustration Rare revealed for Snow Hazard featuring a new Pseudo Legendary line of Pokémon.

Frigibax is a new Paldean species introduced in the Scarlet & Violet era. Frigibax evolves into Arctibax, who then evolves into Baxcalibur, a Pseudo Legendary Pokémon. All three of them are Dragon/Ice-types. Let’s take a look at their Dex entries.

Frigibax

• Frigibax absorbs heat through its dorsal fin and converts the heat into ice energy. The higher the temperature, the more energy Frigibax stores.
• This Pokémon lives in forests and craggy areas. Using the power of its dorsal fin, it cools the inside of its nest like a refrigerator.

Arctibax

• Arctibax freezes the air around it, protecting its face with an ice mask and turning its dorsal fin into a blade of ice.
• It attacks with the blade of its frozen dorsal fin by doing a front flip in the air. Arctibax’s strong back and legs allow it to pull off this technique.

Baxcalibur

• This Pokémon blasts cryogenic air out from its mouth. This air can instantly freeze even liquid-hot lava.
• It launches itself into battle by flipping upside down and spewing frigid air from its mouth. It finishes opponents off with its dorsal blade.

The artists behind these cards include Akira Komayama in the Frigibax all the way left, AKIRA EGAWA one over, the iconic Kouki Saitou on the Arctibax one over, and finally Shin Nagasawa on the holographic Baxcalibur.

Japanese sets often give us early ideas of what the English-language sets may include, so be sure to keep an eye on our coverage. You can stay tuned for previews of Scarlet & Violet cards as well as updates on everything Pokémon TCG right here at Bleeding Cool.