Pokémon Sleeves - Pearl Clan Special Set (64 pcs, Japanese)

64 official Japanese Pokémon sleeves from the Pearl Clan Special Set, a store-exclusive box that Pokémon Center released on December 2, 2022 alongside VSTAR Universe.

Specifications

• Count: 64 sleeves
• Origin: Pearl Clan Special Set, Pokémon Center Japan (December 2, 2022)
• Officially licensed Japanese product

Where the Pearl Clan comes from

In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, the Hisui region — Sinnoh centuries ago — is home to two tribes. The Pearl Clan reveres Palkia, the Pokémon that governs space, and is led by Irida. The Diamond Clan reveres Dialga, which governs time. The whole game turns on the question of which of the two is right, and the answer is that they need each other.

Why these sleeves are scarce

The Special Set was sold only in Japanese Pokémon Centers, in a limited run for 5,000 yen, and besides these 64 sleeves it included a binder with ten 4-pocket pages, a small frame to display a card in, and four VSTAR Universe booster packs. Anyone who wanted just the sleeves had to buy the whole box — and those have long since sold out.

Why 64 and not 65

Western sleeve packs contain 65, Japanese ones 64 — a difference that comes down purely to the habits of the two markets. A deck holds 60 cards either way, so you end up with a few spares regardless. Do note that Japanese sleeves are sized for Japanese cards, which are a fraction smaller than Western ones.

What sleeves are for

Sleeves protect your cards from fingerprints, moisture and damaged edges, and they make a deck shuffle more smoothly. At tournaments they're effectively mandatory: every card back in your deck has to look identical, so no one can tell which card you're holding from the back.

From the same period come the sleeves with Entei, Raikou and Suicune. Another Japanese series is MIMOSA e POKÉMON.