Pokémon Playmat - Rayquaza vs Charizard (Japanese, Special Deck Set)

Description

The official Japanese rubber playmat featuring Charizard VSTAR facing Rayquaza VMAX, from the Special Deck Set that the Pokémon Center released in November 2022. Sold separately — normally it only comes inside that box.

Specifications

• Artwork: Charizard VSTAR facing Rayquaza VMAX
• Version: rubber playmat, fabric top with non-slip bottom
• Origin: Special Deck Set Charizard VSTAR vs Rayquaza VMAX (November 4, 2022)
• Officially licensed Japanese product

Which box it comes from

The Special Deck Set from November 4, 2022 included two ready-to-play sixty-card decks, two deck boxes, two coins, two VSTAR markers, damage counters, two player guides, a storage box — and this playmat. The box itself cost 5,500 yen and is sold out; this is the piece that makes the biggest impression on the table.

What a playmat is for

A playmat gives your play area a fixed layout and keeps your cards off the table: no moisture, no crumbs, no edges scraping against wood. The rubber bottom stays put wherever you lay it, and the fabric top lets you pick up your cards without having to pick at them. At tournaments, bringing your own mat is standard practice.

Charizard versus Rayquaza

The two weren't placed opposite each other by accident. Charizard is the most popular Pokémon of all; Rayquaza is the dragon that lives in the ozone layer and hasn't touched the ground in hundreds of millions of years. Both of them fly, both have been top decks in the card game for years — and on this mat, they're about to fly straight at each other.

From the same period there are the sleeves with Flying Charizard. Other Japanese playmats include the one with Serena and the one with Flying and Surfing Pikachu.