The real delta guardian crystal species
When the third generation of Pokémon was introduced to the Pokémon TCG, we found ourselves enthralled with Pokémon that had undergone a type change. This phenomenon first appeared in the set ex Delta Species, the sixth final expansion for the Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald era, and endured right up until ex Dragon Frontiers leaving players and collectors wondering why it was short-lived and why they came about at all. This discourse attempts to reveal why crystals came about in the third generation of the Pokémon TCG and what impact that had on the phenomenon that is generation nine’s terastalisation mechanic as well as discuss similarities between early crystal form and function and tera crystals.
Paldea is a place where crystallisation comes to life. The video games offer us some insight into how a trainer can change the type of their Pokémon through terastalisation by using a Tera Orb. The origin of terastalisation, according to the publications left laying around in the depths of Area Zero, is in the hexagonal plates on Terapagos, the mythological Pokémon found at the bottom of Area Zero. The professors found that those plates imbue the crystals with the power to transform Pokémon into a crystallised form.
So there is an explanation for how Pokémon transform into a crystallised state in Paldea but is there anything canon about Holon and the delta species that manifested in the ex Ruby & Sapphire series of the Pokémon TCG? Were they connected to the broader picture of Pokémon as a whole? I’d argue no. Video games usually reveal a new generation first historically. That is, the video games unveil a whole new region and adventure before we see it presented in the anime or the TCG. When the land of Hoenn came with the third generation line of Pokémon, it introduced the likes of Milotic, Metagross, Latias and Latios to name a few and there was no such mechanic that could change a Pokémon’s type. Furthermore, there was no evidence in the Fire Red and Leaf Green titles that type changing could be a possibility. It was solely a what if scenario designed only to spice up the meta.
DeltaSeeker on YouTube has an in-depth analysis on the transient wonder that was in effect in the latter half of the ex series of the third generation of Pokémon. You can watch his coverage here. In his video he proposes that scientists, desperately searching for Mew in Mirage Forest, set up a research tower in the middle of the forest within which they established a city called Holon. This construct, he contends, emits electromagnetic energy that was supposed to locate Mew but inadvertently had type-altering effects on the Pokémon surrounding the tower.
A card depicting a Holon farmer with the research tower in the background
After much searching for answers, he uses the WayBack Machine and happens upon an archive that expounds on the lore around Holon. This article talks about the “power spot” where people could become rejuvenated while visiting. The flipside, however, is that the meteoric energy gave rise to biological changes; a type conversion ensued in resident Pokémon. Both Bulbapedia and DeltaSeeker reference the commercial for the Japanese TCG expansion Holon Research Tower. It clearly shows the tower being the cause of the changes in Pokémon endemic to the region.
Crystals were the cynosure of ex Crystal Guardians particularly but were short-lived as they seem to have been replaced with a large floating land mass in the following English expansion ex Dragon Frontiers. These crystals vaguely resemble the superstructures of Area Zero in Paldea albeit pale in comparison with regard to size and luster with the exception of the odd rainbow crystal as illustrated on the common Meditite from ex Crystal Guardians pictured below. Also, in contrast to crystals in Paldea which enable a STAB boost or a type change, the crystals in Holon seemingly do the opposite and negate the power of the research tower’s electromagnetic energy (DeltaSeeker 2024).
What then is the link between those 2005-2006 ex sets and Scarlet & Violet’s terastalisation mechanic? Was it a foreshadowing by the lore-keepers, the Pokémon Company International and affiliates or was it just pure coincidence that a few sets featured type-changing mechanics and then 17 years later a whole new generation hosts a crystallised Pokémon theme park in the region of Paldea? Since the existence of Holon was exclusive only to the TCG there seems to be no overarching ramifications for the 3rd generation of Pokémon as a whole. Given the lack of an official press release or insider information, we can only speculate if Holon had influenced terastalisation.
All in all, it feels as though the short run type-changing effect caused by the power spot under Holon was put in the 2005-2006 ex sets to act as a filler but Paldea’s terastalisation is a ubiquitous phenomenon that was well executed whether or not inspired by Holon. To corroborate the assertion that ex Delta Species through ex Dragon Frontiers were special or filler sets, we could argue that ex Power Keepers, the final set of ex Ruby & Sapphire celebrated the might of the Elite Four and Champion of Hoenn (DeltaSeeker 2024). Each block of Pokémon TCG sets representing a new generation of Pokémon usually depict events from the video games of that generation. Nowadays, each new generation has a three year cycle, including downloadable content along with a spinoff game in between generations to be featured on 12 core sets for the Trading Card Game in each block. The R/S/E era had a four year development cycle and little of what we could call extra content came in Pokémon Emerald so that may rationalise the inconsistent inclusion of the Holon-centric narrative. What’s your thoughts on the type changing mechanics of the Scarlet & Violet era and do you think that the aforementioned ex sets in the TCG inspired terastalisation?
