The Weekly Wave

Welcome back to the Weekly Wave! Let’s see what news, updates, and announcements have risen to the surface this week!

Pokémon drops a new anime series trailer!

We told you it was coming, and this week, we got our first good look at the new adventure that will introduce new Trainers on a mission to becoming the very best! Ash is finally a Pokémon champion, which means his story has come to a glorious end after 20 long years. But, as one epic story concludes, another one is just beginning, and we’re looking forward to seeing it develop in the years to come.

The new series features three new main characters, each of which possesses a secret weapon to take with them on their journey. These three protagonists were formally introduced to fans in the new trailer that was released just before the weekend. Since the series will be airing in Japan first, the trailer is in Japanese, but there are subtitles for those of us who live in the U.S. Click HERE to check out the trailer now!

Liko, who appeared in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, is a talented Trainer who comes from the Paldea region, while Roy is another young Trainer who hails from Kanto, the same region as Ash. These two will team up with Friede and his Captain Pikachu. Together, this trio makes an awesome cast of characters that we can’t wait to root for when the series starts.

Speaking of, this new Pokémon series is set to premiere on April 14th in Japan, so we’re only about a month away. Yes, there will be an English version as well, but that’s expected to release later in the year. We’re not exactly sure when, but at least we can expect that to arrive in 2023. 

For now, be sure to keep an eye out for more trailers and info as they come out. We think Pokémon will make one last ad push before the series goes live. 

MTG and LOTR: Tales of Middle-Earth 

It’s been called one of Magic’s biggest crossovers yet, and we recently got word that it’s set to launch in just a few months. That’s right, MTG's upcoming Lord of the Rings crossover is coming in June, which means things are really going to heat up this summer. Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth has been on our radar for a while, so any/all updates that we get at this point are definitely Weekly Wave worthy.

In addition to the release date, we also know that Tales of Middle-Earth will be modern legal, feature a variety of boosters, (Jumpstart, Set, Draft, Collector), Starter Kits, Commander Decks, and more. Yep, Magic is shooting the works on this one, and with a crossover like Lord of the Rings, we expected nothing less.

We haven’t seen any cards revealed, and there are still some underlying questions that need answering, but we think those details will be made a little clearer next week and in May. In case you didn’t hear, there’s a sneak preview stream available for retailers on March 14th. After that, a full preview will be streamed on May 30th, which is when all the cards in the set will be revealed.

After that, we can all look forward to an official release on June 23rd. In the meantime, keep an eye on MTG’s official site, specifically its Middle-Earth page. There, you can get a better look at the boosters and other products that are available for preorder now!

More Frank Frazetta art is coming soon!

Yes, you read that right. A fresh batch of awesome designs from the Godfather of Fantasy art is coming to the Inked Gaming collection, and we just had to let everyone know in this week’s wave! Thanks to some great work by our team behind the scenes, we’re ready to start printing this amazing art on our gear and posting them on our site. 

Just like the other legendary Frazetta originals that we’ve printed on our products, these pieces have appeared on everything from comic covers to record albums, magazines, and more. Here’s just a sneak peek at one of the designs that will be added to the collection very soon:

This man vs mammoth art is called Mastodon, which has appeared on sci-fi book covers and served as the inspiration for other stunning designs that have come after it. Again, this is just one of the designs that we’re preparing to add to our collection. More will follow once we begin printing them on our goods, so be sure to keep checking our Frank Frazetta collection page as those new designs begin to trickle in!

That’s all for now! Stay tuned for our next edition of The Weekly Wave for more fun stories and updates!

Sincerely,

Inked Gaming