The Pokémon Company has announced that the Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet Journey Together Build & Battle Box will be available starting on March 15th, 2025.

Get the Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet Journey Together Build & Battle Box Early

Enjoy quick games and powerful promo cards with the Scarlet & Violet—Journey Together Build & Battle Box. The latest Pokémon Trading Card Game expansion, Scarlet & Violet— Journey Together, arrives March 28, 2025, but you can visit your local game store to play with it early! Starting March 15, 2025, select retailers will begin selling the Scarlet & Violet—Journey Together Build & Battle Box, giving fans a chance to have a Prerelease battle and experience the latest expansion before its official release date. To find a Prerelease event near you, be sure to use the event locator.

The Prerelease format allows players to compete using a 40-card deck with four Prize cards set aside at the start of play, as opposed to a 60-card deck with six Prize cards. This format is perfect for introducing new players to the exciting world of the Pokémon TCG with quick, fun games, and it also gives seasoned players a window into all that Scarlet & Violet—Journey Together has to offer. Due to the limited card pool and the variance of cards that can be acquired in a Build & Battle Box, Prerelease events are also a great opportunity to flex your creative deck-building muscles.

Each Build & Battle Box includes four Scarlet & Violet—Journey Together booster packs and a 40-card ready-to-play deck featuring key cards from current and prior sets as well as one of four unique foil promo cards. Depending on which promo card you get, you could be playing with the fiery N’s Darmanitan, the electric Iono’s Kilowattrel, the inviting Lillie’s Ribombee, or the helpful Hop’s Snorlax. Whichever promo card you end up with will certainly shape your Prerelease strategy!

N’s Darmanitan

N’s Darmanitan is the perfect combination of Darmanitan’s explosive power and N’s calculated genius. Its Back Draft attack can do a ton of damage for just Colorless Colorless, punishing opponents who discard too many Energy cards, while Flamebody Cannon can take two Knock Outs at once in the right situation for Fire Fire Colorless. With “gusting” effects being a premium in Prerelease formats, Flamebody Cannon doing 90 damage to both the Active Pokémon and a Benched Pokémon is likely to make a huge impact in your matches.

Iono’s Kilowattrel

Draw support is always extremely powerful in Prerelease formats due to the smaller deck size and lack of Supporter cards, so Iono’s Kilowattrel is likely to galvanize your deck like no other. If Iono’s Kilowattrel is your Prerelease promo, your deck is likely to have plenty of Lightning Energy to feed its Ability as well as the attacks of other Iono’s Pokémon. Make sure to keep that count just right—you’ll need to attach Energy for the turn and discard it to use Iono’s Kilowattrel’s Ability, but you still need room for the rest of your deck!

Lillie’s Ribombee

Lillie’s Ribombee might be inviting, but behind its unassuming wink is an Ability that will leave your opponent’s plans jammed. When Lillie’s Ribombee evolves, you may have your opponent reveal their hand and put any number of Basic Pokémon found there onto their Bench. This can be a disruptive tactic, forcing certain Pokémon your opponent doesn’t want in play onto the Bench, but it can also be an informative one—you can make distinct decisions that take advantage of the knowledge that you gained from looking at your opponent’s hand.

Hop’s Snorlax

Oh yeah, Hop’s Snorlax has had a few extra helpings, and it’s ready to help lead you to victory. Its Extra Helpings Ability doesn’t stack—meaning that if you have two Hop’s Snorlax in play, your Hop’s Pokémon won’t do 60 extra damage—but 30 bonus damage is more than enough. On its own, Hop’s Snorlax can do 170 damage for just three Energy, enough to Knock Out most non-ex Pokémon in the format. Teamwork is what makes the dream work, though, and you’ll want to include as many other Hop’s Pokémon as you can to take advantage of its Ability.

There are variations among Build & Battle Boxes, so you can add your own creative twist when building your deck. Whether you’re heading to a local game store or just playing with a friend, you’re in for some quick and fun battles with cards from the new Scarlet & Violet—Journey Together expansion! If you’re not able to make it to a Prerelease event, these Build & Battle Boxes will be available for purchase when the expansion officially launches.

Source: https://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-news/get-the-pokemon-tcg-scarlet-violet-journey-together-build-battle-box-early