Quick Ball

What it does

Quick Ball originally had a player reveal cards from the top of the deck until a Pokémon appeared, taking that card into hand and shuffling the rest back if none was found. The Sword and Shield wording replaced this entirely with a discard-1-card cost paired with a direct, guaranteed search for a Basic Pokémon, a much more reliable and differently priced effect than the original reveal process.

Printing history

Quick Ball first appeared in Mysterious Treasures in 2007 with art by Ryo Ueda, who also illustrated the DP trainer Kit Lucario and Majestic Dawn reprints. sadaji illustrated the Sword and Shield printing that changed the card's effect, including a Secret Rare treatment, and Ryo Ueda returned for the Fusion Strike printing, giving the card two distinct effects across its history. The newer wording also narrows the target from any Pokémon to a Basic Pokémon. Ryo Ueda drew all three Diamond and Pearl era copies, including the DP trainer Kit (Lucario), and the card returned more than a decade later in Sword and Shield in 2020.

Origin

The Quick Ball is a type of Poké Ball introduced in Generation IV that is more effective when used at the start of an encounter. The Cram-o-matic is featured in the Fusion Strike print's illustration.

Cards to know

• Quick Ball (Mysterious Treasures #114)

  Mysterious Treasures printing is Quick Ball's first appearance, illustrated by Ryo Ueda

• Quick Ball (Sword & Shield #179)

  Sword and Shield printing changes the card's effect to a discard-and-search

• Quick Ball (Sword & Shield #216)

  Sword and Shield printing also includes a Secret Rare treatment

• Quick Ball (Fusion Strike #237)

  Fusion Strike printing depicts the Cram-o-matic in its illustration