The Intro Pack Neo (Japanese: イントロパック★neoIntro Pack ★Neo) is a special collection of cards released in Japan for the Pokémon Trading Card Game.
Information
As the name of the set indicates, it was conceived to introduce players to the TCG. It is similar in most respects to the first Intro Pack, except there is no introduction video. The cards included in the set are predominantly a mixture of those from the first Expansion Pack, and the Neo expansions Gold, Silver, to a New World..., Crossing the Ruins... and Awakening Legends. There are also a number of exclusive cards with newly created character art. As with the cards in the first Intro Pack, these cards have their own numbering system, featuring a number inside a circle. Those found in the Chikorita deck have a black number in a white circle, while the cards in the Totodile deck have a white number in a black circle. The only exceptions to this are the cards found in the side decks, which have no number.
In addition to the decks, the set contains a rulebook, damage counters, generic counters, a custom coin and playmat.
Trivia
None of the cards have rarity symbols (as is the case with the majority of Japanese cards from fixed sets), making these cards more valuable than their normal counterparts.
This was the first set to introduce the idea of half decks and side decks to offer more play versatility, although they were not officially referred as those at the time. This trend of quick play half decks would later prove very popular with Japanese players, with pre-constructed half decks being released alongside many later expansions.
