It's another non-in-universe take on an in-universe mechanic, considering its similarity to spree, the mechanic on cards like Three Steps AheadThree Steps Ahead from Outlaws of Thunder Junction
Everything from boosters to box sets are still going at a discounted rate, and who knows for how long
Guardian Project got an upshift
These days, since Pokemon have refined designs, there's little variation in them on TCG cards, but back with Base Set, it really felt like the artists could let their creativity run free with how they interpreted the Pokemon
According to Mark Rosewater, "each set has things that go up in power and other things that are brought down in power." Mark seems to believe that the power level creep is only something that exists in players minds when they think of specific cards, and not something that happens broadly with each card printed