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Chase Variants are uncommon versions of Skylanders that are recast in rare or interesting colors or textures, like gold, glittery, fuzzy or crystal clear. These figures usually will have little paint applications - if any - typically reserved for the character's eyes. These variants will commonly start at Level 5 with 2100 Gold. Starting with the variants introduced in Skylanders: Giants, Chase Variants will also appear as "Special" or "Rare” when they are placed on the Portal of Power.
Chase Variants have had a multitude of different distribution methods. The most common of these is being shipped out with the regular stock figures and put on store shelves where they can be found and purchased as normal. Most Chase Variants as such have the same barcode SKU as the regular figure and are notoriously hard to find. It is from this method that Chase Variants recieve their namesake - chased after by collectors.
Some Chase Variants have also been available as limited edition store exclusives guaranteed to be encountered at a specific store chain - such as Walmart or Target - or in a certain bundle. Despite having identical packaging to the regular release, due to the nature of how these figures are sold the Chase Variants distributed this way have a unique barcode SKU, allowing them to be stocked and sold separately from the regular release figures. These figures tend to be some of the most common Chase Variants and are easier to come by. Similarly, those distributed via promotions, like the Frito-Lay promotional figures have a unique barcode SKU despite not being available for regular purchase.
Lastly, Trade Shows such as E3 and Toy Fair have received exclusive Chase Variant figures given away for free to those that attended the event and visited the booth. Similarly, Activision Blizzard employees and those that worked on the Skylanders games would receive exclusive holiday Chase Variant figures, complete with specialised box artwork depicting the changes to the figure, and some even given a name change similar to Alt Deco Skylanders. Both these types of distribution feature a label denoting which event or holiday the figure was distributed for and the year of release, and also replace the barcode SKU on the bottom of the package with a ‘not for resale’ stamp so that they cannot be resold commercially.
Store Exclusive and Promos - Specific to stores for a limited time.
Trade show ex. - E3, etc...
Employee exclusive - hence the name.
Rare store encounter
Types of Chase Variants
Chase Variant types can be split into three categories: Metallurgic, Crystalline and Matte
Metallurgic
Gold - Flat yellowish gold that completely covers the figure and base
Golden - Flat orangish gold that completely covers the figure except for the base
Silver - Flat silver that completely covers the figure and base
Copper - Flat reddish copper that completely covers the figure and base
Bronze - Bronze with a dark wash that completely covers the figure and base except for the eyes
Color-Shift - Textured metallic green with a gold hue that covers the figure and base except the eyes.
Iridescent - Textured metallic purple with a blue hue that covers the figure and base except the eyes.
Chrome/Metallic - Highly reflective metallic coloring that covers the figure and base
Sparkle - Glittery white that completely covers the figure and base.
Heavy Metal - Flat silver and gunmetal that completely covers the figure and base
Crystalline
Crystal - Clear plastic that completely covers the figure and base. Crystal figures as part of the Swap Force, Trap Team and Imaginators toy lines have painted eyes and another translucent colour for the figure’s weapon or effect
Translucent Red/Blue/Green/Orange/Pink - Translucent colored plastic that completely covers the figure and base
Green Armor - Translucent green that covers the figure except for the eyes, weapon and base
Rock Candy - Translucent glittery blue, green and yellow that covers the figure except the eyes and base
Matte
Glow-In-The-Dark - Glow-in-the-dark that completely covers the figure and base
Stone - Grey with a dark wash that completely covers the figure and base.
Flocked - Fuzzy texture that covers the figure and base except the eyes. Starting with the Swap Force toyline, the Fuzzy texture only covers the character’s fur, leaving everything else including eyes, mouth, weapon and base as normal
Snow Flocked - Fuzzy white texture that covers the figure and base except the eyes and light-up features.
Patina - Oxidised copper with a gold wash that covers the figure and base.
Despite the fact these figures were released after the games began to assign Chase Variant Skylanders with the 'Special' or 'Rare' tag, neither of them have it, making them functionally identical to their Series 1 counterparts.
The Skylander Sidekicks that were distributed as part of two Frito-Lay promotions were later given the distinction of 'Special' as of Skylanders: Trap Team to further diffirentiate them from their Mini counterparts.
The Sidekicks are the only figures from the Spyro's Adventure toyline to have the 'Special' tag.
Battlegrounds Double Trouble is a rerelease of Series 2 Double Trouble with the series 1 counterpart's figure. This toy was released exclusively in the Skylanders: Battlegrounds starter pack in regions that did not receive the Royal Double Trouble figure. It is also sometimes referred to as 'Series 1.5 Double Trouble' by the fanbase.
Battlegrounds Double Trouble does not act any differently from the regular Series 2 release, does not register as 'Special' or 'Rare, and the figure is identical to the Series 1 version but with an orange base in place of green. As such it is the only playable Chase Variant not part of the Spyro's Adventure toyline to not have the 'Special' or 'Rare' tag.
Battlegrounds Double Trouble did receive a unique character card.
The starter pack of Skylanders: Superchargers for iOS devices included a unique version of Hot Streak. This figure is physically identical to the regular figure, however to prevent players from unlocking the entire game on mobile with a regular Hot Streak figure, the figure that came with the iOS starter pack had a unique chip that would unlock the full game. As such, when used on a console version of a compatible game it registers as 'Special'.
Mobile Hot Streak is the only chase figure that is indescernable from the regular version without first using it in game.
A recently surfaced prototype shows that Hot Dog almost received a Color-Shift variant [1]A prototype Colour Shift Hot Dog
The Easter Trap is the only Chase Variant Trap. It does not register as 'Special' or 'Rare', making it the only variant figure from the Trap Team toyline that does not register differently from the regular figure.
Happy Birthday Ben! Starcast was a figure specially produced in an incredibly limited run for Tom Brady's son, Benjamin. Brady is a personal friend of Bobby Kotick, the CEO of Activision Blizzard, who organised the figure's production for Ben's 7th birthday. There were only enough figures made for the party and a few that went to employees of the core Skylanders development team. As such, this toy is thought to be one of the rarest - if not THE rarest - Skylander figure to ever be produced.[2]
Happy Birthday Ben! Starcast is the only variant from Skylanders: Imaginators to have the pedestal base a different colour than normal. In this case it is a flat matte green.
