Insanely Rare Shining Cards are Returning to the Pokemon Trading Card Game

Shining Pokemon are coming back to the Pokemon Trading Card Game. The Pokemon Company released a [...]

shining mew

Shining Pokemon are coming back to the Pokemon Trading Card Game. The Pokemon Company released a first look at the upcoming Japanese card set "Shining Legends," which confirmed that the super-rare cards are returning to the card game for the first time in fifteen years.

When Pokemon Gold and Silver introduced the rare and alternately-colored Shiny Pokemon into the franchise, the trading card game added Shining Pokemon as a card equivalent. Shining Pokemon were only added to one in 300 packs and had their own special holofoil, so they would sell for hundreds of dollars on the resale market.

The Pokemon TCG eventually moved away from Shining Pokemon cards, in part because they came with special gameplay rules. Only 11 types of Shining Pokemon cards were ever released, although Shiny Pokemon have appeared on other cards over the years, which weren't bound to the same rules.

So far, we know of three Shining Pokemon cards in the upcoming set: Shining Mew, Shining Ho-Oh, and Shining Celebi. Since there's only 72 cards in the "Shining Legends" expansion, we'll probably only see one or two more Shining Pokemon cards in the set. Like the original Shining Pokemon cards, these will have a special holofoil treatment: the Pokemon in the art will be holofoil, but the artwork won't.

"Shining Legends" comes out next month in Japan. The English versions of the cards will likely be included in November's Pokemon TCG expansion.

More Pokemon: Pokemon Game Confirmed in Development for Nintendo Switch / How Many Live Events Will Pokemon Go Have This Summer? / A Pokemon Themed Escape Room is Coming to Japan / Pokemon Go Teases Plans for Exciting New Playground Feature / Pokemon Go to Host First Official Live Event in Chicago / More New Features Teased for Pokemon Go / Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon Announced / Legendary Pokemon and More Confirmed for Pokemon Go This Summer