Pokemon TCG Announces Next Card Set
The Pokemon Company has announced its next English language Pokemon Trading Card Game set – Astral Radiance. The new set will be the first to feature the new Pokemon and new Pokemon forms from Pokemon Legends: Arceus, including Palkia and Dialga's Origin Formes as well as the Hisuian variants of Decidueye, Thyphlosion, and Samurott. The set will include over 180 cards, including 3 new Radiant Pokemon, 7 Pokemon VSTAR cards, 2 Pokemon VMAX cards, and 30 cards with Trainer Gallery cards (an alternate art style that features Pokemon teaming up with trainers from throughout the Pokemon franchise). The new set will be released on May 27, 2022.
Astral Radiance was first leaked earlier this year when pictures of the foil for booster packs was leaked online, which showcases Dialga and Palkia in their Origin Formes. Not only did this confirm that some leaks from early copies of Pokemon Legends: Arceus were legitimate, it also confirmed that the new Pokemon would appear in the Pokemon Trading Card Game.
This is the second set to feature VSTAR cards, brand new Pokemon cards that feature the VSTAR Power mechanic. VSTAR Powers are abilities or moves that can be activated once per game. They act similarly to the Pokemon GX abilities seen during the Pokemon Sun and Moon cycle of the card game, but with the twist that they're tied to Pokemon V cards, which are more powerful than standard Pokemon cards.
This will likely be the final year in the Sword and Shield cycle of the Pokemon Trading Card Game, which launched in February 2020 in the US. With the announcement of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet earlier this month, the card game will likely sync up with the video games and usher in a brand new era of the cards in early 2023. With only a few more sets remaining for Sword and Shield, it will be interesting to see what The Pokemon Company has in store for fans.
Astral Radiance will be released for the Pokemon Trading Card Game on May 27, 2022.
