After many, many leaks, The Pokemon Company has finally officially confirmed the Pokemon Trading Card Game's next expansion will be Sword & Shield: Astral Radiance.
This expansion will be based on the recently-release Pokemon Legends: Arceus, and will include the game's Hisui region and its Hisuian Pokemon variants. The set looks like it's focused on the myths and legends of the Hisui region, with Dialga, Palkia, Arceus, and Darkrai all featuring prominently on its packaging.
Following on from Brilliant Stars, Astral Radiance will introduce a whopping eight new VSTAR Pokemon, which is way more than were introduced in their debut expansion. A new inclusion to the game will also be introducing Radiant Pokemon, which are Shiny Pokemon with a new, etched-foil art treatment that possess powerful attacks or abilities.
While Radiant Pokemon can use their powerful attacks as often as they like, compared to VSTAR's one-time only abilities, you can only have one Radiant Pokemon of any kind in your deck. It's not been confirmed which Radiant Pokemon will be making it over from the Japanese sets the expansion is based on, Space Juggler and Time Gazer.
Also making a comeback from Brilliant Stars is its excellent Trainer Gallery. The Trainer Gallery is a subset of cards that showcase Pokemon alongside iconic trainers related to them, and they were easily one of the highlights of Brilliant Stars' exceptional art. Like Brilliant Stars, there will be 30 Trainer Gallery cards in total, though they'll all be rarer than most other cards in the expansion.
If you're a fan of VMAX Pokemon, Astral Radiance might be something of a letdown because it is only introducing two new VMAX Pokemon. VMAX was one of the central mechanics of the Sword & Shield series, but as we move away from Galar into Hisui, and look forward to the new Scarlet and Violet era, we're likely going to see much fewer VMAX cards printed this year.
Pokemon TCG: Sword & Shield – Astral Radiance will launch on May 27, with the usual array of booster packs, booster boxes, and Elite Trainer Bundles. A Pokemon Center-exclusive Elite Trainer Box is also available for preorder through the Pokemon Center website.
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