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Keep up with the latest special Sword/Shield set and its finish; in which you'll find information that will give you advantage before 01/20 to see which cards are worth collecting and competing with!
Table of contents
Early 2023, we'll say goodbye to the last Sword/Shield set, this one being a special set as Champion's Path, Shining Fates, Celebrations
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The predicted arrival date is 05/05/2023, and costing $59,99, these boxes will have:
- A promotional Shiny Zacian-V or Zamazenta-V card alongside their )
- A Zacian or Zamazenta metalic pin;
- A sleeve set;
- A Zacian or Zamazenta figure;
- An online box code (Zacian or Zamazenta, depending on your choice), so you can migrate to PTCG Online or Live; (Do not switch to Live);
- Eleven Crown Zenith boosters, each containing 11 cards and a code for PTCG Online/Live for the app players.
It will be released only in the U.S.A., Canada and United Kingdom, with a different art from Morpeko-VUnion, different from the original Japanese art among the V-Union Pokémon.
It will cost around $39,99, will be released 04/14/2023 and will contain:
- 4 etched Morpeko V-UNION promo cards (as any V-Union);
- The "oversized" version of Morpeko-VUnion as a "poster";
- A Marnie Playmat with her Morpeko;
- A Professor Burnet PR-SW SWSH167 card;
- An online box code, so you can migrate to PTCG Online or Live;
- Five Crown Zenith boosters containing each 11 cards and a code for PTCG Online/Live for the app players.
It will be sold in the U.S.A., Canada and United Kingdom on 04/14/2023, for $14,99, containing:
- A promo card of the chosen starter;
- A metal pin of the chosen starter;
- An online starter promo card code, so you can migrate to PTCG Online or Live;
- Three Crown Zenith boosters containing each 11 cards and a code for PTCG Online/Live for the app players.
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These products will be released for $8,99, on 02/17/2023.
These products will be released for $24,99, on 03/17/2023.
It will cost $19,99, and be released 01/20/2022.
Even though it contains 4 Crown Zenith boosters, it has differences regarding their Regis products choices.
- If you buy Regieleki-V, you get its promo card, besides the oversized version and the Sword/Shield: Evolving Skies Regidrago EVS 124 baby card.
- If you buy Regidrago-V, you get its promo card, besides the oversized version and the Sword/Shield: Evolving Skies Regieleki EVS 60 baby card.
As the collection is themed around the famed Alternative/Secret arts, Trainer Gallery cards, and more, there are just a few cards that will see play competitively.
I'll highlight the most relevant, so we might have a solid notion of what to expect.
1) Ability - Excited Heart: this Pokémon's attacks cost one colorless energy less for each Prize card that your opponent has collected.
2) Attack - Combustion Blast (F" alt="C"/>
It's basically a reprint of the same Radiant Charizard PGO 11 which showed up in the Pokémon GO set, but this one has artwork made by the wonderful Kouki Saitou (which illustrates cards since the Ruby/Sapphire, Skyridge and Aquapolis times).
</p><p>1) Ability - </strong>Climax Gate<strong class=)
: when you play this Pokémon from your hand to the bench, you can use this ability. You look for two VMax Pokémon from your deck and can place them directly on your bench, afterward shuffling your deck. If you do, your round ends. 2) Attack - Power Beam (F" alt="D"/>
This card is very aggressive when it comes to summoning/placing/searching (call it what you want) VMax Pokémon in play, without needing their basic forms, which can create extraordinary combos with some Pokémon that will be rotated before April 2023 such as Charizard VMAX DAA 20 and Centiskorch VMAX DAA 34.
But for the Standard format, as an "F" rating, it can still be useful with the "E" and "F" set VMax Pokémon that will remain, being able to set up many possibilities.
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</p><p>1) Ability - </strong>Charja Block<strong class=)
: while this Pokémon is in play, every time any player attaches an energy to their V Pokémon, this Pokémon will be hit with 2 damage counters. 2) Attack - Discharge (L): deals 30 damage to one of your opponent's Pokémon (it doesn't apply weakness or resistance to the opponent bench).
This Pokémon certainly will go in spread damage control decks such as Galarian Cursola V CPA 21 and Dracozolt VMAX EVS 59. It will fit this type of strategy, so eventually we might see decks with this damage output.
It is an Item Tool card that makes it create an ability: during your turn, when you activate this Tool, if your V basic Pokémon Knocks out a VMax or VStar active enemy Pokémon, you get an extra Prize card.
It is an extremely broken card, as against VMax Pokémon it gives you 4 Prize cards at once and against VStar Pokémon it gives you 3 Prize cards (almost throwing it back to the Arceus & Dialga & Palkia-GX CEC 156 GX attack times).
In Standard, we have combos, such as Ludicolo EVS 34, which grants its ability 100 extra damage with basic Pokémon in play, which generally plays alongside Suicune V EVS 31, which in a hypothetical situation, with the 220 total damage that Suicune-V can deal (20 base damage plus 20 for each Pokémon in your and the opponent's bench, up to 100 + 100 = 200), with Ludicolo's ability 100 extra damage, it's dealing 320 damage! And suppose that in this strike we destroy a VMax with around 310 to 320 health, you get four Prize cards in one go!
It is a Supporter card that makes you flip a coin: if it's heads, you look at the 8 bottom cards in your deck and choose one of those cards to yourself; and if it's tails, you look at the 3 bottom cards in your deck and choose one of those cards to yourself. Shuffle your deck afterward.
It is literally a reverse Misty's Determination BKP 104 version, which in this case, it looks at the top cards in your deck, whereas Digging Duo sees the bottom cards. And this card is Marnie SSH 169's counter.
Before speaking about these cards, months ago I wrote a post with theories and Japanese set cards possibilities that could come in eastern sets such as Lost Origin
and Silver Tempest, 
However, after a long time, these cards are confirmed for the Crown Zenith set, which you can check out below:
2) Attack - Giant Hunter (M" target='_blank'>M(C): it deals 100 damage plus 160 damage if the defending Pokémon is a VMax Pokémon.
This is also an exclusive card coming from the Lost Abyss - VSTAR Special Set.
This is also an exclusive card coming from the Lost Abyss - VSTAR Special Set, with a different version of its usual art, but it is a reprint of that same card released in Brilliant Stars, Zamazenta V BRS 105.
1) Attack - Scrappy Pulse (L" alt="L"/>
2) Ability - Star Conversion: discard any number of cards from your hand and afterward draw the same amount of discarded cards (you can't use more than one VStar Power during the whole match - be it an ability or attack).
This is also an exclusive card coming from the Lost Abyss - VSTAR Special Set.
</p><p>1) Ability - </strong>Witch's Domain<strong class=)
: you can move 2 damage counters from your Pokémon to your opponent's Pokémon. 2) Attack - G-Max Smite (P" alt="C"/>
</p><p><h4 class=)
Regigigas-V1) Attack - Hammer In (C" alt="C"/>
2) Attack - Angry Blow (C)(C)(C): deals 100 plus 10 damage for each damage counter you have with Regigigas, and this Pokémon is now confused.
1) Attack - Giga Impact (C)(C)(C): deals 320 damage and this Pokémon can't use this attack next round.
2) VStar Ability (VStar Power) - Star Guardian: you can only use this ability if your opponent is missing exactly one Prize card left to win the game. From that, you choose one Pokémon in the enemy bench and discard it, including the energies attached to it (You can't use more than one VStar Power during the whole match - be it an ability or an attack).
1) Ability - Explosive Start: if this Pokémon is in your hand early game before the match has started, you can place it directly as an Active Pokémon.
2) Attack - Seeking Fangs (C): deals 50 damage and looks in your deck for 2 Trainer type cards, reveals them to your opponent and shuffles your hand.
By far, one of the best supports that this final block has ever seen and which will see a lot of play in the future due to being type "F". And for the veterans who were around in X/Y cards, it is practically a Talonflame STS 96.
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With the same theme as the artwork in Reset Stamp UNM 206a and Pokémon Communication TEU 152b, there are players who like using them and also collectors who are willing to get these.
They are nothing more, nothing less than Ultra Ball BRS 150, Trekking Shoes ASR 156 and Rescue Carrier EVS 154 "reprints".
A Ditto PGO 53 reprint, which was released in Sword/Shield: Pokémon GO.
Here are the cards in their regular form as they will come in the set (and prepare your wallets because they will easily be Sword/Shield most expensive cards, including when it comes to their Alternative art, and I even risk saying that they might be considered Gold Full Art in a certain way, due to their golden effect).
The images below are respectively the full artwork of these Pokémon and the other is a fanmade collage of cards (when they didn't know yet what would be the official artwork).
There was a post here about the Silver Tempest releases last year, alongside the announcement of the second batch of Charizard's UPC (Ultra Premium Collections), in which they would have Charizard VSTAR PR-SW SWSH262's artwork, and I mentioned this Mewtwo-VStar. That's right. It will be present in this collection.
It's worth remembering that it is a "reprint" of Sword/Shield: Pokémon GO's Mewtwo VSTAR PGO 31 version.
(Note: Charizard V PR-SW SWSH260, Charizard VMAX PR-SW SWSH261 and Charizard VSTAR PR-SW SWSH262 cards came to us in the west through the UPC Box, but in Japan, the Charizard V PR-SW SWSH260 and Charizard VSTAR PR-SW SWSH262 cards will come for them in the VSTAR Universe one, so these cards won't come to us in Crown Zenith.
Coming from the japanese product known as SPECIAL DECK SET: RAYQUAZA-VMAX VS CHARIZARD-VSTAR, it was released in Japan 11/04, as a "League Deck" type starred by Rayquaza and Charizard with their own decks and Rayquaza-VMAX and Charizard-VStar promo cards version, costing around US$ 36,91.
Only according to Bulbapedia's list, it is categorized as part of the west set. So, the question remains: will it come to us in this set?
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These are Alternative/Secret artworks for these: Entei EVS 19, Raikou V BRS 48 and Suicune V EVS 31.
For me, this is one of the most beautiful artworks of these Hisui Pokémon in their secret versions. It is precisely a reference to the Hisuian Zoroark VSTAR LOR 213 card.
Respectively, these cards are: Diancie ASR 68 from Astral Radiance, Mew CEL 11 from Celebrations and Manaphy BRS 41 from Brilliant Stars.
Cynthia’s Ambition
Friends of Sinnoh
Friends of Hisui*
(Research Credit: Bleeding Cool, Bulbapedia, Serebii, Alpha TCG, JustinBasil)
So? What did you think of the news regarding these products and set? Which interest you most and left you anxious to get?
Comment down below in the comment section! See you in the next article.
Graduated in Architecture and Urbanism, Graphic Design and freelance illustrator. I'm passionate about Japanese culture in general, games and nerd media (Castlevania and Star Wars). Fan, collector and Pokémon TCG player since 1999.
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