Posted in: Card Games, Games, Pokémon TCG, Tabletop | Tagged: Amazing Rares, pokemon, pokemon cards, Pokemon TCG, Vivid Voltage

A Holographic History Of The Pokémon TCG: Amazing Rares

Over the years, the Pokémon TCG has featured many different patterns used on their holographic cards. Some patterns lasted for years, while others had short stays, making them markers for their short time in the franchise. In this next installment of A Holographic History of the Pokémon TCG, let's take a look at a style of card that seemed to come and go overnight: Amazing Rares.

I still remember when I got the press release about Amazing Rares, then referred to as "Amazing Pokémon." I reported:

For Pokémon fans getting hyped for the release of Zarude, it has already made its debut in the latest Pokémon Trading Card Came expansion. The TCG's latest, Sword & Shield – Vivid Voltage, is available for purchase at retailers as well as the Pokémon Center. This set has introduced a new kind of card, "Amazing Pokémon," which gives certain Pokémon extra flair with dazzling rainbow backgrounds that extend outside of the frame.

While that's accurate, I couldn't begin to understand how truly amazing this type of card was until I saw it in person. The rainbow backgrounds were rendered in a textured foil that looked like splashed of paint stretching out over the card which also has a light, slightly grainy texture over the card's full surface. The foil sparkles beautifully in the light not only on the paint but also on certain areas on the card's lower half such as the energy and rarity symbols, adding a truly premium quality to Amazing Rares. Also, note how the rainbow has a different pattern in the above two cards. Every single Amazing Rare did that, creating unique pain splash patterns.

Amazing Rares were available to pull in the reverse holo slot of two Pokémon TCG sets, which made those openings incredibly dynamic by adding to the overall number of hits that an opening could yield. Amazing Rares stuck to Legendary and Mythical Pokémon, delivering one card of each card type (at the time, when Fairy had been discontinued and Dragon was briefly out of use) and then… well, that was it. Two sets! Sword & Shield – Vivid Voltage and Shining Fates gave us Amazing Rares, which means that this card type was active in sets starting in November 2020 and ending in February 2021. That's four months!

While it seems like Amazing Rares are truly done, it cannot be overstated how much these simple and beautiful cards enriched the Pokémon TCG while they were here.

Just… before I go. One thing. I love the Zacian Amazing Rare, but… come on. That was Mew's spot.

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