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Cards Of Pokémon TCG: Crown Zenith Part 30: Galarian Gallery Begins

Our spotlight on Pokémon TCG: Crown Zenith switches to the Galarian Gallery subset which introduced Illustration Rares and more.


The Sword & Shield era of the Pokémon TCG has come to an end. Three years of expansions dedicated to the region of Galar, with some love for Brilliant Diamond Shining Pearl's revitalization of Sinnoh and Pokémon Legends: Arceus's introduction of the ancient region of Hisui, have led to this moment. Crown Zenith, a special set celebrating the Sword & Shield era, was released on January 20th, 2023. It was primarily an adaptation of Japan's VSTAR Universe set and also featured a collection of cards that were cut from other English-language sets and more. Like other special sets, including Champion's Path, Shining Fates, Celebrations, and Pokémon GOCrown Zenith packs were found in specially branded products like Premium Collections and Elite Trainer Boxes rather than booster boxes. This set featured the Galarian Gallery subset, which introduced Illustration Rares and Special Illustration Rares, originally called "Art Rares," to the hobby, which set the standard for the following Sword & Shield era, which used these card types as their primary Secret Rares. In today's installment of this Crown Zenith spotlight, we begin the Galarian Gallery subset.

Crown Zenith cards. Credit: Pokémon TCG
Crown Zenith cards. Credit: Pokémon TCG

The Galarian Gallery is a 70-card subset made up of Illustration Rares, Special Illustration Rares, and Gold Secret Rares that can be found in lucky packs of Crown Zenith. This is the first instance of Illustration Rares, which would go on to become the signature Secret Rare of the Scarlet & Violet era.

The first two Illustration Rares of Crown Zenith feature Hisuian Voltorb by HYOGONOSUKE and Kricketune serenading a concert hall worth of Pokémon (including Shroomish, Stuffl, Wooloo, Golbat, Emolga, Rufflet, Bunnelb, Snom, Komala, and Lotad) by Nurikabe. The idea here is to show Pokémon in their habitat, and man, does it work.

Stay tuned for the journey through this special set as we continue to spotlight the cards and artwork of Pokémon TCG: Crown Zenith. Next time, the spotlight continues with the Galarian Gallery section of this set.


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Theo DwyerAbout Theo Dwyer

Theo Dwyer writes about comics, film, and games.
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