Posted in: Card Games, Games, Pokémon TCG, Tabletop | Tagged: Brilliant Stars, pokemon, pokemon cards, Pokemon TCG, VMAX Climax

Houndoom Character Card Set For Japan's Pokémon TCG: VMAX Climax

The upcoming Pokémon TCG high-class set VMAX Climax, which will be released in December 2021 in Japan, was previously shrouded in mystery. Very little was known about how this set would show up for English-speaking collectors and players until the Pokémon TCG revealed that their February 2022 set, Sword & Shield – Brilliant Stars, would feature a subset of 30 cards called the Trainer Gallery. We don't know what if any Secret Rares will be included outside of the return of Character Cards, which Japanese collectors will remember from Dream League and English collectors will remember from Cosmic Eclipse. Let's take a look at a newly revealed Character Card.

And we have Houndoom! Houndoom looks like a hell hound unleashed to hunt down its prey and drag it back to the fiery depths in this character card. While the card is classified as a Dark-type as you can see with the Energy symbol, the artwork doesn't forget that this barking beastie is a true Dark/Fire-type in the Pokédex. You can see bursts of flame shooting from Houndoom's open mouth as he bounds toward his quarry. This is a standard Character Card (referred to as Character Rare in Japan) and not a Character Super Rare, meaning that it is a standard Pokémon card and not a V or VMAX.

With Character Cards confirmed for the Trainer Gallery subset in Sword & Shield – Brilliant Diamond, there is one thing I'm crossing my fingers over months in advance of the set's English-language release. I truly hope that the cards of this subset will be featured in the Reverse Holo slot like the Character Cards of Sun & Moon – Cosmic Eclipse were. I love when the Reverse Holo slot is dynamic, and it's been a while since we've had anything that could be found in that slot beyond the normal reverses. In fact, it has been since Shining Fates where that slot could be occupied by either a Shiny Pokémon or an Amazing Rare, a card type that is now retired.

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