Posted in: Card Games, Games, Pokémon TCG, Tabletop | Tagged: pokemon, pokemon cards, Pokemon TCG, Pokemon Trading Card Game, Sword & Shield

Pokémon TCG 2022 End-Of-Year List: Top Promo Cards Of 2022

The Pokémon TCG released quite a few promo cards this year. We are winding down the Sword & Shield era which means that this is the last full year of SWSH Black Star Promos, with SV Black Star Promos on the way as we lead into the Scarlet & Violet era. In honor of the year's end, let's look back at the top promo cards of 2022.

Instead of a ranked list, let's simply honor the six top slots, because this will come down to personal preference in the end. The first three are all Charizard cards that appeared in a single box: The Charizard Ultra-Premium Collection. These are Special Art Rares taken from Japan's VSTAR Universe set, which means that we won't have them in Crown Zenith. These three cards would've been well over $100 each if left in packs of Crown Zenith, so the Pokémon TCG saved us from a grisly fate there. Also, the cards are simply gorgeous. Special Art Rares are essentially Alternate Arts in theory, but given a different rarity within VSTAR Universe. This box gave us SWSH Black Star Promos, including Charizard V by legend Oswaldo KATO who pictures Charizard dozing lazily with a sassy expression; Charizard VMAX by Shiburingaru, who renders the Gigantamax Pokémon in horrifying realism, making it look like something out of a high-budget movie as it lets out a stream of flames; and of course Charizard VSTAR by KIYOTAKA OSHIYAMA which depicts Charizard battling Mewtwo. We will see Mewtwo's side of the battle with the Mewtwo VSTAR Special Art Rare in Crown Zenith.

The other three top promos of 2022 are all Eevee-themed cards. Leafeon VSTAR and Glaceon VSTAR kicked off the VSTAR card type for us, evolving in Special Collections ahead of the release of Sword & Shield – Brilliant Stars, giving us our first examples of this card as well as new Leafeon and Glaceon Vs.

Radiant Eevee also tops the list. This card from the Pokémon TCG: Pokémon GO Radiant Eevee Premium Collection sold me on this card type, with the silvery Shiny Eevee appearing on far and away the most beautiful Radiant Pokémon card courtesy of Souichirou Gunjima. This card is also unique among Radiants due to the glowing rainbow toward the bottom of the card, which represents Eevee's split evolutionary family.

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