Posted in: Card Games, Games, Pokémon TCG, Tabletop | Tagged: Burning Shadows, pokemon, pokemon cards, Pokemon TCG, sun & moon

Pokémon TCG Burning Shadows Expansion: Complete Review

Today, we conclude another part of our trip through Pokémon TCG history. On August 4th, 2017, the Pokémon TCG released the third set of the Sun & Moon era: Burning Shadows. This set primarily focused on Fire-type Pokémon and Dark-type Pokémon, with Charizard and Necrozma being some of the main pulls. The Mythical Pokémon Marshadow was also a major focus. This set continued the Pokémon-GX mechanic introduced in Sun & Moon Base earlier that year and continued the trend of including a large number of Full Arts and Secret Rares. Increasing the number of Full Arts and Secret Rares in sets is a trend that has continued to this day. Now, let's take a full look back at this set and see where it sits in the history of the TCG.

Has the Pokémon TCG become a Charizard chase?

It must be said: Burning Shadows is an uneven set for collectors. The Rainbow Rare Charizard GX is the most valuable card of the set many times over, and its staggering market price makes the set difficult to complete. There are sets with expensive cards that are more balanced, such as Sun & Moon – Cosmic Eclipse, but that is not the case with Burning Shadows. What I think, though, is that while this does factor into the set's overall score, it's not damning. While the set has become hard to complete, it has many varied interesting aspects to it to beyond the Charizard.

The Cards

The Full Art Trainer cards continue to impress early in the Sun & Moon era. In this set alone, Acerola, Kiawe, Wicke, and Guzma in particular are some of the best Full Art Trainers ever. Other strong cards include Darkrai, Gardevoir, and, yes, the Rainbow Rare Charizard.

What may get overlooked in Burning Shadows, though, is the strength of the common cards. The Ralts and Pikachu are all-timers with memorable, impressive, emotive artwork. The Butterfree and the Charmander capture two of the most iconic moments from the anime, delivering illustrations that not only evoke nostalgia but also emotion for those who know the stories. This is what rounds out a set that is otherwise imbalanced due to a high value, difficult-to-obtain card.

Overall

Burning Shadows continues the upward trend for the Sun & Moon era with strong trainers, a beautiful selection of common cards, and a chase card that, while difficult to obtain, is stunning.

7.5/10

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