Posted in: Card Games, Games, Pokémon TCG, Tabletop | Tagged: Dark Phantasma, Lost Origin, pokemon, pokemon cards, Pokemon TCG

Pokémon TCG Japan's Dark Phantasma Preview: Hisuian Full Arts

The new Pokémon TCG set has arrived in Japan. Dark Phantasma was released on May 13th, 2022, and continues the focus on the Hisui region that debuted earlier this year in Nintendo Switch game Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Like the previous three sets (Battle Region, Time Gazer, and Space Juggler), Dark Phantasma features cards with certain Hisuian species for the very first time. This Zoroark-themed set also continues the VSTAR mechanic introduced this year and sees more Radiant Pokémon cards (formerly thought to be called "Sparkling" cards) that depict species in their Shiny form with a unique reverse holo pattern. These sets, along with the upcoming Japanese sets Lost Abyss and Incandescent Arcana, will likely be the basis of the next English-language set, Sword & Shield – Lost Origin, coming in Summer 2022. Today, let's take a look at some of the Full Arts from the set.

One of the major focuses of Dark Phantasma is Hisuian versions of species we mostly know from other regions. Electrode, Zoroark, and Goodra all get Full Art Vs for their Hisuian versions, which is the first time we're seeing these species get the Full Art feature. I am a major fan of Sword & Shield-era Full Arts due to their complex detailed backgrounds. I also love how the lineart is silver foil, which harkens back to the XY era for me which used gold foil lineart. I prefer these dramatically to the Sun & Moon-era Full Arts which used blue lineart which often clashed with the actual Pokémon's color palette, while both the gold and silver ends up being a lot more subtle and graceful.

Japanese sets often give us early ideas of what the English-language sets may include, so be sure to keep an eye on our coverage. You can stay tuned for previews of Dark Phantasma cards as well as updates on everything Pokémon TCG right here at Bleeding Cool.

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