Posted in: Card Games, Games, Pokémon TCG, Tabletop | Tagged: Astral Radiance, pokemon, pokemon cards, Pokémon Legends Arceus, Pokemon TCG

Pokémon TCG: Sword & Shield – Astral Radiance Is Our May 2022 Set

Pokémon TCG: Sword & Shield – Astral Radiance has been announced as our May 2022 set. Yes, we already knew that and reported on it from retailer information, but today's news is significant because we have the official English-language booster pack art, Elite Trainer Box design, and more. Let's get into the details.

Pokémon TCG: Sword & Shield – Astral Radiance will be released on May 27th, 2022 with pre-release weekend kicking things off on May 13th, 2022. There is new information that we didn't know in this press release, so let's take a look:

Inspired by the Pokémon Legends: Arceus video game, Sword & Shield—Astral Radiance will feature various Hisuian Pokémon and card art that showcases the Hisui region. The expansion will also introduce Radiant Pokémon, a new gameplay mechanic that features Shiny Pokémon illustrated in etched artwork. Radiant Pokémon tend to have a powerful Ability or attack with the potential to impact the Pokémon TCG metagame. Players will only be able to include one Radiant Pokémon in their deck.

Now, we knew that Pokémon Legends: Arceus would be a major focus here, as this set is adapting Japan's Battle Region, Space Gazer, and Time Juggler to English. However, one thing that's news is the title of Radiant Pokémon, as Japan calls these "Sparkling" Pokémon. It is almost certain that the Radiant Pokémon included in this set will be the ones from Battle Region: Heatran, Greninja, and Hawlucha. What remains to be seen is how these will be pulled, but my current thought is that they will be found in the Reverse Holo slot like Amazing Rares. If that's true, these cards aren't the only special card type that can be pulled in the Reverse Holo slot, as we're getting another 30-card Trainer Gallery subset. The announcement goes:

In addition, Sword & Shield—Astral Radiance will continue to highlight Pokémon VSTAR and includes a special Trainer Gallery subset of 30 cards with artwork featuring fan-favorite Trainers and Pokémon.

Now, let's look at the set breakdown:

• 180+ cards
• Three Radiant Pokémon: This, we covered.
• Eight Pokémon VSTAR: We can be sure that this includes the three Hisuian Starters, Palkia, Dialga, and Darkrai. That leaves two open slots!
• 21 Pokémon V
• Two Pokémon VMAX: This could be the Rayquaza and Duraludon VMAXes from VMAX Climax that we have yet to see in English
• More than 20 Trainer cards

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