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The Best Shiny Pokémon Cards In The New Shining Fates Set – Part 1

Shining Fates is the newest special set in the Pokémon TCG. Like Hidden Fates before it, Shining Fates includes a standard set as well as an even larger subset of Shiny cards referred to as the "Shiny Vault." In Shining Fates, the Vault is made up of standard Shiny Pokémon cards, which feature the Shiny version of a Pokémon set over a textured, silvery foil background with a burst of sparkles that mimics the animation when these special creatures are encountered in the games. Then, there are the Shiny V and VMAX cards, which depict the Pokémon in beautiful, glimmering full art cards in their standard Shiny forms on the V and their Gigantamax or Dynamax Shiny forms on the VMAX cards. In this special two-part series celebrating the artwork of Shining Fates, let's take a look at the best standard Shiny Pokémon cards.

Shiny Pokémon Cards from Shining Fates. Credit: Pokémon TCG
Shiny Pokémon Cards from Shining Fates. Credit: Pokémon TCG

Keep in mind, as we go into this, these selections are all a matter of opinion. We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. Our top five standard Shinies (or, as some collectors refer to them, "Baby Shinies") are:

  • Suicune: Illustrated by Kagemaru Himeno, this beautiful card shows off this icy blue Shiny Legendary. I'd put Suicune as the best Shiny Legendary after Rayquaza, personally, so it's terrific to see it show up here. If only it had a V in this set!
  • Galarian Ponyta: Galarian Ponyta is one of the most stunning designs of Generation Eight in its standard form, and now this Shiny form is somehow equally beautiful with this pastel green and yellow color palette, captured perfectly by artist Sanosuke Sakuma.
  • Dragapult: Another one of the most popular Galar additions is Dragapult, which will actually get V and VMAX cards in an upcoming Shining Fates Collection Box. Here, though, it makes for one of the best standard Pokémon cards due to the simple and classic art of Naoki Saito which brings to mind the graceful minimalism of old school, vintage Pokémon TCG holos from the WOTC era.
  • Galarian Zigzagoon: What a colorway! The whole Galarian Zigzagoon, Linoone, Obstagoon line looks amazing with their white and maroon fur and blue tongues, but there's something especially adorable about the base form of Zigzagoon as drawn by Misa Tsutsui.
  • Minccino & Ducklett: A tie at the end is cheating, right? Yeah, it's cheating, but you can't ask me to pick between these two pink Pokés. They look like pastries and that makes these cards quite a sweet pull. Minccino is drawn by MAHOU with Ducklett drawn by Kyoko Umemoto, both of whom capture the cuteness of these species beautifully.

You can explore the full Pokémon TCG: Shining Fates Shiny Vault gallery here.


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Theo DwyerAbout Theo Dwyer

Theo Dwyer writes about comics, film, and games.
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