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

The Cards Of Pokémon TCG: Astral Radiance Part 19: Radiant Hawluncha

In May 2022, Pokémon TCG released the second main series set of 2022. The expansion, Sword & Shield – Astral Radiance, came out on May 27th, 2022. It is the tenth set under the Sword & Shield banner and is the first to include the Radiant Pokémon mechanic. Radiant Pokémon are similar to Shining Pokémon of the past as they include a Shiny Pokémon with holofoil and texture on the figure rather than the background. The difference, though, is a special holo pattern on the text area of the card. Sword & Shield – Astral Radiance also continues the Trainer Gallery, a special subset of Character Rares, Character Super Rares, Full Art Trainers, and Black & Gold VMAXes that began in the previous set, Sword & Shield – Brilliant Stars. Follow me through a journey through this latest set as we appreciate the artwork, discuss the card's place in the set, and discuss what certain elements of the expansion may imply for the future of the Pokémon TCG. Today, we check out another Radiant Pokémon.

Radiant Hawluncha is illustrated by Masakazu Fukuda who utilizes bright colors and clean linework for a solid card. Note, though, that this is one of the first Radiant Pokémon cards. In this set, both Radiant Heatran and Radiant Hawlucha set the tone for this card type by using a simple color design as the background, making the detailed background of Radiant Greninja an outlier. All of the Radiants in the Pokémon GO special set all have this simple background, with the only detailed Radiants being the promo Radiant Eevee and the dazzling Radiant Jirachi which has not yet been released.

Then, we have Hisuian Decidueye arrive on its first-ever card. This hyper-detailed Kouki Saitou card is a solid entry, but it's not the end of Decidueye's presence in this set. Tomorrow, we'll have a V and a VSTAR to show off. Stay tuned for the continuing journey through Pokémon TCG: Sword & Shield – Astral Radiance. To look back on this series, click the Astral Radiance tag below. Next time, this journey continues with the main set.

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