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

The Cards Of Pokémon TCG: Astral Radiance Part 33: Full Arts Begin

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. Now that we have wrapped up the gorgeous and unique Alternate Arts of Sword & Shield – Astral Radiance, let's check out the Full Arts.

Ayaka Yoshida delivers a standard but effective Beedrill V Full Art. The red background with lightly drawn shapes suggests a honeycomb, which is a subtle but visually interesting effect. Pokémon TCG go-to Ultra Rare art house 5ban Graphics delivers the illustration for Hisuian Lilligant V. I like how 5ban does the Full Arts a lot more than how they normally do the standard, 3D style Vs and this is no exception. The mixture of pink and green and yellow on Hisuian Lilligant's design is reflected in the background, which looks like swirling explosions of golden light over a glimmering pink expanse. Virzion V Full Art by Saki Hayashiro has an almost identical color palette, but the swirls of color are softer, bringing to mind a light breeze.

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 Full Art section of the set.

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