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 38: Trainers 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. Today, we kick off the Full Art Trainers.

Sword & Shield – Astral Radiance has a strong focus on the historic Hisui region, so many of the Trainers in this set are ancient figures that debuted in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. First up, we have Adaman, who is the leader of the Diamond Clan. An Eeveelution-themed Trainer, he doesn't keep Pokémon in Poké Balls. The art for this card, easily the best of the three to my eye, is by Souichirou Gunjima, who captures some devil-may-care personality in the illustration.

Choy is the villager who runs the Jubilif General Store, hence his welcoming nature on the card, which is illustrated by Hitoshi Ariga.

Finally, Cyllene is the leader of the Galaxy Team Survey Corps.  Artist nagimiso handles the art for this one.

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.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!