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 55: Black & Gold VMAX

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 conclude with the Trainer Gallery subset from Sword & Shield – Astral Radiance.

The Trainer Gallery subsets end with the inclusion of two Black & Gold VMAXes, which, as of the beginning of 2022, now have a type-based color added to the card to accent the Pokémon. In Sword & Shield – Brilliant Stars, we got the two Urshifu VMAX cards. Here, we get Ice Rider Calyrex and Shadow Rider Calyrex.

Now that we have seen Sword & Shield – Lost Origin has Black & Gold VMAX cards for Pikachu and Mew, we can use a process of elimination cross-referenced with the Secret Rares from Japan's VMAX Climax set, to figure out that Sword & Shield – Silver Tempest will conclude its Trainer Gallery subset with Black & Gold VMAX cards featuring Rayquaza and Duraludon.

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 concludes with the top five cards of the set and a full expansion review.

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