Posted in: Card Games, Games, Pokémon TCG, Tabletop | Tagged: Brilliant Stars, Mimikyu, pokemon, pokemon cards, Pokemon TCG

The Cards Of Pokémon TCG: Brilliant Stars Part 14: Mimikyu V & VMAX

Pokémon TCG has released the first set of 2022. The expansion, Sword & Shield – Brilliant Stars, came out on February 25th, 2022. It is the ninth set under the Sword & Shield banner and is the first to include the Pokémon-VSTAR mechanic. VSTARs are a replacement for the VMAX mechanic, which is being phased out of the main portion of the set after this release. Sword & Shield – Brilliant Stars also debuts the Trainer Gallery, a special subset of Character Rares, Character Super Rares, Full Art Trainers, and Black & Gold VMAXes that can be pulled in the reverse holo slot. 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'll take a look at the two Mimikyu cards in the main section of the set.

Here we go… I'm about to address my biggest and really only major gripe about Sword & Shield – Brilliant Stars. I'm a Mimikyu fan — a big one — and this is very much a set for Mimikyu lovers. These two cards are in the main section of the set and the Trainer Gallery has two Mimikyu Character Cards picturing it with its iconic trainer, Acerola. On top of that, we also get two Acerola cards with one being a Full Art. My only gripe is that the Mimikyu V is a direct reprint of the Mimikyu V from Sword & Shield – Battle Styles. There are so many cards in the Pokémon TCG that this rarely happens, with card "reprints" generally being what players mean when they see a card come out with the same text and different art. This is the exact same card from Battle Styles. Personally, I would've really liked to see a different artwork used. Even something as simple as swapping Mimikyu so it's on the other side of the card or coloring it grey so it's the Shiny version — just something to justify it being in the set again with the same artwork.

The Mimiky VMAX, though, is an absolute winner and ranks up there for me as one of the best standard VMAXes ever released. Just wait until you see the Character Super Rare version of this card, which is my chase card of the entire set.

Stay tuned for the continuing journey through Pokémon TCG: Sword & Shield – Brilliant Stars. To look back on this series, click the Brilliant Stars tag below. Next time, this journey continues with the main set.

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