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

The Cards Of Pokémon TCG: Brilliant Stars Part 33: Gold Arceus VSTAR

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 set's one and only Gold VSTAR.

Sword & Shield – Brilliant Stars is an adaptation of three Japanese sets: Star Birth, VMAX Climax, and Start Deck 100. Of those, Star Birth is the main source material as it is the only main set. VMAX Climax is mostly a reprint set, and some of the new cards show up in Brilliant Stars, with its Secret Rares being divvied up between the Trainer Gallery subsets of this and future English sets. Start Deck 100 was a line of Japanese-exclusive decks with a few new cards, which were adapted here. This is interesting to note because understanding how Japanese sets work can give us information on how English sets work. Japanese sets seem to have a single gold VSTAR in the Secret Rare section, with this dazzling Arceus VSTAR being the one example of that in both Japan's Star Birth and the international Sword & Shield – Brilliant Stars. That means if we look at Sword & Shield – Astral Radiance, we know that it's adapting three Japanese sets: Battle Region, Time Gazer, and Space Juggler. Between those three sets, we have three Gold VSTARs we can expect in Sword & Shield – Astral Radiance: Hisuian Samurott VSTAR, Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR, and Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR.

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 Secret Rare section of the set.

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