Posted in: Card Games, Games, Pokémon TCG, Tabletop | Tagged: Charizard, Crown Zenith, pokemon, pokemon cards, Pokemon TCG

The Cards Of Pokémon TCG: Crown Zenith Part 3: Radiant Charizard

Charizard gets Radiant redemption in Pokémon TCG: Crown Zenith, making it the only Pokémon species to get a second Radiant card.

The Sword & Shield era of the Pokémon TCG has come to an end. Three years of expansions dedicated to the region of Galar, with some love for Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl's revitalization of Sinnoh and Pokémon Legends: Arceus's introduction of the ancient region of Hisui, have led to this moment. Crown Zenith, a special set celebrating the Sword & Shield era, was released on January 20th, 2023. It was primarily an adaptation of Japan's VSTAR Universe set and also featured a collection of cards that were cut from other English-language sets and more. Like other special sets, including Champion's Path, Shining Fates, Celebrations, and Pokémon GO, Crown Zenith packs were found in specially branded products like Premium Collections and Elite Trainer Boxes rather than booster boxes. This set featured the Galarian Gallery subset, which introduced Illustration Rares and Special Illustration Rares, originally called "Art Rares," to the hobby, which set the standard for the following Sword & Shield era, which used these card types as their primary Secret Rares. In today's installment of this Crown Zenith spotlight, let's take a look at one of the two Radiant Pokémon from the set.

This Radiant Charizard from artist Kouki Saitou is, in my mind, redemption. The Pokémon GO set released earlier this year had an overly basic Radiant Charizard that seemed like a wasted opportunity considering Charizard's Shiny form is so beloved. Saitou gives this fan-favorite Shiny a second chance with this card that shows the Pokémon swooping through the sky in a simple but effective scene. It's far more impactful than the pose and colorway background of the first Radiant Charizard.

Stay tuned for the journey through this special set as we continue to spotlight the cards and artwork of Pokémon TCG: Crown Zenith. Next time, the spotlight continues with the main section of this set.

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