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

The Cards Of Pokémon TCG: Crown Zenith Part 67: Adaman Illustration

This Adaman Special Illustration Rare from Pokémon TCG: Crown Zenith depicts the cast of the open-world RPG Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

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 more cards from the Galarian Gallery subset.

Adaman's Special Illustration Rare shows this Pokémon Legends: Arceus character with the Diamond Clan, including Arezu, Iscan, Mai, Melli, and Sabi. The artwork here comes from Naoki Saito, who also drew a Irida Special Illustration Rare with a matching theme. Saito used these two cards to create some terrific visual continuity in this set. Saito has been contributing since the days of HeartGold SoulSilver, and some of their most notable Full Art Trainers include the infamous Here Comes Team Rocket Promo from the XY era, which sadly never made it to English, Wicke from Sun & Moon – Burning Shadows, the $300 Lillie from Sun & Moon – Ultra Prism which was probably the single most sought-after English-language Full Art Trainer there is and ever will be (unless the Iono from Scarlet & Violet – Paldea Evolved does as well here as it did in Japan), Lissia from Sun & Moon – Celestial Storm, the $1,000+ Sightseer from Tag-Team GX All-Stars which also never made it to English, and many more.

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 Galarian Gallery subset. You can read more about this iconic trading card game right here at Bleeding Cool.

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