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

The Cards Of Pokémon TCG: Crown Zenith Part 79: Giratina VSTAR Gold

The ultimate hit of Crown Zenith, the Pokémon TCG set that closes out Sword & Shield, is the AKIRA EGAWA Giratina VSTAR Gold.

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.

This is another card from the connecting set of AKIRA EGAWA-illustrated Gold Secret Rares showcasing the ancient Legendaries of Sinnoh/Hisui. These cards include Arceus, Origin Forme Dialga, Origin Forme Palkia, and Giratina. This one is Giratina.

The demonic Legendary Pokémon is in its Origin Forme here just like Palkia and Dialga even though the card doesn't say it in its title, just like in Sword & Shield – Lost Origin. This card is stunningly gorgeous and likely to be quite a chase in this set. When this card was revealed in Japan's VSTAR Universe, I predicted that I could see this either competing with or possibly even edging out the Arceus as the most popular of the Gold Alternate Arts when Crown Zenith hits. That is exactly what happened. This card is by far the biggest hit of the set at almost double the price of the second-most expensive hit.

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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