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

The Cards Of Pokémon TCG: Sword & Shield – Fusion Strike Part 26

The Pokémon TCG has outdone itself with its latest release, Sword & Shield – Fusion Strike. Fusion Strike, which was released in November 2021, is the largest expansion that the Pokémon TCG has ever released with a whopping 264 cards before Secret Rares. The set is partly based on the Japanese expansion Fusion Arts but also adapts several key Japanese promo cards as well as cards from sets like Eevee Heroes that were left out of that set's English equivalent, Sword & Shield – Evolving Skies. Sword & Shield – Fusion Strike is notable for its focus on the Mythical Pokémon Mew and Gengar VMAX, as well as its introduction of a new Battle Style to the competitive TCG with Fusion Pokémon now joining Rapid Strike and Single Strike. Now, let's take a journey through the best cards in this staggeringly large set of Pokémon cards.

Today, we arrive in the Rainbow Rare section of Fusion Strike, starting with Chandelure VMAX, Boltund VMAX, and Greedent VMAX. This style of card began in the Sun & Moon era for Secret Rare versions of Pokémon-GX and continued into the Sword & Shield era for both Pokémon-VMAX and, for the first time, Trainer Supporters. This style of card used to be fairly sought after but the surge in popularity of Alternate Arts has put Rainbow Rares on the back burner for many collectors. I still find Rainbow Rares to be terrific cards when done right, which generally comes down to how the color style looks over the artwork. Looking at these three, they all look quite nice, but the Chandelure stands out to be because the color palette works well with the more detailed illustration. The newest Japanese set, VMAX Climax, didn't have any Rainbow Rares, leading some to believe this style of card will be discontinued. If we don't get Rainbow Rares in the next main expansion, Sword & Shield – Brilliant Stars, what style of card would you like to see the Pokémon TCG use to replace it?

Next time, the spotlight on Pokémon TCG: Sword & Shield – Fusion Strike continues with more cards from the set. You can follow this spotlight series by clicking our Fusion Strike tag.

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