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

The Cards Of Pokémon TCG: Sword & Shield – Fusion Strike Part 27

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.

Here we have two Mew VMAX Secret Rares that have seemingly split the opinion of many collectors. On the left, the Mew VMAX Rainbow Rare. On the right, the Mew VMAX Alternate Art. When the artwork for the latter came out, some collectors expressed disappointment at the art style. This is because Alternate Arts exist to break from the main style of either V or VMAX cards that exists in the Pokémon TCG, delivering something unique. And it's true that the Mew VMAX Alt Art does indeed look closer to a standard VMAX than, say, the Eeveelution Alts from Sword & Shield – Evolving Skies. Personally, I think the critique is valid but I also pulled this card myself and was quite impressed by the detail of the card in person. It seems as if the concept was to take the idea of a regular VMAX and apply this to real life. It is as if Mew went Dynamax in the middle of a city and various items from the street have been swept up in the energy of the transformation, which emphasizes just how humongous this Pokémon has become. I think it's quite a nice card and if you look at the value of Fusion Strike cards, it seems that the initial reaction to the Alt Art Mew VMAX hasn't impacted how many people actually want the thing. It currently sits as the second most valuable card in the set after Espeon VMAX Alternate Art, but it has, at different points, hit the top slot.

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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