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The Cards Of Pokémon TCG: Sword & Shield – Fusion Strike Part 29

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.

Sword & Shield – Fusion Strike cards. Credit: Pokémon TCG
Sword & Shield – Fusion Strike cards. Credit: Pokémon TCG

These two cards complete the Alternate Arts of Sword & Shield – Fusion Strike. Inteleon VMAX Alternate Art, which depicts the Pokémon in its sniper-like Gigantamax form, and the Gengar VMAX Alternate Art, which turns this Pokémon into a leering vortex sucking in everything around it, were released in Japan as Secret Rares that one could get in Pokémon TCG decks earlier this year. English-language decks don't do this and instead keep their contents strictly set in stone, but 2021 has seen Japan pop Secret Rares like this into those decks as well as the Start Deck 100 products which came out yesterday. Personally, I'm glad to see this pop up in a main series set like Fusion Strike. Buying a bunch of the same deck in hopes to get one card would be pretty annoying, but putting these Alternate Arts in a set like this really enriches the hunt. I like both of these quite a lot, but the Gengar VMAX Alternate Art is especially stunning. With its pastel colors and trippy effects, I'd put this up there as one of the best Gengar cards ever.

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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Theo DwyerAbout Theo Dwyer

Theo Dwyer writes about comics, film, and games.
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