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

The Top Five Cards Of Pokémon TCG: Crown Zenith

As we conclude our spotlight series on the special Pokémon TCG expansion Crown Zenith, we count down the set's Top Five cards.

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. With our spotlight on Crown Zenith concluded, we now count down the top five cards of the set.

First, let it be noted that the top five cards of the set are all from the set's Galarian Gallery subset. The top 10, 20, or even 50 cards from Crown Zenith would probably be all from this portion of the set… though that Pikachu Secret Rare from the main set did come close. This just goes to show his historically, immensely beautiful this subset was.

5 – Pikachu Illustration Rare (Connecting)

While the Pikachu Illustration Rare is my personal favorite of the 9-card connecting Illustration Rare collection in Crown Zenith, let this simply stand in for the set itself.

Artist Kouki Saitou used nine cards to create a floral image that shows us an intricate scene featuring Riolu, Swablu, Duskull, Bidoof, Pikachu, Turtwig, Paras, Poochyena, and Mareep. These cards are spectacular in that they perfectly exist as individual cards while also building to the overall connecting image. Just imagine putting these in a binder.

4 – Suicune Special Illustration Rare V

It was a toss-up between this and the glorious Glaceon VSTAR Special Illustration Rare, but I went with Suicune because of how Crown Zenith righted an old wrong with this card. When the Alternate Arts for the sets that would make up Sword & Shield – Evolving Skies were leaking from Japan, many collectors were hoping for a Suicine Alternate Art that we didn't get. Now, considering that Special Illustration Rares are essentially Alternate Arts, we finally got what we missed to begin with. This card, which depicts a gorgeous scene of Suicune walking through icy terrain, is illustrated by Atsushi Furusawa.

3 – Mew Illustration Rare

This was one of the first Illustration Rares revealed and remains my favorite of the set. Artist Ryota Murayama delivers a true beauty here that shows Mew has fallen asleep mid-meal. As Mew dozes in the woods which burst with flowers, a group of Pokémon including Skwovet, Galarian Ponyta, Rookidee, Cutiefly, Cramorant, Barraskewda, and Nidoran (male and female), gather to stare in awe at the rare Mythical Pokémon.

2 – Hisuian Zoroark Special Illustration Rare V

What a stellar debut. The supernaturally skilled SIE NANAHARA delivers arguably one of the most beautiful cards not only in the set but perhaps even the hobby. This Hisuian Zoroark looks like some kind of ancient scroll showcasing the Pokémon's ghostly powers on weathered parchment. It is undoubtedly the most unique of the art styles shown in Crown Zenith's Galarian Gallery subset.

1 – Arceus Gold Alternate Art VSTAR

Finally, it's the card I mused could be the most beautiful in the hobby's history when released. Just like the Pikachu stands in for Kouki Saitou's set-within-a-subset of connecting cars, let this Golden Arceus stand in for AKIRA EGAWA's stunningly gorgeous collection of four Gold Alt Arts depicting Arceus, Origin Forme Dialga, Origin Forme Palkia, and Origin Forme Giratina. It's a shame that the Pokémon TCG isn't continuing this style with their Gold Hyper Rare cards of the Scarlet & Violet era. These remain the only four Gold Alt Arts in the hobby.

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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