Posted in: Card Games, Games, Pokémon TCG, Tabletop | Tagged: Celebrations, Evolving Skies, pokemon, pokemon cards, Pokemon TCG

Top 10 Best Pokémon TCG Cards Of 2021 Part Two: 5 – 1

As 2021 comes to a close, let's look back on the Pokémon TCG's landmark 25th anniversary year. In this series, I will count down the Top 10 Pokémon TCG cards that were released during this special 25th Anniversary year. Before we begin, I'd love to see your picks in the comments below. You can catch Part One of this piece right here, which counts down tenth through sixth spots. Now, we'll get into the final half of our countdown with our top five picks.

5 – Shining Fates Ditto VMAX

Shiny Charizard VMAX is the most sought-after card in Shining Fates, and it earned what I feel is a fair rank as the sixth-best card of the year. This hilarious Ditto card outranks it on the strength of the Shiny color palette, Ditto's expression as it goes Dynamax, and… I mean, come on. Just look at it. Both visually stunning and gloriously silly, this is my top Shining Fates pick.

4 – Sword & Shield – Battle Styles Tyranitar V Alternate Art

This is the chase card of Battle Styles, so it is a given that many collectors want it, but I still feel the role this card played in Pokémon TCG's intense 2021 is overlooked. Battle Styles reintroduced Alternate Arts with this card as the top offering of the set, truly setting the tone for a year of Alts as chase cards. I love how this card plays against type, depicting a dozing Tyranitar in a food coma rather than going the obvious, ferocious route.

3 – Sword & Shield – Evolving Skies Rayquaza V Alternate Art

Pairing Rayquaza with Zinnia, Evolving Skies delivered one of the year's best Alts and best Rayquaza cards ever in one fell swoop. Also, this card pays homage to the Character Cards of Sun & Moon – Cosmic Eclipse — a card style that is returning in 2022 in a major way, starting with February 2022's Sword & Shield – Brilliant Stars.

2 – Sword & Shield – Evolving Skies Sylveon VMAX Alternate Art

Many will place the Umbreon VMAX Alt or the Rayquaza VMAX Alt over this card, and I welcome different lists in the comments. This card right here, though, contains my favorite illustration to appear on a Pokémon card — potentially ever. The crisp, clear colors; the cat-like smile on Sylveon's face; the Eevee riding its ribbon; the other Pokémon, dwarfed by Sylveon; all of it comes together to create a chaotic but sweet card perfectly themed to a Pokémon who evolves through the bonds of friendship.

1 – Celebrations Shiny Mew Gold

The first and best Mythical Pokémon features in its Shiny form on a gleaming gold card from Celebrations, the 25th Anniversary set. I may be partial to blue Shinies as you can tell from this list, but this is a card so strong that when it first leaked, I held off on reporting as I thought it was too good to be true. Shiny (and Shining) Mew has been a staple of the Pokémon TCG for a long time, from the classic CoroCoro promo to Shining Legends, and here it completely makes Celebrations worth opening with its presence.

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