It’s a big time for Pokemon! With two new games in recent months, there’s been a lot of energy and attention surrounding the franchise. The Sword & Shield: Brilliant Stars the expansion of Pokemon Trading Card Game looks to capitalize on that with high power cards, subtle visuals, and a focus on the ancestral Pokemon itself, Arceus.
By far the biggest attraction for Shining stars is a subset of its Trainer Library. These cards have a Pokemon and a trainer included. With cards featuring Eevee roaming around Bill’s office or training Urshifu with Mustard, they offer a more positive view of the world of Bill. Pokemon. However, the Trainer Gallery is a bit rarer than we’d like! It would be nice to have more interesting artwork on the popular or uncommon tiers, than fold your arms for a chance to see one of every few packs.
Shining stars marks the launch of the VSTAR mechanic, the newest variant of the highest level power in the game. The VSTAR cards grow from V and each has a “VSTAR Power”. It can be a skill or a move, but either way, you can only use one of these per match. It’s like a remake of the GX concept from the last generation of the game, with a little more versatility in terms of functionality with ability options that don’t end your playthrough.
Arceus VSTAR is the poster kid for this set, and for this new craftsman. Its Star Birth power allows you to search for any two cards in your deck! As a single-use power, it can set up any combo you want and you’ll probably lose if you let your opponent use it. Given that both forms of Arceus V can power up your other warriors? And with the versatility of the colorless type? Honestly, it’s scary! That feels right to Arceus.
On its face, it seems a bit odd when Pokemon TCG is still in Sword & Shield era. After all, we’ve just had two full new entries in recent months! And even though Brilliant diamond and Shining pearls remade, Arceus is a brand new game with lots of mechanical experimentation. But TCG? Not ready for a flurry of new ideas. VSTAR has some promise, but it definitely repeats itself! Trainer Library look cool, but it’s not a gameplay innovation. Perhaps we’ll see a real new era in the near future, but the Pokemon Company isn’t quite ready to hit the reset button just yet.
However, centering Shining stars around Arceus is an obvious attempt to associate it with Legendary. And there are a few trifles here and there that serve as a nod to the game’s new mechanics. Take for example Double Turbo Energy! New, weakened version of Double Colorless Energy allows you to attack one turn faster with damage. We may have a clearer version of Agile Style in the future, but this seems like a good estimate of how it might work.
Shining stars feels geared towards players who want to buy a bunch of cards and open them, in the hopes of finding a lot. Perhaps the physical equivalent of shiny hunting? Or, you know, gambling, we guess. However you want to look at it, the big finds in this set are interesting. That’s true whether it’s the Trainer Gallery, Galarian’s golden legendary birds or a host of other gems. We really want to one day see more value in more rare levels. Such a move would give the game more variety and also make draft gameplay a little easier to work with for a game that has always struggled with that format. But today? Today is not that day.
Latest Pokemon Trading Card Game expansion, Sword & Shield: Brilliant Stars, debut February 25, 2022. For more Pokemon TCG coverage, check out ours storage.
