Set Information
Celebrate Sword and Shield with Shining Fates
Shiny Pokémon return in the new Shining Fates expansion — releasing on 19 February 2021 — which is also, coincidentally, one of the most hyped expansions of all time!
Many of the best Pokémon from the Standard Format have received shiny prints, sending its popularity into the stratosphere. Some Shiny Pokémon include Decidueye, Rillaboom, Frosmoth, Galarian Zigzagoon, Galarian Perrserker, Cinccino, and Oranguru. All these Pokémon have seen competitive success and you can now bling out many different decks with these new cards. And that's not all, since there are shiny arts for Pokémon V and VMAX too like Centiskorch V and Centiskorch VMAX. Or maybe you'll be hunting for the black and gold secret rare artwork of Eternatus V and Eternatus VMAX?
And if that wasn't already enough, Charizard VMAX gets a shiny print too. This behemoth is easily the chase card of the set and the one everyone wants! While it isn't the strongest Pokémon in the Standard Format, it has some of the best art in the whole set. Will you be lucky enough to get one?
Something for Standard Too!
If you are a Standard player, there are some great new cards for your deck as well. Celebi lets you look at the top six cards and add an Energy card to your hand if you use its [Woodland Stroll] Ability. This can be great for helping you grab some of the important energy in your deck such as Speed Energy, Coating Energy, Capture Energy or even just a Basic Energy card. Manaphy has a very similar Ability, [Ocean Search], which lets you take a Pokémon instead. This means you can grab cards like Dedenne-GX or Crobat V to draw cards without using a Supporter card, or Eldegoss V to pick out the specific Supporter you need from your Discard Pile. Either way, both of these Pokémon open up many doors to new engines for decks in the future.
There are also some great new Pokémon Tool cards that support a couple of very strong Pokémon from other sets. The Rusted Sword Tool gives Zacian V a great 30 damage attack boost. [Brave Blade] is already one of the best attacks in the Pokémon TCG and giving that extra boost in damage means that with the assistance of things like Galarian Perserrker's Ability [Steely Spirit], or Arceus & Dialga & Palkia-GX's [Altered Creation GX] attack, you can reach damage high enough to Knock Out Tag Team Pokémon in one hit. Furthermore, the Rusted Shield Pokémon Tool gives Zamazenta V an extra 70 HP. This pushes Zamazenta V to having a huge 300 HP on a two Prize Pokémon, and with the [Dauntless Shield] Ability, your opponent's Pokémon VMAX can't even do any damage to you!
Within Shining Fates, there comes some great reprints too, including some very popular cards such as Crobat V, Decidueye, Professor's Research and Boss's Orders. Each of these has seen huge competitive play and it is a great time to pick up some of these staples from the Standard Format. Professor's Research and Boss's Orders come in arts reminiscent of the old Professor Juniper and Lysandre cards, which is a great nod to players from the Black & White and X&Y eras.
Shining Fates Is Out Now
Shining Fates is out now, with plenty of different products available for you to find these booster packs inside. Whether it's your favourite Galarian Pokémon in its Shiny form, a strong new Pokémon Tool or the ever-desirable Shiny Charizard VMAX, Shining Fates certainly has something for everyone!