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The Pokémon TCG has revealed the English-language versions of new cards coming in the next special set. January 2023 will see the release of Crown Zenith, a special set that will only be available in branded products rather than booster boxes. The art-themed Crown Zenith closes out the Sword & Shield era as The Pokémon Company International plans to switch over to the Scarlet & Violet series block in March 2023. Crown Zenith is largely based on Japan’s VSTAR Universe, which was a reprint set with a large Secret Rare section that introduced two new card types: Art Rares and Special Art Rares. Art Rares are much like Character Rares, but they do not show Pokémon with Trainers, rather showing them in their environments or sometimes even interacting with other species in interesting ways. Special Art Rares are like Alternate Arts, combining the idea of Art Rares with mechanics like V, VMAX, and VSTAR. Here is a new Special Art Rare revealed in English for Crown Zenith, along with my original reactions from seeing the art for the first time in Japan’s VSTAR Universe.
Cynthia’s Ambition gets a terrific Special Art Rare Trainer that pairs her with West Sea Gastrodon in a cute, detailed style. I love the style here, which looks, to me, like something you’d see in a high-budget anime film, or perhaps even one of those non-canonical Pokémon shorts you see on YouTube. The lines are intricate, the rendering on the coloring is phenomenal, and the overall vibe set here is immaculate.
This card is illustrated by Atsuya Uki, who is known as the director of Cencoroll 2. He has worked in the animation department for Digimon Adventure tri. This is his first Pokémon card. It seems that VSTAR Universe is bent on bringing name artists into the hobby for their first contributions!
Japanese sets often give us early ideas of what the English-language sets may include, so be sure to keep an eye on our coverage. You can stay tuned for previews of VSTAR Universe cards as well as updates on everything Pokémon TCG right here at Bleeding Cool.
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