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In November 2022, Pokémon TCG released the final main series set of the Sword & Shield era. The expansion, Sword & Shield – Silver Tempest, came out on September 9th, 2022. It is the twelfth set under the Sword & Shield banner and it adapts the Japanese sets Incandescent Arcana and Paradigm Trigger, with its Trainer Gallery subset adapting cards from VMAX Climax. The Lugia-themed Sword & Shield – Silver Tempest also continues both Radiant Pokémon as well as the Trainer Gallery, a special subset of Character Rares, Character Super Rares, Full Art Trainers, and Black & Gold VMAXes that began in the first set of the year, Sword & Shield – Brilliant Stars. Follow me on a journey through this latest set as we appreciate the artwork, discuss the card’s place in the set, and theorize as to what certain elements of the expansion may imply for the future of the Pokémon TCG. Today, we continue with the Fire-types of Sword & Shield – Silver Tempest.
Today’s focus is the artwork of the Litten line. This terrific line of cards tells a story as this indoor-Litten evolves up to its ultimate form of Incineroar. Litten’s card by artist Narumi Sato is my favorite of the line, and it shows a freaked-out Litten checking out a fish tank off-image looking terrified, like a normal house cat. The next card shows that this Litten has evolved into Torracat, illustrated by GIDORA, showing the Pokémon leaping at the fish in the tank which is now revealed to be Luvdisc. Finally, the final evolutionary stage shows a Hideki Ishikawa-illustrated Incineroar sleeping peacefully as a Corsola and Luvdisc watch from the tank. The arc of scared to aggressive to at peace reminds me quite a bit of the stories told from card to card more frequently in XY-era sets and I love to see it used here. More, please!
Stay tuned for the continuing journey through Pokémon TCG: Sword & Shield – Silver Tempest. Next time, the spotlight continues with the main set of this expansion.
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