In this new weekly article series, we’ll be selecting one Pokemon TCG set from throughout history to discuss what’s great about it and cards from the expansion we love. To start, we thought it was best to pick the latest Japanese Pokemon TCG release as an opportunity to highlight what makes Star Birth such a great way to kick off 2022!
Pokemon Legends: Arceus releases next week and the excitement seems to be building nicely towards a new Pokemon experience that may or may not be what many Pokemon fans have cried out for over the last decade. With December’s Brilliant Diamond & Shining Peal under our belt it’s absolutely fantastic to see 2022 kickstart with Sinnoh’s legendary Arceus in Japan’s Star Birth and February’s English Brilliant Stars.
There are four main selling points in my opinion for Pokemon TCG Star Birth:
VSTAR – a new mechanic
VSTAR cards are here and they have gold borders and textures, what’s is there else to add? Star Birth gives us four regular VSTAR cards with each booster box guaranteeing 2. Shaymin, Charizard, Whimsicott, and Arceus make up the VSTAR cards giving you a huge chance of getting a Charizard in your booster box.
Unique Alternate Arts
Arceus and Charizard aside (we’ll get to these later), there are two standout unique alternate art V cards from Star Birth that capture what has made Sword & Shield’s Alternate Art era such a success. Alternate Art Lumineon V and Alternate Art Honchkrow V give us unique styles of Pokemon in their natural habitats making Pokemon like Lumineon, who are often shrugged aside, way more viable for a collection.
Arceus, Arceus, Arceus
For Arceus fans out there you’ve probably opened 10 boxes of Star Birth already seeking one of the six Arceus cards available. Of the six cards, four are Secret Rares with different styles sure to be popular with the masses. I’m going to gloss over the rainbow Arceus VSTAR as it’s overshadowed by a gold Arceus VSTAR with beautiful gold detailing that brings out a great contrast alongside the Pokemon’s white colour. My favourite Arceus card from the set, however, is the Alternate Art V which shows Arceus floating above the clouds as the world can be seen from below, a must for any fan of nature!
Charizard, Charizard, Charizard
If Arceus wasn’t enough to hype up an expansion… Star Birth includes not one but five Charizard cards, one of which is a modern masterpiece – the pictures can do the talking.
All of these cards are likely to be included in Pokemon TCG: Brilliant Stars, did you purchase any Star Birth or are you waiting for the English release?
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John-Anthony Disotto – Ludkins Media Editor-in-Chief
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