The next Pokémon TCG set, Sword & Shield—Brilliant Stars, has been announced and it brings forth a new mechanic, Pokémon VSTAR, which are similar to Pokémon VMAX in that they evolve from Pokémon V, but they grant just 2 Prize cards to the opponent when they’re knocked out instead of the 3 for VMAX, and they also all have a special VSTAR Power, which is either an Ability or attack which can only be used once per game (on any of your VSTAR, not just the one using it), similar to the old GX attacks.
The main set has 174 cards in it (not including secret rares), including Arceus VSTAR, Charizard VSTAR, Shaymin VSTAR, and Whimsicott VSTAR. There are also the following numbers of cards within the set:
- 20 Pokémon V and 15 full-art Pokémon V
- 3 new Pokémon VMAX
- 22 Trainer cards and 6 full-art Supporter cards
- 1 new Special Energy card, Turbo Boost Energy
Additionally, there’s 30 additional cards inside of the Trainer Gallery special subset, which each feature artwork of well known Trainers along with Pokémon.
Cards from Brilliant Stars
Booster Packs
Leafeon & Glaceon VSTAR Special Collections
Elite Trainer Boxes
Standard Version
The standard version of the Elite Trainer Box is what is available at most retailers. It contains 8 booster packs of the set, some damage counter dice, a tournament legal coin-flip die, a VSTAR marker (to indicate you’ve used your VSTAR Power in the game), basic Energy cards, a pack of 65 sleeves, and a Player’s Guide, along with a nice box to store cards in. It also contains a code card for Pokémon TCG Live.
Pokémon Center Version
This is the Pokémon Center exclusive version of the Elite Trainer Box, which costs a bit more, but comes with two additional packs (10 total), different sleeves, and a deck box as well.
