The Cheren Special Illustration Rare from Pokémon TCG: Crown Zenith gives Liepard an unofficial and long-overdue Secret Rare feature.
The Sword & Shield era of the Pokémon TCG has come to an end. Three years of expansions dedicated to the region of Galar, with some love for Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl‘s revitalization of Sinnoh and Pokémon Legends: Arceus‘s introduction of the ancient region of Hisui, have led to this moment. Crown Zenith, a special set celebrating the Sword & Shield era, was released on January 20th, 2023. It was primarily an adaptation of Japan’s VSTAR Universe set and also featured a collection of cards that were cut from other English-language sets and more. Like other special sets, including Champion’s Path, Shining Fates, Celebrations, and Pokémon GO, Crown Zenith packs were found in specially branded products like Premium Collections and Elite Trainer Boxes rather than booster boxes. This set featured the Galarian Gallery subset, which introduced Illustration Rares and Special Illustration Rares, originally called “Art Rares,” to the hobby, which set the standard for the following Sword & Shield era, which used these card types as their primary Secret Rares. In today’s installment of this Crown Zenith spotlight, let’s take a look at more cards from the Galarian Gallery subset.
This is easily my favorite Special Illustration Rare of Crown Zenith‘s Galarian Gallery subset. Why do I love a Cheren’s Care card more than all the other cards of this historic set? Well, it’s Liepard! I’m a huge fan of cat Pokémon and find that the Purrloin line is criminally underrated. Liepard essentially got a well-deserved Special Illustration Rare in this set as Cheren’s partner Pokémon here. The artwork comes courtesy of chibi, who has been contributing to the hobby since the XY era. Recent memorable chibi cards include Milotic Character Rare from Sword & Shield – Silver Tempest and Empoleon V Alternate Art from Sword & Shield – Battle Styles.
Stay tuned for the journey through this special set as we continue to spotlight the cards and artwork of Pokémon TCG: Crown Zenith. Next time, the spotlight continues with the Galarian Gallery subset. You can read more about this iconic trading card game right here at Bleeding Cool.
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