The best cards to pull from Pokémon TCG Sword and Shield: Silver Tempest feature fantastic art and mechanics to help shake up the game format. Collectors should be thrilled to know that Serena and Wallace make their first appearances in the TCG, along with more exclusive art of popular Pokémon.
It now appears that The Pokémon Company International is starting to realize just how important all the characters from the franchise’s TCG, video games, and anime are to all of their players and collectors. Proven by the release of the Pokémon GO TCG, it seems that almost nothing is off-limits when it comes to crossovers across all properties.
There’s a lot to look forward to with this set, so make sure to pick up as many packs or booster boxes as you can to complete your collection and build new decks. After you get your cards, get excited about all the cards you pull that are on this list.
10. Regidrago VSTAR
Regidrago VSTAR is the perfect way to start your booster box and pack openings because you get a VSTAR Pokémon who plays on the unique mechanic of interacting with your discarded cards. You’ll be discarding cards from your deck since Regidrago VSTAR can copy attacks of the Pokémon in your discard pile, and as long as your deck’s strategy synergizes with your discard pile, you’ll reap more rewards.
Keep a lookout for this mechanic to become a powerful force, especially if the next set features more dragon-types and discard effects.
9. Blaziken V (Trainer Gallery)
Blaziken makes a return, this time with a trainer gallery depicting May, a trainer and coordinator from Petalburg City who also spent time traveling with Ash, and Blaziken evolved from her first Pokémon Torchic.
This card is a nice pull due to its Trainer Gallery designation and also for those who were not able to get their hands on a Blaziken VMAX alternate art from the Chilling Reign set. Attack-wise, Blaziken might not be all that impressive, but the artwork and exclusivity more than makeup for this shortcoming.
8. Radiant Jirachi
Radiant Jirachi may not be demanding a high price tag from collectors, but it’s definitely worth checking out for players of the TCG. The new radiant Pokémon are a neat addition to deck-building aspect of the game, since you can only include a single copy.
The effects from Radiant Jerachi are worth it, especially with ways to get this Pokémon into your active spot straight away. Once Jirachi is there, you’ll rely on luck to use the Astral Misfortune ability, but it can KO any enemy. Not to mention, once your opponent KOs your Jirachi, you get to replace it by choosing any 3 cards from your deck. This is competitive power, for sure.
7. Lugia VSTAR (Secret Rare)
Lugia VSTAR is a fantastic pull with art that’s deserving of a rainbow foil treatment. The pose is great, with Lugia looking like it’s jumping straight off the card and directly at the player. Being a legendary character, Lugia has a great VSTAR Power that lets you bring back up to two of your Pokémon from your discard pile and put them onto your bench.
6. Friends in Galar (Trainer Gallery)
Friends in Galar is a beautiful card that portrays the characters Victor, Marnie, Bede, Gloria, and Hop all huddled together in a fun way that seems to be inviting the player directly into the game. Anyone who played the Sword & Shield games will instantly recognize everyone here and will remember how they all affected the story. It has a simple and powerful effect that can be included in almost any deck.
This card does a great job of capturing all of the memories from Sword & Shield in a single work of art that fans will surely treasure.
5. Serena (Full-Art)
Serena is a trainer card that helps your hand like most trainers do, but also has a strategic effect that’s extremely useful. Full-art trainer cards are always sought after due to their appealing anime art style, and their increased rarity makes collectors and players scramble to get them as fast as possible.
Originally for the game X and Y, Serena is an easily likable character that gets enough storytime to make her memorable. If you pull this card, you should have a big smile on your face.
4. Rayquaza VMAX
On this card’s art, Rayquaza VMAX is portrayed in a menacing and imposing perspective against a crimson night sky. Zinnia from Hoenn can be seen right by her Pokémon’s side, and any fan of this new Draconid character will want this card since Zinnia formed her first sync pair with Rayquaza.
For collectors, this is a must-have card for sets of Zinnia that contain characters from the Delta Episode. Gameplay-wise, this card gives great draw power when your hand of cards runs low, ensuring that you’ll always have at least three cards.
3. Unown V (Alternate Art)
Unown is a nostalgic character for players who enjoyed the Gold and Silver games and invested plenty of time exploring the Ruins of Alph to find the specific Unonwn with the spelling they wanted. Full-art cards always prove to be the rarest of any set, and this card also has a rare ability; an alternative win condition that can end the game if you meet specific requirements.
2. Regidrago (Alternate Art)
Regidrago V is a prize pull with its increased rarity and its serene illustrated art style that depicts this Pokémon resting near a temple in the Hoenn region. Although this card has an attack that hits two enemy characters, it does require multiple types of energy, and its Celestial Roar ability can only be used in a deck that can take advantage of discarding cards.
These slight drawbacks don’t ruin the collector appeal of this card because fans realize how illustrated cards might not ever be the norm for this game again.
1. Lugia V (Alternate Art)
This Lugia V alt art is definitely the treasure pull from the set, especially since this fan-favorite already saw high prices from the Japanese release. The reason for this is that Lugia has become one of the most popular legendary Pokémon for fans of the series, helping build more hype for this card.
Lugia is another character that helps add draw power to your deck while possessing an Aero Dive attack that does a good deal of damage and gets rid of a stadium in play. This versatility makes a great addition to different strategies and deck types.
As the Sword & Shield era comes to a close, this is nearly the last expansion set for the series. In this set, there’s plenty of support for the card mechanics introduced throughout the era, and a sneak peek of the possibilities to come with the next series. If you need to catch up with the series, be sure to check out what the best cards are from Brilliant Stars and the best cards to pull from Astral Radiance.
As you open your packs or chase down singles, there are the best cards to pull from Pokémon TCG Sword and Shield: Silver Tempest. If you’re a player who’s ever thought about becoming a collector, we also have a guide to help you sell your Pokemon cards. Hopefully, the next set brings the series to an exciting climax and keeps players and collectors satisfied until the arrival of the Paldea region.
