Cards Of Pokémon TCG: Crown Zenith Part 49: Entei Illustration

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.

The Galarian Legendary Birds got their Illustration Rares as SWSH Black Star Promos, while the Johto Legendary Beasts get their Special Illustration Rares as actual hits within packs of Crown Zenith. This cartoony, almost Bob’s Burgers-esque Entei V, takes this card in a much different and more unique direction than I imagined under the pen of artist Shigenori Negishi. Negishi has been contributing to the Pokémon TCG since February 2011’s Call of Legends. Negishi’s latest standout card before this is Corviknight VMAX Character Super Rare from Sword & Shield – Silver Tempest. Interestingly, while Negishi has contributed a few cards to the new Scarlet & Violet era, we have still yet to see this longtime artist draw a Paldean species.

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.