Pokémon TCG Japan: Incandescent Arcana Preview: Ralts Line

One of the most highly anticipated Pokémon TCG sets arriving in Japan this year has now been revealed. Incandescent Arcana is set for release on September 2nd, 2022, in Japan. Unlike the direct previous Japanese set, the Origin Forme Giratina-themed Lost Abyss that brought back the Lost Zone mechanic, this set will include Character Rares and Radiant Pokémon. Leading this set is the unusual but exciting Alolan Vulpix VSTAR, which follows the fun trend of Pikachu and Eevee Ultra Rares, where it’s the cute and iconic form that gets the feature rather than the highest evolution. This set, along with the following main series Japanese set Paradigm Trigger, which will focus on Lugia, will be the basis of the fourth and final English-language Sword & Shield set of 2022, which is expected to close out the era. Today, we continue our Incandescent Arcana previews with the Ralts line.

We already covered the beautiful Gardevoir Character Rare from this set, but that isn’t the only spotlight that this iconic Pokémon is getting in Incandescent Arcana. The Ralts line gets the standard card treatment with a spectacularly cute Ralts by Nagomi Nijo. Ralts is drawn with a manga sensibility here, with blossoming trees on one side and sparkly city steps on the other, showing that Ralts leaves a trail of pink shimmery light in its wake. Yukiko Baba contributes a pastel, colored-pencil-style Kirlia. The purple hills in the background here, while setting such a soft and otherworldly scene, also reminds me of a classic D-12 hit. Finally, we wrap up with a painterly Gardevoir by TCG legend Mitsuhiro Arita who was responsible for the iconic Base Set Charizard. We can see that even though all of these years have passed, Arita is still delivering incredible work.

Japanese sets often give us early ideas of what the English-language sets may include, so be sure to keep an eye on our coverage. You can stay tuned for previews of Incandescent Arcana cards as well as updates on everything Pokémon TCG right here at Bleeding Cool.