The Cards Of Pokémon TCG: Brilliant Stars Part 31: Rainbow Trainers

Pokémon TCG has released the first set of 2022. The expansion, Sword & Shield – Brilliant Stars, came out on February 25th, 2022. It is the ninth set under the Sword & Shield banner and is the first to include the Pokémon-VSTAR mechanic. VSTARs are a replacement for the VMAX mechanic, which is being phased out of the main portion of the set after this release. Sword & Shield – Brilliant Stars also debuts the Trainer Gallery, a special subset of Character Rares, Character Super Rares, Full Art Trainers, and Black & Gold VMAXes that can be pulled in the reverse holo slot. Follow me through a journey through this latest set as we appreciate the artwork, discuss the card’s place in the set, and discuss what certain elements of the expansion may imply for the future of the Pokémon TCG. Today, we’ll take a look at the set’s Rainbow Rare Trainers.

Rainbow Rare Trainers began with the Sword & Shield base set. Before this, only Pokémon appeared on this style of Secret Rare. Now, due to the popularity of Full Art Trainers, especially Full Art Trainers depicting female trainers which are seen by some collectors as “waifu” chase cards, the Rainbow Rare Trainers can sometimes end up being less sought-after than the Full Arts, even though they are rarer. The Full Arts allow the design of the Trainer to show more, but the Rainbow Rares are admittedly flashy. In Sword & Shield – Brilliant Stars, Cheren’s Care, Cynthia’s Ambition, Kindler, and Roseanne’s Backup get Rainbow Rares. Note that the most popular Full Art Trainer of the set, Marnie’s Pride, doesn’t have a Rainbow Rare equivalent.

Stay tuned for the continuing journey through Pokémon TCG: Sword & Shield – Brilliant Stars. To look back on this series, click the Brilliant Stars tag below. Next time, this journey continues with the Secret Rare section of the set.