The Cards Of Pokémon TCG: Crown Zenith Part 27: Secret Rare Pikachu

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 the Secret Rare Pikachu card from this set.

Numbered 160/159, this Pikachu card is the only Secret Rare in the main Crown Zenith set. All of the other major hits are categorized as Galarian Gallery subset cards. Interestingly, this card by You Iribi stands alone in its rarity. It is essentially an Illustration Rare like the cards of the Galarian Gallery, but it stands apart from them in that it is textured.

You Iribi has been contributing to the hobby since XY – Ancient Origins. Recent Iribi favorites include Mimikyu Character Rare from Sun & Moon – Cosmic Eclipse, Leafeon V Alt Art from Sword & Shield – Evolving Skies, Flareon Character Rare from Sword & Shield – Brilliant Stars, and Blissey V Character Super Rare from Sword & Shield – Silver Tempest.

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 main section of this set.