The Cards Of Pokémon TCG: Silver Tempest Part 55: Blaziken

In November 2022, Pokémon TCG released the final main series set of the Sword & Shield era. The expansion, Sword & Shield – Silver Tempest, came out on September 9th, 2022. It is the twelfth set under the Sword & Shield banner, and it adapts the Japanese sets Incandescent Arcana and Paradigm Trigger, with its Trainer Gallery subset adapting cards from VMAX Climax. The Lugia-themed Sword & Shield – Silver Tempest also continues both Radiant Pokémon as well as the Trainer Gallery, a special subset of Character Rares, Character Super Rares, Full Art Trainers, and Black & Gold VMAXes that began in the first set of the year, Sword & Shield – Brilliant Stars. Follow me on a journey through this latest set as we appreciate the artwork, discuss the card’s place in the set, and theorize as to what certain elements of the expansion may imply for the future of the Pokémon TCG. Today, we continue to explore the Trainer Gallery subset of Sword & Shield – Silver Tempest. Trainer Gallery subsets have been running through all main series Sword & Shield sets since early 2022’s Sword & Shield – Brilliant Stars. These subsets consist of Character Rares, Character Super Rares, Full Art Trainer Supporters, and Black and Gold VMAXes that can be pulled in the Reverse Holo slot, making openings of these sets quite dynamic.

Blazkien, the ultimate evolution of Fire-type Hoenn Starter Torchic, is one of the main pulls of the Silver Tempest Trainer Gallery. Blaziken gets a Character Super Rare V and a Character Super Rare VMAX, with the latter showing its Dynamax form. Both cards feature Blaziken with May as its Trainer. May is the female playable character in Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald and is notable in the anime as one of Ash’s traveling companions. The V is illustrated by nagimiso who depicts a breakdancing Blaziken while KIYOTAKA OSHIYAMA‘s Blaziken VMAX pictures May attempting to hang onto her Pokémon’s tremendous leg as it balloons in size in its Dynamax form.

Stay tuned for the continuing journey through this Lugia and Alolan Vulpix-themed set as we continue to spotlight the cards and artwork of Pokémon TCG: Sword & Shield – Silver Tempest. Next time, the spotlight continues with the Trainer Gallery subset of this expansion.