The latest Pokémon Trading Card Game expansion set, Sword & Shield – Brilliant Stars, introduces the new VSTAR mechanic with four VSTAR cards. Brilliant Stars is the ninth Sword & Shield TCG set, although it features notable Gen 4 Pokémon, such as Lumineon and Honchkrow, to align with the recent video game releases of Brilliant Diamond, Shining Pearl, and Legends: Arceus. The set’s new VSTAR mechanic looks to build off the Sword & Shield-era’s Pokémon V, the successor to Pokémon GX and Pokémon-EX.
Like Pokémon VMAX, Pokémon VSTAR evolve from their respective Pokémon V. Unlike VMAX which give three Prize Cards upon defeat, however, defeating a Pokémon VSTAR only grants two Prize Cards like a Pokémon V. But the biggest change with these powerful Pokémon VSTAR in TCG is that each one has a VSTAR Power. Like GX Attacks, players can only use a single VSTAR Power per game; unlike GX Attacks, VSTAR Powers can be an attack or an Ability.
Special promotional boxes including Leafeon VSTAR and Glaceon VSTAR were released in January to give players a sort of early look at the new mechanic. Four more Pokémon VSTAR join the lineup in Brilliant Stars, which fully releases February 25, 2022. Each Pokémon VSTAR comes in a regular print and a Rainbow Rare print, while Arceus, the poster card for the set, also has a gold variant. Although more Pokémon VSTAR will be added over time – with the new Pokémon TCG set, Astral Radiance, likely to introduce more – Brilliant Stars gives them a humble yet strong start with four Pokémon iconic in the TCG: Arceus, Charizard, Shaymin, and Whimsicott.
Pokémon TCG Brilliant Stars – Arceus VSTAR
Arceus, the poster card of Brilliant Stars, gets a VSTAR card with an impressive VSTAR Power: Starbirth, which lets players search for up to any two cards from their deck and add them into their hand. What makes Starbirth powerful is that it’s an Ability, so players can activate it from the Bench and even follow up with an attack. If they use Starbirth to search for a game-changing Supporter card, they can also make use of it that same turn if they haven’t used a Supporter already. Arceus VSTAR’s Starbirth has the flexibility to turn the tides of battle by searching out any cards without limitation.
Like the notoriously powerful Pokémon Tag Team GX trio card from Sun & Moon – Cosmic Eclipse, Arceus & Dialga & Palkia GX, Arceus VSTAR has an attack to accelerate Energy onto the player’s Bench. Arceus VSTAR’s Trinity Nova attack does more damage than ADP’s Ultimate Ray – 200 versus 150, or 180 after using Altered Creation GX – but can only attach Energy from the deck to Pokémon V, whereas ADP could attach Energy to any of the player’s Pokémon. But since Pokémon VMAX and VSTAR also count as Pokémon V, Arceus VSTAR’s Trinity Nova can still synchronize with many powerful Pokémon. It costs three Colorless Energy to use, which means it can be used in a Colorless deck with the likes of Cramorant V or Snorlax VMAX, or in a deck of another type, such as a Fire-type deck with Charizard VSTAR.
Brilliant Stars In Pokémon TCG – Charizard VSTAR
The iconic Pokémon TCG staple Charizard also receives a VSTAR in Brilliant Stars. Its regular attack, Explosive Fire, can do up to 230 damage if Charizard VSTAR has any damage counters on it. For three Fire Energy and one Colorless Energy, Charizard VSTAR can use its VSTAR Power, the Star Blaze attack. It does 320 damage, which is enough to knock out certain VMAX Pokémon. This combos well with the Brilliant Stars Stadium card Magma Basin.
After Charizard VSTAR uses Star Blaze, it has to discard two of its attached Energy Cards, but Magma Basin allows players to attach up to one Fire Energy from their discard pile to a Benched Fire-type Pokémon each turn. In exchange, they place two damage counters on it. Players can use Escape Rope from the Pokémon TCG Battle Styles expansion to place Charizard VSTAR onto their Bench, and get an Energy back using Magma Basin, while also fulfilling the condition to power up its Explosive Fire attack.
Pokémon TCG Brilliant Stars – Shaymin VSTAR
Shaymin VSTAR’s VSTAR Power is the Ability Star Bloom. This Ability heals 120 damage from each of the player’s Grass-type Pokémon on their Bench. Its attack, Revenge Blast, starts off at a respectable 120 damage for one Grass and one Colorless Energy. 40 more damage is added for each Prize Card the opponent has taken, which can add up quite quickly. If an opponent has knocked out two Pokémon V or VSTAR and taken four Prize Cards, Shaymin VSTAR’s Revenge Blast would deal a total of 280 damage, which is strong enough to knock out any Pokémon VSTAR thus far. If the opponent has taken five Prize Cards, that total would increase to 320, the same as Charizard VSTAR’s own VSTAR Power attack.
Like many Grass-types in the Pokémon TCG, Shaymin VSTAR helps with sustainability by using its VSTAR Power Ability. As such, Shaymin VSTAR works great in such decks, and both its attack and Ability can help launch a comeback when the player is behind. It’s nice to see Shaymin receive one of the first VSTAR cards since its EX counterpart, Shaymin-EX, was recently banned from the Expanded format after many years of being a powerful supportive staple found in any deck.
Brilliant Stars In Pokémon TCG – Whimsicott VSTAR
Whimsicott VSTAR rounds out Brilliant Stars’ collection of VSTAR cards, and is reminiscent of the fan-favorite Pokémon TCG card Whimsicott GX. Whimsicott VSTAR’s VSTAR Power is the attack Fluffball Star; although it costs only one Psychic Energy to use, the attack does 60 damage for each Energy attached to Whimsicott VSTAR, similar to Whimsicott GX’s Energy Blow attack that does 10 damage plus 30 more for each Energy attached to it. Whimsicott VSTAR’s Fluffball Star, however, can target any opposing Pokémon of the player’s choosing.
With just three Energy, Whimsicott VSTAR can knock out common supportive Pokémon that sit on the Bench, such as Lumineon V and Crobat V. It’s a quick way to pick up two – or even three, if a damaged Pokémon VMAX is somewhere on the field – Prize Cards and potentially win the game. Although the cards that Whimsicott GX used in its deck to accelerate Energy onto it, such as Porygon-Z, are no longer playable in the Pokémon Trading Card Game’s Standard format, Whimsicott VSTAR from Brilliant Stars may prove to be a powerful ally to itself by splashing it into Whimsicott GX Expanded format decks.
