The Pokémon Silver Tempest TCG set would be the last mainline expansion of the tabletop game's eighth generation. Many fans were surprised then when The Pokémon Company announced the Sword and Shield series would actually extend into 2023 with a multi-release Crown Zenith set.
Although November's Silver Tempest will be the twelfth and final Galar era expansion, the TCG is releasing a special Crown Zenith set in North America on January 20, 2023. The special Gen 8 collection will feature cards from the Japanese VSTAR Universe set, as well as a Trainer Gallery subset that features the brand new "Art Rare" and "Super Art Rare" cards. However, just like the mini Pokémon GO TCG crossover set, Crown Zenith will be slowly rolled out with various products across multiple months. Here is when every Pokémon Crown Zenith TCG product will hit stores, and what is included in each of them.
Everything Included In The Pokémon TCG Crown Zenith Elite Trainer Box
Just like all modern Pokémon card releases, the Crown Zenith TCG set will first launch with an Elite Trainer Box, which will be available at retailers starting on January 20, 2023. The elite box will feature 10 Crown Zenith booster packs, and an etched Alternate Art Lucario VSTAR promo card. Additionally, the January product will include 65 card sleeves featuring Lucario artwork, as well as a Crown Zenith TCG set player's guide. Similar to previous Elite Trainer's the Lucario-themed box will also be packaged with six standard damage-counter dice, and 1 competition-legal coin-flip die. The Pokémon TCG Crown Zenith Elite Trainer Box will go on sale for $49.99.
Pokémon Crown Zenith Regieleki V & Regidrago V Collection
Another Crown Zenith product, releasing on January 20, is the Regieleki & Regidrago V Collections. The mini-sets will feature four Crown Zenith booster packs in each box, as well as special Pokémon V promo cards of both Crown Tundra Titan Legendaries. Players who pick up the set's will also be able to obtain jumbo-sized promotional cards of Regieleki & Regidrago. The Regieleki V promo is illustrated by TCG artist Eske Yoshinob, and the Regieleki V promo card is drawn by PLANETA Hiiragi. The Pokémon Crown Zenith V Collection's can be picked up for $19.99 each.
Pokémon TCG Crown Zenith Mini Tins
Players looking for a cheaper option, will be able to purchase the Pokémon Crown Zenith Mini-Tins on February 17, 2023. The TCG will also release the standard Crown Zenith TCG tins on March 17, 2023, which feature artwork of Galar characters such as Pokémon Sword and Shield rival Marnie. Unlike the mini-versions, the March character tins will include five Pokémon Crown Zenith booster packs, as well as a Full Art promo card that could feature Galarian Articuno, Galarian Zapdos or Galarian Moltres. The tins are a great alternative for players looking to complete their Crown Zenith collection without having to buy duplicate versions of the more expensive box sets.
Rillaboom Cinderace Inteleon Pokémon Crown Zenith Pin Collection
Starting on April 14, 2023, retailers will begin selling the Pokémon Crown Zenith Pin Collections. The release will come in three packs that are themed around the Pokémon Sword and Shield Starters Rillaboom, Cinderace, and Inteleon. Each pack will have a special promo card of one of the Galar Starters that are illustrated by newcomer artists, Yuya Oka, DOM, GOSSAN, who recently ed the Pokémon card game during the Evolving Skies and Pokémon Brilliant Stars TCG expansion. Each collection will be packaged with three Crown Zenith Booster packs, and a pin of one of the three Sword and Shield Starter Pokémon.
Pokémon Crown Zenith Morpeko V-UNION Box
Fans of Marnie are in luck, as the Pokémon Crown Zenith Morpeko V-UNION Playmat Collection will also go up for sale on April 14, 2023. The massive box collection will feature five Crown Zenith booster packs, and four Morpeko V-UNION cards. The April collection also comes with a TCG playmat that features Marnie artwork, as well as a jumbo-sized promo card of the Morpeko V-UNION collectible. Players who pick up the box will be able to combine the set's four mini cards, to create a giant Morpeko V that features the Electric/Dark-type being battled with its Trainer Marnie. This will be the first Pokémon TCG V-UNION card to be released since the debut of the Greninja, Mewtwo, and Zacian V-UNION cards back in 2021.
Pokémon TCG Crown Zenith Figure Collection Shiny Zacian & Shiny Zamazenta
The final product to be announced in the Gen 8 set is the Pokémon Crown Zenith Shiny Zacian & Shiny Zamazenta Figure Collections, which will be available at retailers on May 5, 2023. There are two versions of the special box, with each one being themed around one of the Sword and Shield box Legendaries. The collection will include eleven Crown Zenith TCG booster packs, as well as an etched holographic promo card of either Shiny Zacian V or Shiny Zamazenta V. Each box will also feature a pin and figurine of the Shiny Galar Legendary Pokémon. The final boxes are fitting, considering that one of the last events for Sword and Shield was the release of Shiny Zacian and Shiny Zamazenta in 2021.
Players who purchase any of these products will be pulling cards mainly from the Pokémon VSTAR Universe TCG set, which launches in Japan in December 2022. With The Pokémon Company releasing Crown Zenith products throughout May, it's unclear when North America will be getting the new Gen 9 TCG series. However, the first Scarlet and Violet Pokémon card expansion is due to launch in Japan starting in February 2023. Regardless, fans aren't ready to say goodbye to the Galar era of the Pokémon Trading Card Game will have an abundance of Crown Zenith products to collect for the first half of next year.
