No doubt we all have some spectacular Pokémon cards in our collections, but what about “Amazing Rare” Pokémon cards?Though short-lived (at least for now), Amazing Rare Pokémon cards feature some of the most spectacular Pokémon card aesthetics, at least when it comes to the more traditional style of Pokémon TCG card design. Let’s take a look at each of them, then find out exactly what Amazing Rare cards actually are.
All Amazing Rare Pokémon Cards
The list of cards shown above is as follows:
- Celebi (Vivid Voltage, 009/185)
- Raikou (Vivid Voltage, 050/185)
- Zacian (Vivid Voltage, 082/185)
- Zamazenta (Vivid Voltage, 102/185)
- Jirachi (Vivid Voltage, 119/185)
- Rayquaza (Vivid Voltage, 138/185)
- Reshiram (Shining Fates, 017/72)
- Kyogre (Shining Fates, 021/072)
- Yveltal (Shining Fates, 046/072)
What Are Amazing Rare Pokémon Cards?
Classed as regular Pokémon, unlike Radiant Pokémon or special Pokémon types such as Pokémon ex or Pokémon V, for example, Amazing Rare Pokémon nonetheless still feel unique in comparison to normal Pokémon.
Partly, that’s because of their unique artwork, which sees the card’s Pokémon illustrated on a beautifully colorful background. You’ll find them on either a rainbow-esque swirl or a kaleidoscopically vivid graffiti-style setting, all of which look as if they’re bursting from the confines of the card’s picture border. It’s not full art or half art; rather, as you can see from the card images, it’s something that looks and feels entirely unique.
What Sets Do Amazing Rare Pokémon Cards Appear In?
Amazing Rare Pokemon cards first appeared in the Pokémon Sword and Shield: Vivid Voltage set, back in 2020. There were just six of them in Vivid Voltage; a further three appeared in Shining Fates, which was launched in early 2021. So far, that’s it!
How Can I Tell If I Have an Amazing Rare Pokémon Card?
Aside from the unique art style, which is perhaps the most immediately obvious clue, these cards have a special rarity symbol. Instead of the usual shape for common, uncommon, rare and so on, there’s a capital A in a splash of rainbow colour. We’ve circled this in the image below; as you can see; it’s not difficult to spot this unusual rarity symbol!
There’s also a unique foil treatment and pattern on Amazing Rare cards. If you want to check out some more information on other types of foil treatment, take a look at our Holo vs Reverse Holo cards guide. As you can see from the photos above, there’s a textured effect to the framed image, as well as a subtler effect on the rest of the card. Not only that, but each of these Pokémon has an attack which has ‘Amazing’ as part of its name.
What Else is Special About Amazing Rare Cards?
Another way that Amazing cards are different to the norm are with the aforementioned ‘Amazing’ attacks. They’re pretty similar to Dragon type attacks, in that they require a combination of different energy types to use (check out our guide to Pokemon energy types for lots more detail on those!).
These attacks tend to feature pretty unusual energy type combinations too – for example, the Yveltal pictured above uses an attack named ‘Amazing Destruction’, which we’ve circled. This attack requires one Fire, one Psychic, one Dark and then two Colorless energy (that’s any type of energy) to use. It’s worth it, however, as this attack immediately Knocks Out the defending Pokémon!
Though perhaps impractical due to the different type of energy required to make full use of an Amazing attack, these cards are pretty spectacular additions to a deck, both visually and in terms of their capabilities.
Will There Be Any More Amazing Rare Cards?
Perhaps due to their demanding nature, seeing as you’d have to build your deck with lots of different energy types and ways to retrieve them, with specific Trainer cards, there have been just 9 Amazing Rare cards released.
Even though there doesn’t seem to be any plans underway for Amazing Rare cards to return, there’s always a possibility that we’ll see more. Especially as Ace Spec cards, which were around for a similar period of time as Amazing Rares, eventually made a comeback. Check out our Ace Spec Pokémon Card article for more on that very special type of Trainer card!
Are Amazing Rare Cards Valuable Or Hard To Find?
If you’re looking to add Amazing Rare cards to your Pokémon TCG collection, the good news is that they aren’t currently expensive. Each one sells for just a few dollars, aside from a select few, and you can often find bundles of the complete set. If you do get hold of a Vivid Voltage or Shining Fates pack, pull rates for Amazing Rares aren’t particularly egregious either. You’re potentially going to find one in every six boosters you open.
With both Vivid Voltage and Shining Fates packs becoming harder to get your hands on at retail, however, their availability and value is likely to rise. So it’s worth adding Amazing Rare cards to your collection now, if you haven’t already got them!
