Top 10 Sword and Shield Sets

Champions Path comes in at number 10 as it has 2 big Charizard cards to chase. The V and the rainbow VMAX are both very iconic cards, however, the set really lacks anything else that is notable. The remaining rainbow cards are fairly lackluster and most of the remaining VMAXs are of Pokemon that aren't super popular amoungst the community.

Mentioned cards from Champion's Path

You can view the full Champion's Path set list, use the odds calculator to compare pull chances, or search for individual Pokémon cards.

This next set might come as a litle bit of a surprise but at number 9 we have Battle Styles. This set is not super popular with fans as most of the featured Pokemon are not fan favourites. However, there are still some cards that are worth chasing such as the Tyranitar V alternate art which is sometimes refered to as the 'sleeping Tyranitar'. We also have a great looking Empoleon V alternate art and an Urshifu VMAX, but other than these three cards, the set is fairly underwhelming in comparison to the sets that come later on this list.

Mentioned cards from Battle Styles

You can view the full Battle Styles set list, use the odds calculator to compare pull chances, or search for individual Pokémon cards.

Chilling Reign is often referred to as 'Chilling Pain' but the community due to the ruthlessly low hit rates and ultimately, this fact prevents the set from ranking any higher on the list. There are still some good chase cards inside of this set such as the Balziken VMAX which isn't to everyone's taste. Other cards include the Galerian Moltres V alternate art and the very unqiue Galerian Slowking V alternate art. On the whole, this set has a pretty solid roster of chase cards but the pull rates just really hold the set back from being great.

Mentioned cards from Chilling Reign

You can view the full Chilling Reign set list, use the odds calculator to compare pull chances, or search for individual Pokémon cards.

Silver Tempest is a set that you may have expected to be higher up on this list, however, when looked at as a whole, the cards roster is perhaps a little disapointing. This set is primarily known for the huge Lugia V alternate art which is a defining chase card of the Sword and Shield era, but the remaining cards in the set leave a little to be desired. There is also the Rayquazza VMAX which is worth chasing but the artwork for the rest of the set isn't quite good enough to rival some of the top sets that will be discussed later on in this list. The Regidrago V alternate art is another card that is worth mentioning however, the popularity of this Pokemon is rather low which prevents the card from being a truely desired chase.

Mentioned cards from Silver Tempest

You can view the full Silver Tempest set list, use the odds calculator to compare pull chances, or search for individual Pokémon cards.

Although Astral Radiance has no huge chase card like Silver Tempest, there is a good handful of solid hits that make for a fantastic opening experience. Cards such as the Machamp V alternate art, the Origin Forme Palkia and Dialga, as well as the Beedrill V alternate art all help to make a well rounded set in terms of chase cards. Along with this, within the trainer gallery of Astral Radiance, you can even find a stunning Misty's Starmie which is definately on par with the cards that we have already mentioned. If this set had a truely huge hit then it would rank higher on the list, but it is hard to deny the superiority of the new 5 sets.

Mentioned cards from Astral Radiance

You can view the full Astral Radiance set list, use the odds calculator to compare pull chances, or search for individual Pokémon cards.

Brilliant Stars marked an important improvement to the Sword and Shield opening experience by adding the Trainer Gallery to the set which is essentially a subset inside of the main set with even more cards to chase with a lot of these having fantasic artworks. Within the mainset, there is a Charizard V alternate art, a rainbow Charizard VSTAR and even an Aceus V alternate art to chase. Adding to this, the trainer gallery has a great selection of cards with multiple Umbreons, Sylveons and Mimikyus. This makes for a great handful of cards to search for and a decently big main chase card with the Charizard V alternate art. Sadly for Brilliant Stars, the sets ahead of it contain cards that define the Sword and Shield era which keep this set from the top spots on the list.

Mentioned cards from Brilliant Stars

You can view the full Brilliant Stars set list, use the odds calculator to compare pull chances, or search for individual Pokémon cards.

Similarly to Silver Tempest, Lost Origin is a set that has a huge chase card in the form of the Shinji Kanda Giritina V alternate art which is a stunning card with insane detailing. Lost Origin does have other big chase card but not quite on the same level. These are the Aerodactyl V alternate art which is another with beautiful artwork, the Pikachu V from the trainer gallery and also the Pikachu VMAX. The trainer gallery certainly helps to bolster this set up as there are several other Pokemon that have full art cards within this sub set such as Charizard and Gengar. The sets above this one contain a greater array of memorable chase cards rather than one huge card and a few moderately big ones as this one has.

Mentioned cards from Lost Origin

You can view the full Lost Origin set list, use the odds calculator to compare pull chances, or search for individual Pokémon cards.

Fusion Strike is a set which revolves around psychic and ghost type Pokemon which are usually very popular amoungst the community. This set doesn't have a trainer gallery but it doesn't need one due to the sheer number of chase cards within this set. We have one of Celebi's best artworks in years, a Mew V alternate art as well as a Mew VMAX alternate art drawn by Akira Egawa. The sleeping Espeon VMAX helps to round out a solid list of chase cards that would still have this set ranking very high on this list, but there is also a Gengar VMAX alternate art which is one of the most iconic cards of the era and easily a top 5 chase card within any modern sets.

Mentioned cards from Fusion Strike

You can view the full Fusion Strike set list, use the odds calculator to compare pull chances, or search for individual Pokémon cards.

Crown Zenith is a set famed for quite generous pull rates especially compared to other Sword and Shield sets. This set has quickly become a fan favourite due to the insane quality of the cards within the trainer gallery. There are so many popular Pokemon that have fantastic full art cards within this set that it would be difficult for me to list them all, but these include the Mewtwo VSTAR, the Darkrai VSTAR and even the sleeping Mew. Finally, this set is topped off by 4 golden VSTAR cards which were all drawn by Akira Egawa. These cards are still quite difficult to pull but they are certainly worth the chase with the 4 main legendaries of generation 4 all making a great connecting artwork set, its hard to even pick a favourite.

Mentioned cards from Crown Zenith

You can view the full Crown Zenith set list, use the odds calculator to compare pull chances, or search for individual Pokémon cards.