Sword and Shield ranking

Top 10 Sword and Shield Sets

The Sword and Shield era has given Pokémon collectors a wide range of memorable sets, from nostalgia-heavy releases to modern special sets packed with exciting chase cards. In this guide, we rank the top 10 Sword and Shield sets, starting with number 10 and working down to the number 1 pick.

This ranking is based on collector appeal, artwork, opening experience, overall set identity, and how memorable each release feels within the Sword and Shield era. You can also browse all Pokémon sets, compare pulls with the Pokémon odds calculator, or read our guide to Pokémon pack odds.

Quick answer: best Sword and Shield sets ranked

Here is the full ranking at a glance, counting down from number 10 to the best Sword and Shield set overall.

  1. #10
    Champion's Path

    Ranked Sword and Shield set

  2. #9
    Battle Styles

    Ranked Sword and Shield set

  3. #8
    Chilling Reign

    Ranked Sword and Shield set

  4. #7
    Silver Tempest

    Ranked Sword and Shield set

  5. #6
    Astral Radiance

    Ranked Sword and Shield set

  6. #5
    Brilliant Stars

    Ranked Sword and Shield set

  7. #4
    Lost Origin

    Ranked Sword and Shield set

  8. #3
    Fusion Strike

    Ranked Sword and Shield set

  9. #2
    Crown Zenith

    Ranked Sword and Shield set

  10. #1
    Evolving Skies

    Best overall Sword and Shield set

How we ranked these Sword and Shield sets

Collector appeal

Sets rank higher when they have memorable chase cards, desirable artwork, and cards collectors are likely to care about long term. For more context, read our Pokémon card rarity guide.

Opening experience

Some sets are simply more exciting to open. A strong mix of appealing pulls helps a set feel more enjoyable pack after pack. You can also see our guide to the best Pokémon packs to open.

Set identity

The best sets usually have a clear theme, iconic Pokémon, or a distinctive feel that makes them stand out from the rest of the era. You can explore more articles on the Pokémon guides page.

Top 10 Sword and Shield sets: full countdown

Below is the full ranking, starting at number 10 and working down to the best Sword and Shield Pokémon set at number 1. Each set also includes a link to its set page, where you can browse cards and explore the set in more detail.

#10 ranked set

10. Champion's Path

Champion's Path Pokémon set logo

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

Champion's Path notable card 1
Champion's Path notable card 2

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

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#9 ranked set

9. Battle Styles

Battle Styles Pokémon set logo

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

Battle Styles notable card 1
Battle Styles notable card 2
Battle Styles notable card 3

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#8 ranked set

8. Chilling Reign

Chilling Reign Pokémon set logo

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

Chilling Reign notable card 1
Chilling Reign notable card 2
Chilling Reign notable card 3

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#7 ranked set

7. Silver Tempest

Silver Tempest Pokémon set logo

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

Silver Tempest notable card 1
Silver Tempest notable card 2
Silver Tempest notable card 3

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

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#6 ranked set

6. Astral Radiance

Astral Radiance Pokémon set logo

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

Astral Radiance notable card 1
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Astral Radiance notable card 3
Astral Radiance notable card 4
Astral Radiance notable card 5

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

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#5 ranked set

5. Brilliant Stars

Brilliant Stars Pokémon set logo

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

Brilliant Stars notable card 1
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Brilliant Stars notable card 3
Brilliant Stars notable card 4
Brilliant Stars notable card 5
Brilliant Stars notable card 6

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

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#4 ranked set

4. Lost Origin

Lost Origin Pokémon set logo

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

Lost Origin notable card 1
Lost Origin notable card 2
Lost Origin notable card 3
Lost Origin notable card 4
Lost Origin notable card 5
Lost Origin notable card 6

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

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#3 ranked set

3. Fusion Strike

Fusion Strike Pokémon set logo

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

Fusion Strike notable card 1
Fusion Strike notable card 2
Fusion Strike notable card 3
Fusion Strike notable card 4
Fusion Strike notable card 5

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#2 ranked set

2. Crown Zenith

Crown Zenith Pokémon set logo

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

Crown Zenith notable card 1
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Crown Zenith notable card 3
Crown Zenith notable card 4
Crown Zenith notable card 5
Crown Zenith notable card 6
Crown Zenith notable card 7

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

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#1 ranked set

1. Evolving Skies

Best overall
Evolving Skies Pokémon set logo

Evolving Skies contains too many huge chase cards for it to be anywhere other than number 1 on this list. With V and VMAx alternate arts of a handful of the popular eeveelutions, this would have been enough to push this set up near the top of the list, but when one of these is the biggest chase card of any modern set in the form of the Umbreon VMAX or 'Moon-breon' it makes this set one of the best of all time. To add to this, there is also a Rayquazza V and VMAX alternate art that could carry a set alone in many other cases. With so many top cards, it is no wonder that this set is held in such high regard across the commuity and it would be almost impossibe to argue any other set being at the top spot.

Mentioned cards from Evolving Skies

Evolving Skies notable card 1
Evolving Skies notable card 2
Evolving Skies notable card 3
Evolving Skies notable card 4
Evolving Skies notable card 5
Evolving Skies notable card 6
Evolving Skies notable card 7

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

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Final thoughts

Sword and Shield produced several excellent Pokémon sets, but Evolving Skies stands above the rest because it combines iconic Pokémon, memorable alternate art cards, and lasting collector demand. Crown Zenith and Fusion Strike are also excellent choices if you want sets with major opening appeal.

Rankings like this will always be partly subjective. Some collectors care most about nostalgia, while others focus on chase cards, artwork, sealed product value, or how fun a set feels to open. However, as an overall Sword and Shield ranking, these 10 sets offer some of the strongest experiences from the era. For more help choosing what to open next, visit our best Pokémon packs to open guide or browse the full Pokémon TCG guides hub.

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