Sun & Moon—Celestial Storm

Status: Released (August 2018)

Rayquaza Returns with a Vengeance in Celestial Storm

A storm of nostalgic proportions brewed on August 3, 2018, with Sun & Moon—Celestial Storm. This set served as a spiritual successor to the EX era, featuring modernized reprints of classic cards like the "Acro Bike" and the legendary "Rayquaza-GX." The expansion also brought three new Prism Star cards to the table, including the incredibly useful "Ditto Prism Star," which could evolve into *any* Stage 1 Pokémon, becoming an instant staple in evolution-heavy decks.

Rayquaza-GX and Shrine of Punishment

The meta was torn between big basics and non-GX attackers. "Rayquaza-GX" exploded onto the scene with its "Dragon Break" attack, which dealt 30 damage for every grass and lightning energy on the board, leading to explosive one-hit knockouts. On the flip side, the stadium "Shrine of Punishment" gave rise to single-prize "spread" decks that punished GX-heavy strategies by placing damage counters on all Pokémon-GX between turns. This clash between the titanic power of Rayquaza and the gritty resilience of Shrine decks made Sun & Moon—Celestial Storm a thrilling and diverse format.