Sword & Shield—Vivid Voltage

Status: Released (November 2020)

Pikachu VMAX Shines in Vivid Voltage

The electric mouse got a massive upgrade on November 13, 2020, with Sword & Shield—Vivid Voltage . The mascot of the set was "Pikachu VMAX," affectionately known as "Chonkachu" due to its Gigantamax form's rotund design. The Rainbow Rare version of this card became one of the most expensive and iconic cards of the Sword & Shield was effectively carrying the set's value on its back.

Amazing Rares and Colorless Control

Beyond Pikachu, the set introduced "Amazing Rares," a new rarity featuring legendary Pokémon like "Rayquaza" and "Jirachi" with splashy, colorful art backgrounds. These cards required multiple energy types to attack, encouraging creative deck building. The set also introduced "Coalossal VMAX," a fighting-type tank that saw competitive success, but the real sleeper hit was the support for Colorless Pokémon, which would later become relevant with the release of Lugia VSTAR years later. Sword & Shield—Vivid Voltage was a bright, fun set that mixed collector hype with solid playable cards.