I know highlighting Pokémon’s shiny forms is the main point of shiny vaults, but I’m starting to find that I value a shiny holo rare’s artwork more than I value its shiny form. For instance, a month ago I thought I would have been thrilled by a shiny Drifblim, but instead I find myself continually returning to shiny Ceruledge, which isn’t even a species I care that much about, nor a card that even most YouTubers highlight decks built around.
Hawlucha has to be my favorite so far. I was very impressed by the pose and color pallet, and Radiant Hawlucha now feels like it pales in comparison to its successor in the retrospect of my mind. I think I will have a hard time choosing nine of these cards, much less three, but shiny Hawlucha is my number one pick.
There are still 62 more cards to be revealed, but at this point the ones I am anticipating the most are the shiny Slowbro and Forretress ex lines. Plus I’m hoping the shiny Bisharp and Kingambit look a little more metallic, but I’m a little doubtful the limits of this art style can capture their beautiful texture from the video games. There are lots of cards I’m already excited about, though, and for all I know there will be twelve more shinies I will be more excited about than shiny Slowbro solely on the basis of their illustrations.
Shiny Charmander? What shiny Charmander? (Okay, maybe it’s in my top 18. It’s low on my list, though Sowsow did a nice job.)