Ranking All Pokemon Sword & Shield Sets from Base Set to Lost Origins

Pokémon officially entered the Sword & Shield era on February 7th 2020, which practically coincided with the start of the global pandemic that would breathe a new life into the TCG. That being said, Sword & Shield was no stranger to its ups and downs with sets completely dominating the market while others saw drastic downturns in value and demand. With a new addition on the horizon with Lost Origins, we thought we'd rank all the Sword & Shield sets released so far.

Note that we excluded sets that did not have regular product lines and instead only had collection boxes like Celebrations , Pokemon Go, Champion's Path as we can't compare them on the same scale. You can still easily pick up Sword & Shield Pokémon Singles here.

Pokemon Sword & Shield Set Rankings from Base Set to Lost Origins

#11 (Worst Set) - Pokemon SWSH02: Rebel Clash

Being the second set in the Sword & Shield Series, it's hard to imagine why we would get a set who's top chase cards are Trainer Cards. Not that a Full Art Boss's Order or Sonia aren't cool but we expected more out of that set for sure. 

#10 - Pokemon SWSH01: Sword & Shield Base Set

Not too far behind its successor, Pokemon Sword & Shield Base Set is not quite how you'd want a new era of products to start. Although, if Sun & Moon Base Set was any indication of how slow things would start then you could say we were warned. Sword & Shield Base Set features nothing more than our beloved Marnie and a line of underwhelming other cards.

#9 - Pokemon SWSH03: Darkness Ablaze

When this set release it showed promise by adding the fan favorite Charizard to its first Sword & Shield set, but unfortunately that is the only card that hold the set together and gives it its medium-tiered price. Darkness Ablaze slumps below anything spectacular and leaves nothing behind but its own shadow. 

#8 - Pokemon SWSH05: Battle Styles

Now let's start by acknowledging what this set did well, and that's the reintroduction of Alternate Arts into the TCG. As seen on our list of Top 10 Best Alternate Art Cards from the Pokemon Sword & Shield Era, Battle Styles does offer some decently good cards. Unfortunately, this is countered by the terrible pull rates making it a subpar set at best. 

#7 - SWSH04: Vivid Voltage

Adding this set in the bottom tier of the list may seem odd but at the time of writing, this set has suffered a significant hit. Amazing Rares were a nice addition but hold next to no value now, everyone has them and they just aren't doing what trainer gallery cards are doing for some of the other sets like Brillinat Stars and Astral Radiance. Additionally, Pikachu Rainbow being the only high value card in the set makes it less affordable with next to nothing to pull. 

#6 - Pokemon SWSH08: Fusion Strike

Fusion Strike is an odd set because it contains a decent amount of highly sought-after cards such as the Espeon VMAX, Gengar VMAX, Inteleon VMAX and a couple Mew cards. However, once again, pull rates plagued the set and everyone seems to remember opening tons of Fusion Strike to get what they were looking for. The set sits at a low price point which makes picking up a Booster box not a terrible purchase.  

#5 - Pokemon SWSH06: Chilling Reign

Chilling Reign, also known as Chilling Pain is a set that I actually believe will hold some value in the future. For starters, there are a good amount of Alternate Arts that are worth chasing, and a good variety of popular Pokemon within the set such as the legendary birds, Urshifu and my favorite, the Gold Secret Rare Snorlax. As seems to be the trend, pull rates are what caused this set to earn its nickname. The price point is quite low at the moment which also makes it not a bad set to pickup. 

#4 - Pokemon SWSH10: Astral Radiance

Astral Radiance was the second set to introduce the VSTAR mechanic and to give us the Trainer Gallery cards that made a white code card have some redeemable value. With some strong Alternate Arts like the Palkia and Dialga V, Beedrill, the TG Starmie and the unexpectedly amazing Machamp Alternater Art, this set is solid, priced decently and holds a good amount of value.

#3 - Pokemon SWSH07: Evolving Skies

What can we say about a set FULL of Eeveelutions, 2 Rayquaza Alternate Arts and a lot more except INCREDIBLE! The set boasts an incredible 17 alternate arts of all sorts of fan favorites, including one of Sword & Shield's most sought-after chase cards, the Umbreon VMAX Alternate Art. The set is truly amazing but earns the 3rd place because pull rates are decently bad, mixed with the high price, it makes for a true high-risk high-reward set. 

#2 - Pokemon SWSH11: Lost Origins (Speculative)

At the time of writing, Lost Origins has not hit the shelves so giving it the 2nd rank is definitely bold on my end, however, if what we've seen from leaks suggests anything its that this set will be incredible, building on the Astral Radiance reception by adding more amazing Trainer Gallery cards featuring both Red's Pikachu and Leon's Charizard. Additionally, the Alternate Art Giratina looks like a true chase card, along with others like Rotom and Aerodactyl. It will be interesting to see how the set fares in the long run but I suspect that it will find its place among one of the best Sword & Shield Explansions. 

#1 - Pokemon SWSH09: Brilliant Stars

Brilliant Stars came at the right time, when many were starting to lose faith in their pulls from the recent sets. The genius introduction of the Trainer Gallery gave every pack a chance to contain a Hit. Choosing a set of Eeveelutions was also a great idea to get the concept going. Now, when we look at the set, it is also the first to introduce the VSTAR Mechanic which gave birth to a whole new type of variant for future cards, on top of Alternate Arts - which have a Charizard and an Arceus. All-in-all, this set is by far the most solid from the Sword & Shield era, has decent pull rates and is truly a massive set for collectors.  

Looking for Pokémon Sowrd and Shield Singles? Check out our Pokémon Singles here and filter by Sword & Shield set! 

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