Shining Pokémon (TCG)

If you were looking for shining Pokémon found in the Pokémon games, see Shiny Pokémon.

Shining Pokémon are a type of Pokémon found in the Pokémon Trading Card Game that depict the alternate color variation of a Pokémon. All Shining Pokémon are Basic Pokémon.

First introduced in the Neo Revelation expansion, Shining Pokémon created quite a stir in the TCG community, both for their rarity and use of multiple Energy-type attacks. They were also bound by a special rule that allowed only 1 Shining Pokémon by name in a deck.

Perhaps chosen because of their appearances in the Pokémon anime and Pokémon Gold and Silver, Magikarp and Gyarados were the first Shining Pokémon featured in the TCG, included in Neo Revelation as secret cards. When released in Japan, their prices skyrocketed overseas, with collectors paying $300+ for them each. The odds of finding them in a booster pack were stated as 300:1, reflecting the chances of encountering a Shining Pokémon in the games. Their prices came down with the release of the set in English, but the cards remained difficult to obtain.

Shining Pokémon appeared again in Neo Destiny and once again feature alternate-colored Pokémon. In addition, the character art was given a reflective foil treatment, making the Pokémon literally "shine" (the only exception to this is Shining Mew, which was released as a promotional card in Japan only and is holofoil with an additional glitter coating).

Shining Pokémon in Neo Destiny were once again secret cards and featured a unique rarity symbol of 3 stars reminiscent of the ShinyIIStars.png used for alternate-colored Pokémon in the games. This has never been used again in the TCG.

Shining Pokémon returned in the Shining Legends subset of the Sun & Moon series. No longer restricted to the 1 per deck rule, they featured a reflective foil layer applied to the depicted Pokémon, similar to the ones released in Neo Destiny, but did not require multiple Energy types for their attack costs. The subset also introduced a new rarity symbol for these Shining Pokémon, consisting of a foil, blue and yellow colored, eight-pointed star. All the Shining Pokémon included in this set were either Legendary or Mythical Pokémon.

Pokémon that have appeared as Shining Pokémon

Shining Pokémon
Cards listed with a blue background are only legal to use in the current Expanded format.
Cards listed with a green background are legal to use in both the current Standard and Expanded formats.
Card Type English
Expansion
Rarity # Japanese
Expansion
Rarity #
Shining Gyarados Water Neo Revelation SuperRare Holo 65/64 Awakening Legends Shining Holo  
Shining Magikarp Water Neo Revelation SuperRare Holo 66/64 Awakening Legends Shining Holo  
      Unnumbered Promotional cards    
      Promo Card Pack 25th Anniversary Edition   010/025
Shining Celebi Grass Neo Destiny Shining Holo 106/105 Darkness, and to Light... Shining Holo  
Shining Charizard Fire Neo Destiny Shining Holo 107/105 Darkness, and to Light... Shining Holo  
Shining Kabutops Fighting Neo Destiny Shining Holo 108/105 Darkness, and to Light... Shining Holo  
Shining Mewtwo Psychic Neo Destiny Shining Holo 109/105 Darkness, and to Light... Shining Holo  
Shining Noctowl Colorless Neo Destiny Shining Holo 110/105 Darkness, and to Light... Shining Holo  
Shining Raichu Lightning Neo Destiny Shining Holo 111/105 Darkness, and to Light... Shining Holo  
Shining Steelix Metal Neo Destiny Shining Holo 112/105 Darkness, and to Light... Shining Holo  
Shining Tyranitar Darkness Neo Destiny Shining Holo 113/105 Darkness, and to Light... Shining Holo  
Shining Mew Psychic       Unnumbered Promotional cards    
Shining Genesect Grass Shining Legends Rare Shining 9/73 Shining Legends Shining 010/072
Shining Volcanion Water Shining Legends Rare Shining 27/73 Shining Legends Shining 028/072
Shining Mew Psychic Shining Legends Rare Shining 40/73 Shining Legends Shining 041/072
Shining Jirachi Psychic Shining Legends Rare Shining 42/73 Shining Legends Shining 043/072
Shining Rayquaza Dragon Shining Legends Rare Shining 56/73 Shining Legends Shining 057/072
Shining Arceus Colorless Shining Legends Rare Shining 57/73 Shining Legends Shining 059/072
Shining Celebi Grass SM Black Star Promos   SM79 Shining Legends Shining 004/072
Shining Lugia Colorless SM Black Star Promos   SM82 Shining Legends Shining 058/072
Shining Ho-Oh Fire SM Black Star Promos   SM70 SM-P Promotional cards   083/SM-P
 


In other languages

Language Title
France Flag.png European French Pokémon Brillant
Germany Flag.png German Schimmerndes Pokémon
Italy Flag.png Italian Pokémon Iridescente
Brazil Flag.png Brazilian Portuguese Pokémon Luminoso (Celebrations)
Pokémon Luminescente (Shining Legends, SM Black Star Promos)
Spain Flag.png European Spanish Pokémon Luminoso


Project TCG logo.png This article is part of Project TCG, a Bulbapedia project that aims to report on every aspect of the Pokémon Trading Card Game.