Today, The Pokémon Company International announced the new Battle Styles gameplay mechanic for the Pokémon Trading Card Game. Inspired by the Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield video games, Battle Styles consist of Single Strike Style, which delivers powerful, hard-hitting attacks that can Knock Out an opponent in a single blow, and Rapid Strike Style, which uses sneaky, technical attacks that allow a player to attack their opponent when least expected.
Any Pokémon in the Pokémon TCG can have a Battle Style, with Single Strike cards decorated with a hint of red and Rapid Strike cards with a hint of blue. In addition, Single Strike and Rapid Strike cards are available as Trainer and Energy cards, which tend to assist Pokémon of that particular Battle Style and allow players to build a Single Strike or Rapid Strike deck.
Trainers will be able to collect, trade, and play with Battle Style cards—such as Single Strike Urshifu V, Rapid Strike Urshifu V, Single Strike Tyranitar V, and Rapid Strike Empoleon V—in the new Sword & Shield—Battle Styles expansion from The Pokémon Company International. In addition, Trainers can look forward to seeing Single Strike Urshifu VMAX and Rapid Strike Urshifu VMAX in their Gigantamax forms, as seen in The Isle of Armor expansion for the Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield video games.
Releasing worldwide on March 19, 2021, the Sword & Shield—Battle Styles expansion will be available in booster packs, Elite Trainer Boxes, and special collections, and includes the following:
- 60 Battle Style cards
- 12 Pokémon V and 16 full-art Pokémon V
- Six Pokémon VMAX
- 19 Trainer cards and six full-art Supporter cards
- Two Special Energy cards
