Pokemon TCG: What Are VSTAR Cards?

thegamer.com:

There were no Mega Evolutions during the Pokemon Trading Card Game's X&Y era. Nor were there Z-Moves as the popular tabletop wing of the franchise launched new sets alongside Sun & Moon. The Pokemon TCG has never mirrored what the video games bring to the table so much as offered distorted echoes — and the current era, Sword & Shield, makes this more apparent than ever.

Related:Pokemon TCG: The Best V Cards

That's because Pokemon Sword & Shield, with their dominant gameplay gimmick being Dynamax and Gigantamax, gave the TCG's creators the chance to introduce V, VMAX, and (to a slimmer extent) V-UNION. None of these terms match, but the inspiration is there; Pokemon V are grander versions of their ordinary counterparts, and they can evolve into bigger and badder VMAX to really crush the competition.

What about VSTAR, then? In the final few Sword & Shield era Pokemon TCG sets, this fresh V-themed upstart has come to usurp everyone's attention. What's the deal? Let's find out.

Let's borrow a term from Pokemon Legends: Arceus for a sec here. If you've played that game, then you'll remember how attacks can be shifted into either Strong or Agile styles; the former hits harder, and the latter is a bit thinner on the damage-dealing but often makes a big difference in turn order going forward.

To be clear, this isn't an apples-to-apples comparison, but it's not terribly far off. As of July 2022, there are 92 Pokemon cards with HP numbering 300 or higher. Of those 92 cards, 85 are Pokemon VMAX. The modern era broke the doors down on massive hit points, and the overwhelming majority make appropriate use of the word "MAX" in their titles.

None of these 92 cards are VSTAR. They're lighter, one and all. But how light is light,