Pokemon TCG fans love new Stellar Miracle art card but competitive players are baffled

Stellar Miracle is the next Pokemon TCG set that’ll be hitting the market, lined up to come out on July 19, 2024. It’ll be introducing Stellar Tera-type Pokemon to the game for the first time and, on the whole, Pokemon TCG fans are excited to see the sparkly cards in action.

The official Japanese Pokemon TCG YouTube channel has been keeping players engaged leading up to the release date, handing out card reveals and drumming up hype for the new Stellar cards.

The latest Stellar Tera-type card hasn’t quite hit the mark with the Pokemon TCG community, though. While Cinderace ex (018/102) is being praised for having beautiful artwork, the rainbow rabbit has been deemed underwhelming by competitive players who were hoping to use it in a match.

Thanks to translations from PokeBeach, it’s clear to see why players may be feeling let down by this card. At first glance, it looks impressive with 320 HP and a 280 damage Attack.

The 280 damage Attack is called Flare Strike. It’s a potential one-shot, which is always handy, but it comes with a cool-down requirement on the next turn. The other Attack on the card is Garnet Volley, which deals 180 damage to an opponent’s Pokemon – either Active or Benched.

The mandatory cool-down for Flare Strike and mixed triple Energy requirement for Garnet Volley (thanks to the Stellar Tera-type) caused some concerns among players online.

One confused player stated, “Good art but 3 different Energy types for 180 damage… on a Stage 2? Who is going to use that? At least it has no Retreat Cost so it can keep using Flare Strike.” Another shared the sentiment, saying, “Cinderace looks meh. Nothing crazy imo”.

Some Pokemon TCG players took the time to plan how they were going to use the card, with one noting, “I’m only spamming 1st move and rarely use 2nd.”

Another player spotted an interesting element on the Cinderace card, saying, “A very suspicious dark energy requirement… Maybe they are hinting a synergy with Munkidori to hit for 210 on benched Ogerpons”, while also praising it for being effective against control decks.

Despite the underwhelming response from competitive players, the Cinderace card was met with a positive response from art-driven collectors, as were the accompanying Scorbunny and Raboot cards that were revealed alongside it.

Whether you’re hyped to get your hands on Stellar Tera-type cards or concerned about the competitive implications, Stellar Miracle is not a set that you’ll want to miss out on. If you’d prefer to nab the cards in English, check out everything we know about Stellar Crown instead.