On December 15th, 2020, The Pokémon Company International announced the new Single Strike and Rapid Strike Battle Styles gameplay mechanic for the Pokémon Trading Card Game that debuted in the Sword & Shield—Battle Styles Expansion, which launched on March 19th, 2021. High resolution images from the press release have been added to an Imageboard thread.
New Battle Styles Gameplay Mechanic Coming to the Pokémon Trading Card Game, Beginning with Sword & Shield—Battle Styles Expansion
Dec. 15, 2020—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
Get the Pokémon TCG: Sword & Shield—Battle Styles Build & Battle Box Early
Select retailers will offer this Prerelease set ahead of the new expansion’s release date.
The upcoming Pokémon Trading Card Game expansion, Sword & Shield—Battle Styles, will be released on March 19, 2021, but you can get some of these new cards early at your local hobby store. Starting March 5, 2021, select retailers will be selling the Pokémon TCG: Sword & Shield—Battle Styles Build & Battle Box, giving fans the opportunity to check out the expansion before its release date and build a playable deck in the fast-paced Prerelease format.
This format lets players construct and compete with a 40-card deck with four Prize cards set aside at the start of play. It's a great way to get in some quick games with family or friends and begin developing strategies ahead of the expansion's release. Each Build & Battle Box includes a 23-card Evolution pack featuring key cards from current and prior sets, including one of four unique foil promo cards. You also get four Pokémon TCG: Sword & Shield—Battle Styles booster packs and a deck-building tip sheet.