VSTAR Universe

What VSTAR Universe is

VSTAR Universe is a Japanese High Class Pack released on December 2, 2022, the last sub expansion of the Sword & Shield era in Japan. Its set code is S12a and it holds 172 numbered cards plus 90 secret rares, for 262 cards in all. High Class Packs are Japan's end of era celebration sets: they reprint the era's strongest Pokémon V, VMAX and VSTAR cards, then stack a large secret rare section on top of them, and VSTAR Universe carries the largest secret rare run of the era.

English players know this material as Crown Zenith, released on January 20, 2023. Crown Zenith took the VSTAR Universe cards, moved most of the secret rares into a separate Galarian Gallery subset, and added cards from VSTAR Special Set, Paradigm Trigger and Incandescent Arcana that had not been localized in Silver Tempest. The Japanese set is where those illustrations first appeared, which is why collectors who chase the Illustration rares and Special illustration rares often buy the Japanese print.

VSTAR Universe also has a parallel foil set. Every card in the main set that is not already holofoil exists as a Reverse Glitter Holofoil variant, and the checklist below tracks those variants alongside the standard prints. Cards carry the F regulation mark, with the reprinted E mark cards from earlier in the era mixed in.

What makes VSTAR Universe different

• 90 secret rares The secret rare section runs from 173 to 262: 37 Illustration rares (173 to 209), 35 Special illustration rares (210 to 244), 14 Ultra rare gold Trainers and Energy cards (245 to 258) and four Secret rare VSTAR cards (259 to 262).
• The AKIRA EGAWA quartet Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR 259, Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR 260, Giratina VSTAR 261 and Arceus VSTAR 262 are all illustrated by AKIRA EGAWA in one connected style and close the set as its four Secret rares.
• Kouki Saitou's nine card story Illustration rares 201 to 209 (Riolu, Swablu, Duskull, Bidoof, Pikachu, Turtwig, Paras, Poochyena and Mareep) are all by Kouki Saitou and read as one continuous scene, which is why Pikachu 205 became the most collected common Pokémon card in the set.
• No rarity symbols on most cards In VSTAR Universe, non secret cards that are not Pokémon V or Radiant Pokémon carry no rarity symbol at all, an unusual layout choice that makes the set easy to spot in a binder.
• Six Radiant Pokémon Radiant Charizard, Radiant Greninja, Radiant Charjabug, Radiant Gardevoir, Radiant Hawlucha and Radiant Eternatus reprint the era's shiny Radiant mechanic in one place.
• A Reverse Glitter parallel set Every non holofoil card in the main set has a Reverse Glitter Holofoil version, so a master set of VSTAR Universe is far larger than the 262 numbered cards suggest.

VSTAR Universe and Crown Zenith

The two sets are siblings rather than copies. Crown Zenith, released in English on January 20, 2023, is the final special expansion of the Sword & Shield Series and drew from VSTAR Universe, the VSTAR Special Set, Paradigm Trigger and Incandescent Arcana. Its Illustration rares and Special illustration rares live in the Galarian Gallery subset with GG numbering, while in VSTAR Universe the same artwork sits in the main numbering from 173 upward. Crown Zenith booster packs were never sold on their own and came only inside set products such as Elite Trainer Boxes and collection boxes, whereas VSTAR Universe booster boxes were sold as ordinary sealed product in Japan.

For graded collectors the practical difference is print and population. The Japanese print reached the market first and in larger sealed volume, so Japanese Special illustration rares tend to be easier to find in high grade, while the English Galarian Gallery print commands a premium for the same artwork. Slabfolio lists Crown Zenith as this set's English counterpart so you can compare both prints side by side.

Collecting and grading VSTAR Universe

Japanese cards from this era grade well. Print quality and centering are more consistent than the English print, and the textured Special illustration rares hold up to handling better than the older rainbow foils. The AKIRA EGAWA Secret rares 259 to 262 and the Kouki Saitou run are the cards most often submitted, and a PSA 10 on any of them carries a clear premium over a raw copy, as the live prices above show.

When buying singles, confirm the number and not just the artwork, because most Special illustration rares in this set also exist as Crown Zenith Galarian Gallery cards with a GG number and a different market. The Reverse Glitter parallel cards are a separate variant again, and the checklist marks them so a plain reverse holofoil is not mistaken for the glitter print.

Sealed VSTAR Universe is one of the more approachable High Class Pack products from the era, and the booster box price in the sealed table is a useful benchmark for the whole High Class Pack category, from Shiny Star V through Shiny Treasure ex.