Rising Rivals
Set Details
The Greater Your Power, the Greater Your Rivals!
Capture awesome Pokémon LV.X… Challenge Gym Leaders… Rise to the level of the Elite Four… and discover the elite Trainer in yourself! The Pokémon TCG: Platinum—Rising Rivals expansion brings powerful Trainers and amazing Pokémon together in new and exciting ways, expanding your game play strategies. By pitting Trainer against Trainer and Pokémon against Pokémon in battles that will rival even your most exciting encounters, Rising Rivals will raise you to the top of your game!
The Rising Rivals expansion landed on 16 May 2009 with a 120‑card lineup and pushed the Platinum era’s SP concept into Gym Leader and Elite Four territory. Every Pokémon SP in the set bears a “GL” or “E4” tag after its name—think Luxray GL, Gallade E4, or Infernape 4—and showcases a miniature portrait of its Sinnoh trainer in the lower‑right corner of the artwork. Booster wrappers highlight four headline cards: Luxray, Gallade, Floatzel, and Darkrai, while twin theme decks—Flint’s Fire and Bertha’s Water—let players step straight into a championship rivalry.
On the competitive front, Rising Rivals reshaped the 2009 season. Luxray GL LV.X became the gold‑standard Pokémon SP finisher, using “Bright Look” to drag vulnerable targets Active and swing momentum in a single turn; its synergy with Poké Turn cemented the SP toolbox archetype for years. Infernape 4 LV.X offered 120‑damage snipes for just two Energy, and Flygon LV.X could mill an opponent’s deck by leaving the Active Spot between turns. Supporters tied to Sinnoh’s Elite Four—Flint’s Willpower, Volkner’s Philosophy, and Lucian’s Assignment—added fresh hand‑refill and Energy‑shifting tricks, while the stadium Sunnyshore City Gym erased Weakness for Lightning‑types, turning Luxray into a true menace.
Collectors have their own reasons to chase the storm. Rising Rivals hides a five‑card Rotom subset—Fan Rotom, Frost Rotom, Heat Rotom, Mow Rotom, and Wash Rotom—each printed on shimmering holo with a unique diagonal stripe pattern not used elsewhere in the Platinum block. Two secret rares nod to nostalgic promo lore: Flying Pikachu and Surfing Pikachu return with modern foil and updated weakness/resistance boxes, numbered just beyond the official list. Fun fact: early print runs of Snorlax LV.X show a faint horizontal gloss line across the artwork—an unintentional effect of the new “gloss overlay” process and now a coveted variant. From game‑breaking Luxray to Easter‑egg Rotom art, the Rising Rivals Pokémon set lives up to its name, pitting Sinnoh’s most memorable trainers against each other in both play and collection.
Rising Rivals Set Cards
