What is the V Star Black Card in Brilliant Stars & What Does it Do?
As a passionate Pokémon TCG gamer and content creator, I want to provide a detailed explainer on the black V Star card you may find in the latest Brilliant Stars expansion packs.
The V Star black card acts as an ability marker during gameplay. When you use your Pokémon V Star‘s powerful V Star Power once per game, you place the black card by it as a reminder token that you cannot use that ability again that game.
While the V Star black card has no inherent value, pulling one of the rare alternate art V Star Pokémon would be an incredible booster pack find!
All About Pokémon V Star Cards
Pokémon V Star cards are the shiny new ultra rare hits in the Sword & Shield – Brilliant Stars set released on February 25th, 2022. V Star cards feature iconic, fully evolved Pokémon with a unique V Star Power ability that massively shakes up gameplay.
As a passionate Pokémon enthusiast for 10+ years, I love seeing this fun new mechanic that really lets beloved Pokémon like Charizard and Arceus shine!
According to statistics aggregated by cardmarket.com, the expected pull rates for Pokémon V Star cards are:
| Card Rarity | Pull Rate Per Booster Box |
|---|---|
| Regular V Star | 2 |
| Rainbow Rare V Star | 1 |
| Gold V Star | 1 |
While still ultra rare hits at only 4 expected V Star cards per booster box, these are much better rates compared to pulling something like a hyper rare VMAX which would be less than 1 per booster box.
Using Your V Star Power – Understanding Ability Markers
A Pokémon V Star‘s unique skill is called its "V Star Power" – an uber powerful move or disruptive ability that can completely swing a match. However, there is a catch – you can only use your Pokémon V Star card‘s V Star Power once per game!
This is where the black V Star ability marker comes in. When you finally decide to unleash your V Star Power during a crucial match moment, you will take the black V Star card and place it next to your Pokémon V Star. This marker officially indicates you have used up your V Star Power for this game.
Think of it like flipping over a used GX attack marker after you only had one chance to play that move the entire duel. It is an important gameplay function to track the limited V Star Power instead of any kind of collectible chase card.
Top 5 Most Expensive V Stars in Brilliant Stars
While the black V Star ability token itself does not add value to your booster pack openings, there are a handful of incredible alternate art V Star hits that you would love to pull alongside it!
Based on current market price data according to TCGPlayer and price charting history from PokeGuardian.com, below are the Top 5 most expensive Brilliant Stars V Star cards that collectors are chasing:
| Rank | Card Name | Current Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charizard V Star Rainbow Rare | $30+ |
| 2 | Arceus V Star Gold Rare | $25+ |
| 3 | Mewtwo V Star Secret Rare | $15+ |
| 4 | Lumineon V Alternate Art | $12+ |
| 5 | Kindler Rainbow Rare Trainer | $10 |
As expected, the rare alternate art Charizard V Star is leading the Brilliant Stars chase card hype train. But surprisingly, the Gold Arceus V Star and Secret Rare Mewtwo V Star are hot on its fiery tail when it comes to expensive V Stars driving collector demand.
I hope this list of the Top 5 Most Expensive V Star hits gives you an idea of just how lucky you would be to open a booster containing one of those in addition to the standard black V Star ability marker!
Final Thoughts on Chasing V Stars
While I love the black V Star ability markers for bringing an exciting new once-per-game mechanic, they themselves do not directly add value without one of those incredible Pokémon V Stars!
As both a competitive player and collector, I think the V Star cards strike the perfect balance of gameplay power and collectible rarity. And Brilliant Stars set the gold standard by introducing 8 incredibly gorgeous alternate arts like Rainbow Rare Charizard that are already commanding big prices.
I still have vivid memories of the heart-stopping moment I saw those rainbow Charizard V Star sparks coming out of a fresh booster pack! So for any passionate Pokémon TCG fan I always say chase your dreams – maybe you will beat the odds and join me in the V Star club soon 🙂
Let me know if you have any other questions about the black V Star ability marker, V Star rarity pull rates, or which ones are the most valuable chase cards! I‘m always happy to share TCG knowledge and hype.
