I've spent way too much time hunting for every rainbow pokemon card out there, and it's been a bit of an obsession ever since they first debuted in the Sun & Moon series. It's hard to believe they're technically "retired" now that we've moved into the Scarlet & Violet era, but for many of us, these shimmering, multi-colored textures still represent a very specific, high-stakes era of modern collecting.
If you weren't around when these first dropped, let me tell you, the hype was unreal. Before the Rainbow Rares (or Hyper Rares, as they're officially called in Japan), we mostly dealt with Holos, EXs, and the occasional Secret Rare. Then, Sun & Moon Base Set arrived in 2017, and suddenly, we had cards that looked like they were dipped in a prism.
The Beginning of the Rainbow Era
The Sun & Moon era was the wild west for these cards. When the Pokemon Company decided to introduce every rainbow pokemon card variant for the GX line, it changed the way people opened packs. I remember cracking open my first few packs of Sun & Moon and seeing that silver, shimmering border. The first three were Solgaleo GX, Lunala GX, and—hilariously—Gumshoos GX.
It was a polarizing look. Some people loved the "glittery" aesthetic, while others complained that the rainbow effect washed out the actual artwork of the Pokemon. Personally, I was a fan. There's something about holding a card that feels like sandpaper but looks like a soap bubble in the light. It felt premium, even if you couldn't always tell if it was a Machamp or a Marshadow without squinting at the name.
The Burning Shadows Craze
If you want to talk about the most iconic moment for collectors chasing every rainbow pokemon card, you have to talk about Burning Shadows. This set gave us the Rainbow Rare Charizard GX. For years, that card was the "holy grail" of modern collecting. The pull rates were notoriously brutal. People were opening thousands of packs and coming up empty-handed. It really cemented the idea that if you wanted a "Master Set" (every single card in the set), the rainbow rares were going to be your biggest hurdle and your biggest expense.
Moving Into Sword & Shield
When the Sword & Shield era kicked off, we traded GX cards for VMAX cards, but the rainbow treatment stayed. This is where things got even more intense. The VMAX cards were larger-than-life, and seeing them in a rainbow finish was a whole different experience.
The rainbow VMAX cards had this incredible, deep texture. If you run your thumb over a Rainbow Rare Pikachu VMAX from Vivid Voltage, you can feel the intricate grooves. That card, often called "Rainbow Chonk" by the community, became the face of the early Sword & Shield era. It was the card everyone wanted, and for a while, it was basically the only reason people were buying Vivid Voltage by the case.
The Problem with Rainbow Trainers
It wasn't just the Pokemon getting the treatment. We started seeing every rainbow pokemon card list include Trainer cards, too. This was a bit of a double-edged sword. Pulling a Rainbow Rare Marnie or Leon felt great, but pulling a rainbow "Bird Keeper" or a niche supporter that nobody played in the actual card game felt like a bit of a letdown. You'd see that rainbow glimmer in the back of the pack, get your hopes up for a Charizard, and end up with a colorful middle-aged man in a lab coat. It's just part of the gamble, I guess.
Why They Stopped Making Them
You might have noticed that if you open a pack of Scarlet & Violet, Paldea Evolved, or 151, you won't find a single rainbow card. The Pokemon Company officially retired the Rainbow Rare rarity at the end of the Sword & Shield era (with Silver Tempest being the last main set to feature them).
Why did they kill off something so popular? Honestly, I think it was a mix of feedback and a shift in artistic direction. Collectors started gravitating toward "Special Illustration Rares"—the cards with full, hand-drawn backgrounds that tell a story. While every rainbow pokemon card looks cool, they all kind of look the same after a while. An Illustration Rare Magikarp or Groudon has way more personality than a rainbow-tinted 3D model.
I'm not saying I don't miss the sparkle, but the new direction feels more "artistic." However, it has made the existing rainbow cards feel like a closed chapter in history, which has actually helped their value hold up pretty well.
The Struggle of the Hunt
Trying to collect every rainbow pokemon card is a legitimate challenge for a few reasons. First, the pull rates were always stacked against you. In most sets, you'd be lucky to find one Rainbow Rare in every two booster boxes (that's 72 packs). If a set had 10 or 15 different rainbow cards, the math was just impossible. You had to go to the secondary market.
Second, the quality control during the Sun & Moon era was well, let's just say "inconsistent." Centering is the biggest nightmare for rainbow collectors. Because the cards are so bright and have those distinct silver borders, if the card is even slightly shifted to one side, it sticks out like a sore thumb. Finding a "Perfect 10" grade for every rainbow pokemon card in a set is a feat that requires a lot of patience and probably a lot of money.
My Favorite Rainbow Picks
If you're looking to start a small collection rather than going for the whole mountain, there are a few standouts that I think define the era: * Mew VMAX (Fusion Strike): The pink and purple hues of Mew actually work perfectly with the rainbow effect. * Rayquaza VMAX (Evolving Skies): It's Rayquaza. Enough said. Even in rainbow form, it looks legendary. * Lugia VSTAR (Silver Tempest): As the "final boss" of the rainbow era, this card feels like a victory lap for the rarity. * Reshiram & Charizard GX (Unbroken Bonds): The Tag Team rainbow cards were a unique subset that featured two Pokemon on one card, which made the rainbow patterns even busier and more chaotic in a good way.
Are They Still Worth It?
A lot of people ask me if they should still bother trying to find every rainbow pokemon card now that the hype has shifted to the newer sets. My answer is usually a resounding yes, but with a caveat: do it because you like the look, not just for the "investment."
The prices for many of the "mid-tier" rainbow cards have actually dropped quite a bit since they went out of print. You can pick up some really beautiful Pokemon for $10 or $20, which would have been unthinkable a few years ago. Of course, the big hitters like the Vivid Voltage Pikachu or the Burning Shadows Charizard are still going to cost you a car payment, but that's just the nature of the hobby.
Final Thoughts on the Rainbow Legacy
Looking back, the era of every rainbow pokemon card was a wild time for the TCG community. It was defined by "the chase." It was the era that saw Pokemon cards go from a niche hobby back into the mainstream spotlight, fueled by influencers and massive box breaks.
While I love the new Illustration Rares we're getting now, there's a part of me that misses the simple excitement of seeing that rainbow shine through the plastic of a pack. It didn't matter what the art was—it just felt special. Whether you're a completionist trying to snag every single one ever printed or just someone who wants a few shiny pieces for a display case, these cards are a huge part of Pokemon history. They might be gone from the new sets, but they're definitely not forgotten.