Look, let’s be real for a second. If you’ve ever cracked a booster box of Sword & Shield: Chilling Reign, you probably know why the community nicknamed it "Chilling Pain." It is a brutal set. You can open thirty-six packs and end up with a handful of regular Vs and a deep sense of regret. But even now, years after its 2021 release, the hunt for pokemon chilling reign chase cards hasn’t slowed down. If anything, it’s actually gotten more intense as sealed product disappears from store shelves and moves into the "vintage-lite" territory.
People are still obsessed with this set. Why? Because the Alternate Arts are some of the most visually stunning pieces of cardboard the Pokémon Company has ever printed. We’re talking about "holy grail" levels of art.
The Big Three: Heavy Hitters That Refuse to Drop
When we talk about the big wins in this set, one bird usually dominates the conversation. Galarian Moltres V (Alternate Full Art). It’s number 177 in the set, and honestly, it’s a masterpiece. The color palette is this moody, sunset-tinged nightmare fuel that makes the traditional Kanto Moltres look like a rubber ducky by comparison.
As of early 2026, a raw, Near Mint copy of this card is still comfortably floating around $170 to $185, while a PSA 10 will easily set you back north of $360. It’s the kind of card you see across a room and immediately recognize.
Then there’s the Blaziken VMAX (Alternate Art Secret). This card is weird. Like, Tomokazu Komiya-levels of weird. It’s colorful, frantic, and looks like a fever dream, but that’s exactly why collectors love it. It’s currently the most expensive card in the set, often peaking at $320 to $400 raw depending on how the centering looks. It’s a polarizing piece of art, but the market has spoken: it's the king of the set.
Don’t forget the Shadow Rider Calyrex VMAX (Alt Art). While it’s slightly more affordable—you can usually snag one for about $65 to $80—the demand is consistent because it’s actually a decent game piece, or at least it was for a long time. The artwork is ethereal, featuring that ghostly horse in a way that feels way more "high fantasy" than your average pocket monster.
Why These Cards Are So Hard to Pull
You’ve probably heard the horror stories. "I opened two booster boxes and didn't get a single Secret Rare." Yeah, that's Chilling Reign for you.
Statistically, the pull rates for the top-tier pokemon chilling reign chase cards are notoriously thin. Based on massive community opening data (we’re talking thousands of packs), an Alternate Art shows up roughly once in every 86 packs. That is more than two full booster boxes. If you’re specifically hunting the Blaziken VMAX or the Moltres, you are fighting against some serious mathematical odds.
The set is massive. With over 190 cards before you even get to the Secret Rares, the "hit pool" is diluted. You might hit a "Secret Rare" only to find out it’s a Rainbow Rare trainer like Peonia or Agatha, which, let’s be honest, feels like a slap in the face when you were hoping for a Golden Snorlax.
Speaking of the big guy, the Shiny Snorlax (Gold Secret Rare) is another massive chase. It’s a reprint of the Vivid Voltage Snorlax, but bathed in gold. It’s a classic fan favorite. It’s been trending upward, recently sitting around $85, which is wild for a Gold card that isn't a "waifu" or a Charizard.
The Sleepers: What People Are Missing
Everyone talks about the legendary birds, but there are a few cards that are low-key beautiful and undervalued.
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- Galarian Slowking V (Alt Art): This is the "creepy" card. It has this dark, occult vibe with strange glyphs and a nightmarish aesthetic. It’s currently around $60, and it's one of those cards that people will look back on in five years and wish they’d bought.
- Zeraora V (Alt Art): This one is pure vibes. Zeraora is just chilling on some snowy cliffs. It’s serene. It’s currently about $50, which feels cheap compared to the birds.
- Galarian Rapidash V (Alt Art): It looks like something straight out of My Little Pony, but the pastel colors are actually really striking in person. It’s a solid $45 card that has a very dedicated fanbase.
How to Actually Get Your Hands on Them
If you're thinking about buying a booster box to "pull" these cards, I’m gonna give you some tough love: don't.
At the current market price for a sealed booster box, you are almost guaranteed to lose money. You’re paying for the gamble. If you actually want the pokemon chilling reign chase cards, buying "singles" is the only logical path.
Pro Tip for Collectors:
- Check the Centering: Chilling Reign had notoriously bad quality control. A lot of the Alt Arts are shifted heavily to the left or right. If you find a well-centered copy, pay the small premium—it’ll be worth it if you ever decide to grade it.
- Watch the "White Code" Trick: If you’re buying loose packs from a flea market or a random seller, be careful. This set still used the code card color system (white vs. green) to signal a hit. Unscrupulous sellers have been known to "weigh" or map these, though it’s harder with modern sets than the old days.
- Grade the Moltres: If you manage to find a Galarian Moltres V with no whitening on the back corners, send it to PSA or BGS immediately. The value jump from raw to a Gem Mint 10 is massive for this specific card.
The reality is that Chilling Reign was the peak of the "Alternate Art" era in many ways. It didn't have the "Trainer Gallery" sub-set that later sets like Silver Tempest had to soften the blow of a bad box. It was all or nothing. That "all or nothing" nature is exactly why these cards are so legendary today. They represent a time when a "hit" actually felt like a miracle.
Stop gambling on packs and start hunting for high-quality singles on TCGPlayer or eBay. Look for listings with actual photos, not stock images, and pay close attention to the back corners for "whitening"—that's the silent killer of card value. If you can snag a Moltres or a Blaziken now, hold onto it. They aren't making any more of these, and the "Chilling Pain" survivors will tell you: pulling one yourself is a once-in-a-lifetime event.