If you’ve been chasing that snowy, high-altitude rush of the Chilling Reign era, you know exactly why the silver lance card list matters. Released back in April 2021 in Japan as Silver Lance (alongside its sister set Jet-Black Spirit), this set fundamentally shifted how we look at Water-type decks. It wasn't just about pretty art or the hype of Calyrex. It was about raw, unadulterated power creep that actually felt balanced for once.
Most people look at the silver lance card list and see a bunch of bulk cards with one big moose on the cover. They’re wrong.
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Actually, it’s a masterclass in archetype building. When The Pokémon Company International decided to split these sets for the Japanese market, they gave Silver Lance a very specific identity: defensive, chilling, and incredibly tanky. While the English Chilling Reign mashed everything together, the original Japanese list is a tighter, more focused experience for collectors who want to understand the soul of the Ice Rider.
The Heavy Hitter: Ice Rider Calyrex VMAX
You can't talk about this list without mentioning the King. Ice Rider Calyrex VMAX is the undisputed anchor of the set. Its Ride of the High King attack is one of those moves that keeps your opponent sweating. It does 10 plus 30 more for each of your opponent's Benched Pokémon. In a format where everyone fills their bench with support like Lumineon V or Mew ex, Calyrex becomes a nuke.
Then there’s Max Lance. You discard Energy, you do 250 damage. Simple. Brutal.
Honestly, the synergy here with Melony (another massive inclusion in the silver lance card list) is what made this deck a Tier 1 contender for so long. Melony allows you to attach a Water Energy from your discard pile to one of your Pokémon V and then draw three cards. It solves the "hand dead" problem while accelerating your board state. If you aren't running four Melony in a Calyrex build, you're basically playing with one hand tied behind your back.
The Full List Breakdown (The Essentials)
The set contains 70 cards before you even get to the Secret Rares. Here is the meat of what you’ll find:
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- The Grass Types: Deerling and Sawsbuck lead the pack here. They aren't game-breakers, but Sawsbuck’s seasonal shifts are always a flavor win for collectors.
- The Water Core: This is where the money is. Laperas, Snom, and Frosmoth. Frosmoth is the engine. Its Ice Dance ability lets you attach as many Water Energy as you want from your hand to your benched Water Pokémon. Without Frosmoth, the silver lance card list would just be a collection of expensive paper.
- The Fighting Contingent: We get some love for the rock-types here. Lycanroc and its pre-evolutions make an appearance, providing some much-needed type coverage against the Lightning decks that plague Water types.
- Steel and Colorless: Ironclad defenses. Metagross V and VMAX are the secondary stars. While everyone was looking at the horse, Metagross was quietly winning local tournaments with its zero-retreat cost and surgical precision attacks.
Why the Alt Arts in Silver Lance Are Different
Collectors don't just buy a silver lance card list for the stats. They buy it for the Special Art Rares (SARs). The Ice Rider Calyrex V Alt Art—the one where he’s wandering through a snowy forest—is a vibe. It’s not just an illustration; it’s world-building.
Compare this to modern sets like Scarlet & Violet base or Paldea Evolved. The art style in the Silver Lance era had a certain "prestige" feel. It used muted blues, harsh whites, and deep teals that perfectly captured the Crown Tundra's isolation. If you’re hunting for the "chase" cards, you're looking for card number 074/070 or 082/070. Those are the ones that hold value even as the meta rotates.
The Secret Rares You’re Actually Hunting
Let's get real about pull rates. If you’re cracking Japanese boxes of Silver Lance, you’re guaranteed one Secret Rare (SR) or better. But the "better" is what keeps people coming back.
- Ice Rider Calyrex VMAX (Hyper Rare/Rainbow): These used to be the gold standard. While Rainbow Rares have been phased out in newer sets, they represent a specific era of Pokémon TCG history that collectors are starting to get nostalgic for.
- Melony (Full Art Trainer): 080/070. This card is a powerhouse. In the secondary market, waifu cards (as the community calls them) always hold a premium, but Melony is both a fan favorite character and a mechanically essential card.
- Echoing Horn: This Item card is a sleeper hit. It lets you put a Basic Pokémon from your opponent's discard pile onto their bench. Why would you want to help them? To clog their bench or to bring back a high-prize liability (like a 170 HP Crobat V) for an easy knockout. It's a high-skill card that separates the pros from the casuals.
The Strategy Behind the Silver Lance Card List
Playing this set is about board control. You aren't playing a glass cannon deck like Mew VMAX or a "pray for the flip" deck. You are playing a war of attrition. You use Path to the Peak—one of the most oppressive Stadium cards ever printed—to shut down your opponent's abilities while your Ice Rider sits there with 320 HP.
It's frustrating to play against. It’s satisfying to pilot.
When you look at the silver lance card list, you see the tools for a lock-style deck. You have the damage output to OHKO most things, and the healing/defensive tools to survive a return hit. It’s the definition of "tank and spank."
Misconceptions About Buying Silver Lance Today
One big mistake people make is thinking that because Chilling Reign exists in English, the Japanese Silver Lance is redundant. That's a huge oversight. Japanese cards generally have better print quality, better centering, and that iconic silver border (which the English sets only recently adopted).
Also, the Japanese boxes are "seeded." This means if you buy a sealed box, you know you’re getting a certain number of holos and at least one hit. English packs are a total gamble. If you’re trying to complete a silver lance card list, buying the Japanese singles is often 30% cheaper than trying to pull the English equivalents from Chilling Reign blisters.
Actionable Steps for Collectors and Players
If you’re looking to dive into this specific set, don't just buy packs blindly. Prices for sealed Silver Lance boxes have fluctuated wildly since 2021.
- Check the "Big Three" Japanese Retailers: Keep an eye on sites like AmiAmi or Plaza Japan. Occasionally, they get restocks or have fair market pricing on singles.
- Focus on the Frosmoth Engine: If you’re a player, prioritize getting a 2-2 line of Frosmoth. It makes almost every card in the silver lance card list playable.
- Grade the Alt Arts: If you happen to pull the Ice Rider Calyrex V Alt Art, get it to PSA or BGS immediately. The centering on these Japanese prints is usually stellar, making them prime candidates for a 10.
- Watch the Meta Rotations: Even though many of these cards have rotated out of the Standard format, they remain staples in Expanded. Volcanion Prism Star and Ice Rider Calyrex is a terrifying combo in Expanded tournaments.
The silver lance card list represents a peak in TCG design where the theme and the mechanics were perfectly aligned. Whether you’re in it for the investment or the thrill of the "Max Lance" discard, this set remains a cornerstone of the sword and shield era.