Pokémon has announced an eye-catching all-holo set of trading cards to celebrate the TCG’s 30th anniversary, featuring the return of classics such as Base Set Charizard, plus Mew and Mewtwo ex cards, and 30 new illustrations featuring Pikachu.
The Pokémon Trading Card Game: 30th Celebration expansion will launch simultaneously worldwide on September 16, so start saving up your Pokécoins now, and pray to Arceus your local supplier manages to get enough stock.
In an unprecedented move, all of the set’s cards will be foil cards. Each booster pack will contain five foil cards and one foil basic energy. It’s currently unknown how many cards the full set will contain.
A trailer today — embedded above — shows off the 30 new Pikachu illustrations set to be available within the set, which look to be spread across at least three individual Pikachu cards. The set will also include a wave of Legendary creatures, including Dialga, Ho-Oh, Xerneas, Miraidon, Lunala, Kyogre, Zacian and Zekrom.
Other fan-favorites such as Sylveon, Greninja, Slowpoke and Meowth are also represented, with a mix of all-new and some classic cards: such as the ever-popular Base Set Charizard.
“Fans can discover 30 classic Pokémon cards from across the game’s decades-long history that are making a return in 30th Celebration. Each of these classic cards will feature a stunning foil treatment,” The Pokémon Company said in a statement, noting that the set also introduced a new card rarity.
“In 30th Celebration, fans can look forward to discovering an all-new card rarity, Futuristic rare, which will feature vibrant new visuals illustrated by the renowned Japanese artist YOSHIROTTEN. Each Futuristic rare card will depict Pokémon in striking artwork evocative of hope toward an unknown future.”
Last week, The Pokémon Company revealed it had manufactured more than 10 billion Pokémon trading cards last year alone, and has now produced a staggering total of 85 billion cards to date. That’s despite new card releases being constantly scuppered by scalping, in-store squabbles and constant sell-outs.
The huge popularity of Pokémon cards has led to a never-ending spate of thefts, with dozens of instances where trading card stores were broken into reported across the U.S. alone. The 30th Celebration set looks like another sure-fire hit — if you can find stock of it.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
