The Pokémon franchise is celebrating 30 years out in the wild this year, and there have been all sorts of exciting announcements from those in charge, designed to mark the occasion. We know Winds and Waves is on the way next year for video game lovers, though we’re still waiting on an extended look at what that entails.
At the same time, the trading card game continues to thrive, and there’s a bespoke set on the way that’s aiming to mark its big birthday, and it has the potential to be one of the coolest releases of all time. Now, ahead of its arrival, we are starting to get much more of a look at what’s going to be on offer for collectors and players.
Over on the official Pokémon website, the company shared an in-depth look at some of the upcoming cards that players will be able to pull as part of the 30th Anniversary set. The focus this time around was on Legendary Pokemon (though a few others were shown off as well), meaning we got a bit of a preview of cards including Lugia (above), and the three birds, as well as Ho-Oh, Kyogre and Groudon.
It has to be said that the art this time around really is some of the most refined in any set to date, and it only makes sense that it comes in a set as important as this one. Other cards including Reshiram, Zekrom, Solgaleo, and Cosmoem made up part of the same reveal, but it’s just a drop in the ocean compared to the set as a whole.
As you might expect, the Special Illustration Rares are going to dominate the most valuable card lists when the 30th Anniversary set launches, and that’s simply because they look the coolest. The Sylveon ex SIR is probably top of that tree, but it’s also worth looking out for cards like the Greninja ex SIR, Jirachi ex SIR, and Fuecoco ex SIR.
There are also 30 different Pikachu cards to collect, one for each year of the IPs existence, and those should also prove to be valuable parts of any collection, depending on how they are all weighted.
It’s also worth noting that the 30th Anniversary set is also an extremely broad offering, and there are different products releasing in stages across the course of a month or so. The list of those and their associated release dates are as follows:
September 16
- Tech Sticker Collection
- 2-Pack Blister & Knock Out Collection
- Binder Collection
- Poster Collection
- ex Box
- Elite Trainer Box (ETB) & Pokémon Center ETB
October 2
October 30
- Espeon ex and Umbreon ex Battle Decks
November 6
- Ultra-Premium Collection (UPC)
- Ditto Premium Collection
- Figure Collection
For now, it’s just a case of sitting tight and trying to hit pre-orders where we can, as it’s going to be very difficult to secure any 30th Anniversary Pokémon by the time the full launch rolls around.
- Released
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April 10, 2000
- ESRB
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e
- Developer(s)
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Hudson Soft
- Multiplayer
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Local Multiplayer
