Image via The Pokemon Company
If there’s one thing Pokémon has delivered on for its 30th anniversary this year, it’s merch. We’ve gotten a ton of great new plushies, apparel collabs, and limited-edition pins to mark the occasion. But of course, it wouldn’t be Pokémon without the TCG. The first wave of product for the long-awaited 30th Celebration special collection was released on September 16th, marking the first worldwide simultaneous release in Pokémon TCG history. While we have some more drops to look forward to for 30th Celebration, I had a chance to check out some sample products from this first wave for review.
In all, I got to check out the Knockout Collection, Greninja ex Box, Poster Collection, Tech Sticker Collection, and a 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box. In total, I ripped open 21 booster packs from 30th Celebration. Though it’s only a moderate sample size, the pull rates for full-art cards seem a bit tougher than in other recent sets. That said, even the basic cards in this lineup have some pretty fun art, with a good variety of Pokémon featured across the collection. In fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever gotten fewer repeat cards when opening Pokémon packs for review, which made the experience a lot of fun.
Key Details
- Developer: The Pokémon Company
- Expansion Collection: 30th Celebration
- Card Number: 203+
- Set Type: Special
- Review Samples Provided: Yes
30th Celebration Is Far More About Looks than Gameplay, But Is That Really a Surprise?
With 30th Celebration, the focus is clearly on showing off the history of Pokémon. The Classic Collection cards included in the set bring back 30 historic cards, from reprints of the first-ever Base Set designs up through more recent history. Many of them aren’t likely to be particularly viable for gameplay, but they do showcase just how much the TCG has changed over the years. They’re also just plain exciting to find in the mix, as I discovered when I pulled Erika’s Jigglypuff, a card I remember having in my deck as a kid. We’ve also got the Pikachu promo cards, with 30 different takes on the mascot. These, too, feel much more like a way to honor Pokémon history than like cards you’ll be eager to play competitively. There are a few interesting combinations on offer, with another chance to build your Greninja ex-centric strategy or round out that Gengar ex deck. But by and large, this feels like a set for collectors.
I don’t really think that comes as a surprise, though. It is, after all, the 30th anniversary celebratory set. The brand-new Futuristic Rares are one of the highlights, showcasing a new rarity tier and new artwork for some of the most beloved Legendary Pokémon from Gen 1. Pokémon TCG fans should certainly go into this set with the expectation that it’s more for collecting than for truly breaking new ground in the meta. If you do that, you likely won’t be disappointed. There are so many different Pokémon showcased here, with relatively few Trainer cards in the mix by comparison. As such, opening 30th Celebration is just plain fun. You get to see a ton of Pokémon, showcased in beautiful artwork on both standard and full-art cards. And of course, there’s a Pikachu in every pack, offering a chance to collect all 30 designs. These seem pretty well distributed throughout the boosters, too. I only wound up with a few duplicates across the packs I opened, so I was able to see several different fun designs.
Though the art itself is stunning, I did notice that the cardstock for this collection feels a bit thin compared to other sets I’ve opened recently. The print quality itself looks good, with cards well centered and no noticeable errors. But I was surprised by the feel of the cards in hand, and suggest you get your coveted pulls into a sleeve pretty quickly, as they may be a smidge less durable than some of the other recently released lines.
Full Arts are Few and Far Between, But They Do Look Great
While opening the packs is a fun tour through Pokémon history, there is a bit of a downside here. If you’re hoping to collect rare, full art cards, my experience suggests it won’t be an easy task. While I did luck out and snag one Futuristic Rare, it was one of just 5 full-art cards I pulled across 21 packs. In total, I got 3 Illustration Rares, 1 Special Illustration Rare, and the Futuristic Rare. They’re all stunning to look at, but that does place the projected pull rates pretty low, even for the more common full-art cards. Of course, my sample is just one data point, so it’s possible others might have better luck.
The full arts I did pull are all stunning, with a nice variety of Pokémon and art styles featured. The Fuecoco ex Special Illustration Rare absolutely captures the spirit of this fiery partner Pokémon. And the Maushold IR is absolutely adorable. However, I was honestly blown away by some of the art on more common cards, too. I absolutely love the Eevee promo from the Knockout Collection, and there are two more cute Eevee commons in the mix along with it. As I mentioned previously, the variety of pulls in terms of unique Pokémon felt great. I only got a handful of repeats, with the majority being new cards. Every pack truly felt fresh as a result.
If you’re hoping to add some powerful new ex cards to your collection from 30th Celebration, those pull rates feel a bit more promising. In total, I got 10 ex cards from the 21 boosters I opened. So, your odds of snagging a few new ex cards do look pretty good. I did get some repeats here, but it’s hard to be mad at having two Umbreon ex to mix into my next attempt to make an Eeveelution deck happen. By and large, though, you can expect to see a lot of common, rare, and double rare cards, with the rarer tiers fewer and far in between. The Classic Collection additions also seem pretty elusive, as I wound up with just one of them across 21 packs.
Final Score: 9 out of 10
From what I’ve seen of the set so far, Pokémon TCG: 30th Celebration certainly fits its name. It feels much more like a celebration of Pokémon history than anything else. With the variety of Pokémon featured and the inclusion of Classic Cards, it’s an exciting set to open, if not one that’s likely to get much traction competitively. If you’re only in it for the rare pulls, or if you’re hoping for new and exciting item cards, you may be underwhelmed by 30th Celebration. But if you just love seeing a variety of great Pokémon illustrations to add to your collection, this is a must-have.
The first wave of products for Pokémon TCG: 30th Celebration is available from retailers now. Additional items from the collection will arrive on October 2nd, October 30th, November 6th, and December 4th. You can see the full lineup of expected 30th Celebration products on the official Pokémon TCG website.
**Bonus Action received sample product from 30th Celebration for the purpose of this review**
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