The Pokémon Company announced that its highly anticipated 30th anniversary set, entitled Pokémon TCG: 30th Celebration, will be released worldwide on September 16, 2026. While some questions remain about the set, there can be no denying that it will be a runaway sales juggernaut – much like Pokémon Celebrations (the 25th anniversary set) was before it.
Much like Celebrations, there will be a collection of notable and important cards from the game’s past reprinted with a “Pikachu 30” stamp on them. While we don’t know a huge amount about this upcoming release, PokéBeach has reported that the entirety of the reprint bonus sheet has been leaked, and a new rarity, called Futuristic Rares, has also been revealed.
With all that news swirling around, let’s take a quick look at the five most interesting cards revealed so far that will be found in 30th Celebration. Cue the battle music.
Here are five Pokémon cards revealed 30th Celebration so far that should have all collectors' interest
Honorable Mention: Futuristic Rares
While the art style of these cards has not been fully embraced by the wider Pokémon community, they are certainly singular takes by artist YOSHIROTTEN, who is known for his vibrant, neon-soaked, and, fittingly, “futuristic” style.
Perhaps this new rarity is signaling some new mechanic for the video games or the TCG, but, either way, no matter whether the art style is well-liked or not, these cards are sure to be hot commodities upon release.
Charizard (First Edition Holofoil) – Base Set
The Pokémon Company rarely denies themselves the opportunity to reprint one of the most iconic cards across the entire card collecting hobby, Base Set Charizard, but the 30th Celebration version takes that reprint one step further by, seemingly, reprinting the Shadowless First Edition Base Set Charizard – a far more desirable (and valuable) card than its standard Unlimited Holo version.
Will this reprint cause the original First Edition Shadowless version’s price to plummet? Doubtful. If anything, it might cause a spike due to people seeking out the genuine article rather than a newfangled reprint. Time will tell, but it will be exciting and fun to potentially pull a First Ed. ‘Zard out of a modern-day PTCG product.
Magikarp (Illustration Rare) – Paldea Evolved
Surprisingly, 30th Celebration will feature a card that was only printed a few years ago in 2023 on its reprint sheet. In this case, it’s the Illustration Rare Magikarp from Paldea Evolved, boasting eye-catching artwork from Shinji Kanda that gets the reprint treatment.
The price for this IR has gone nuclear over the past few months, so, once again, perhaps a reprint will help settle this card’s secondary market price point some, though a PSA 10 graded copy will surely still set you back a whopping sum.
Pikachu & Zekrom GX – Team Up
Another collection of cards that has seen huge gains of late are Tag Team cards, which were unveiled during the Sun & Moon era of the TCG. While the Alternate Full Art cards are where the huge money truly lies, the standard versions, most of which feature beautiful artwork courtesy of PTCG art maestro Mitsuhiro Arita, are still terrific cards that boast pretty meaty price tags to this day.
A reprint featuring the Pokémon franchise’s mascot and a notable box-art ‘mon in Zekrom is sure to be a notable card, and perhaps it will help the original printing’s over-$135 price point come down somewhat (but I doubt it).
Shining Celebi – Neo Destiny
Arguably the most desirable cards of the Base Set and Neo era were the Shining series from Neo Revelation, and, more specifically, Neo Destiny. These were the first cards in the TCG’s history that boasted shiny versions of specific ‘mon, and even the Pokémon themselves featured a sparkling holographic layer on the cards.
While Shining Charizard or Shining Mewtwo are likely more desirable, Shining Celebi – everyone’s favorite Onion Fairy – is the Neo Destiny shining that gets a reprint in 30th Celebration, which will hopefully bring down the original’s current over-$400 price point.
Lugia (Crystal Holofoil) – Aquapolis
By far the most valuable 30th Celebration reprint that was previewed was the iconic and incredibly scarce “Crystal” Lugia from Aquapolis, which possesses an astounding secondary market price of (gulp) $2,456.25 for a raw copy, per PriceCharting.
As you might expect, that sky-high dollar amount means this card is practically unobtainable for most PTCG collectors and fans. With a reprint on the way with a “30 Pikachu” logo attached, hopefully this legendary card will be a bit more attainable for fans of the Naoyo Kimura artwork, the “crystal type” card style, as well as Lugia fans in general.
While Pokémon TCG fans eagerly await the release of 30th Celebration in September, there are still plenty of amazing cards and sets to keep an eye on beforehand. Still, this set is sure to be highly anticipated and a big hit, much like Celebrations before it. Happy collecting!
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