Pokémon 30th Celebration: guide to the cards and products

The 30th anniversary expansion arrives in a simultaneous worldwide release: 199 cards, all foil, the new Futuristic Rare and 30 Pikachu.

16 de set. de 2026 · por ArcanoLeviata317 · 8 min de leitura

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Pokémon 30th Celebration: guide to the cards and products

The Pokémon TCG's 30th anniversary expansion hits stores today, September 16, 2026, and does something new: it is the first set in the game's history released on the same day worldwide, with the Portuguese version available in Brazil from day one. For anyone who collects, buys or sells, it is also a set unlike the others. Every card is foil, a new rarity debuts and 30 classic cards are printed again.

This guide gathers what The Pokémon Company and the published card lists have already confirmed. It also flags what is still unconfirmed.

What happened

30th Celebration was announced on June 1 and, according to Pokémon, it is the first expansion with a simultaneous global release. These are the official points:

Every card is foil, including the Basic Energy cards.
Each booster pack has six cards: five foil cards, one of which is always one of the set's 30 Pikachu, plus one foil Basic Energy.
A new rarity, the Futuristic Rare. It debuts with Mewtwo and Mew drawn by Japanese artist YOSHIROTTEN.
30 rare Pikachu cards, each with a different illustration.
Classic Collection: 30 landmark cards from the game's history printed again, such as the Base Set Charizard and Pikachu & Zekrom-GX.
New Illustration Rares and Pokémon ex: Pokémon mentions Espeon, Umbreon, Lapras, Drifloon, Zorua and Lycanroc as Illustration Rares, plus Greninja ex and Sylveon ex.

Base Set Charizard card from 1999, reprinted in the Classic Collection

Charizard, Base Set (1999), original printing. Illustration: Mitsuhiro Arita · Image: TCGdex · © Pokémon/Nintendo/Creatures/GAME FREAK

How many cards and which rarities

The full English list, published by VICE and independently confirmed by PokeCottage, adds up to 199 cards:

128 cards in the main set (1/128 to 128/128);
30 numbered secret rares (129/128 to 158/128) and 3 "RGB" Mew with their own numbering, 33 secret rares in total;
30 Classic Collection cards;
8 foil Basic Energy cards.

The two Futuristic Rares are Mewtwo ex (157/128) and Mew ex (158/128), the highest-numbered cards in the set.

On VICE's list, the Classic Collection runs through practically every era of the game. It includes the Base Set Pikachu and Charizard, Shining Celebi, Dark Tyranitar, Palkia LV.X, Gengar Prime, Darkrai & Cresselia LEGEND, N, Rayquaza EX, M Gardevoir EX, Greninja BREAK, Solgaleo GX, Pikachu & Zekrom GX, Zacian V, Mew VMAX, Arceus VSTAR and Magikarp, among others.

Pikachu & Zekrom-GX card from Team Up, reprinted in the Classic Collection

Pikachu & Zekrom-GX, Sun & Moon—Team Up (2019), original printing. Illustration: Mitsuhiro Arita · Image: TCGdex · © Pokémon/Nintendo/Creatures/GAME FREAK

Classic Collection: where it comes from and where it is legal

Two points tend to confuse people:

They are not legal in Standard. Pokémon notes that the reprinted classic cards cannot be used in the Standard format. They are legal in the formats that accept the original printing.
They are not exclusive to one product. The Ultra-Premium Collection—Day & Night (releasing November 6) includes 29 regular boosters and one special booster with three Classic Collection cards. It is the only guaranteed way to get these cards. But Insider Gaming, citing the official press material, reports that they also appear in regular boosters. We found no published official pull rate. Be wary of numbers that circulate without a source.

A detail for anyone following the Brazilian press: the LigaPokemon article describes the Day & Night collection with "20 boosters", but the official product page lists 29 boosters plus the classic booster.

Product calendar

In the United States, Pokémon released six products today:

Tech Sticker Collection (Alolan Exeggutor or Lucario): promo card, stickers and 3 boosters.
Knock Out Collection: Eevee promo card, coin and 2 boosters.
Poster Collection: a poster with more than 160 cards, Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres promos and 3 boosters.
Pokémon ex Box (Sylveon ex or Greninja ex): standard-size and jumbo promo and 4 boosters.
Elite Trainer Box: 9 boosters, an expanded-art Nidorina, 65 sleeves and 16 foil Basic Energy cards.
Pokémon Center Elite Trainer Box: 11 boosters (two more) and two Nidorina, one with the Pokémon Center logo.

Next come the Booster Bundle (6 boosters) and the Mini Tins on October 2, the Espeon ex & Umbreon ex Battle Deck (60 foil cards) on October 30, the Ditto Premium Collection, the Day & Night Ultra-Premium and the Mew & Mewtwo Figure Collection on November 6, and the Binder Collection on December 4.

In Brazil, according to LigaPokemon:

September 16: Coleção com Adesivos (sticker collection), 2 Pacotes de Booster (Eevee), Coleção com Pôster (poster collection) and Coleção Treinador Avançado (Elite Trainer Box).
October 2: Coleção com Fichário (binder collection) and Minilata (mini tin). Here the binder comes out earlier than in the US.
October 30: Baralho Batalha Espeon ex e Umbreon ex (battle deck).
November 6: Coleção Dia e Noite (Day & Night) and Coleção com Miniatura (Mew and Mewtwo figure collection).
No date yet: Coleção Pokémon ex, Combo de Pacotes and Coleção Premium Ditto.

Pikachu, Base Set (1999), the Pikachu that started the game's history. Illustration: Mitsuhiro Arita · Image: TCGdex · © Pokémon/Nintendo/Creatures/GAME FREAK

What changes for buyers, sellers and collectors

If you want to play Standard, the classics won't work. Check the regulation mark on the new cards before building a deck.

If you want all 30 Pikachu, you get one per booster, but the distribution among them has not been published. If all 30 came out at the same frequency, you would need about 120 boosters on average to complete the series just by opening packs. That is our own math, the classic "coupon collector's problem", not official data. In practice, trading and buying singles is much cheaper than opening until you finish.

If you want the Classic Collection, only the Ultra-Premium guarantees three cards, and it comes out in November. In regular boosters, they are luck. For one specific card, such as Charizard, the most predictable route is buying the single: see who is selling Charizard.

If you are selling, list each card with the right language (PT or EN), because the set comes out in Portuguese and English on the same day. Also say whether it is from the Classic Collection or the original printing. Both have the same art, but they are different products to the buyer.

If you buy sealed, compare what each box contains. The two Elite Trainer Box versions differ by two boosters and one promo. The Poster Collection includes three promos of the legendary birds.

About prices: there is no reliable reference yet today. On launch morning, the LigaPokemon page for the Portuguese Coleção Treinador Avançado had no store listings. Any "market" price published in the first days rests on very few sales.

Our take

With a simultaneous release, everyone opens the same product at the same time, and prices should settle faster and more evenly across countries than usual. With everything foil, "being foil" is no longer a differentiator in this set. Value tends to concentrate in what is truly rare: the two Futuristic Rares, the secret rares and the most iconic classics.

For anyone who only wants one or two cards, waiting a few weeks for single prices to settle is usually more rational than opening packs on day one. This is a reading, not a forecast: follow the listings before deciding.

See also other articles tagged #pokemon and who buys and sells Pokémon cards.

Quick summary

Release on September 16, 2026, simultaneous worldwide, with a Portuguese version in Brazil.
199 cards: 128 in the main set, 33 secret rares, 30 in the Classic Collection and 8 Energy cards.
All foil. Six-card boosters, always with one of the 30 Pikachu.
New Futuristic Rare: Mewtwo ex (157/128) and Mew ex (158/128), by YOSHIROTTEN.
Classic Collection is not Standard legal. Guaranteed only in the Ultra-Premium (11/6), but it also appears in regular boosters.
Still no reliable price reference on launch day.

Frequently asked questions

How many cards are in 30th Celebration?

199: 128 in the main set, 33 secret rares (30 numbered from 129/128 to 158/128 plus the three "RGB" Mew), 30 in the Classic Collection and 8 Basic Energy cards.

Are Classic Collection cards legal in Standard?

No. Pokémon notes that the classic reprints cannot be used in Standard; they are legal in the formats that accept the original printing.

What comes in each booster?

Six cards, all foil: five cards — one of them always one of the set's 30 Pikachu — plus one foil Basic Energy.

How do you get Classic Collection cards?

The Ultra-Premium Collection—Day & Night, on November 6, includes a special booster with three of them: it is the only guaranteed way. According to Insider Gaming, citing the official press material, they also appear in regular boosters, but no official pull rate has been published.

What is the new rarity?

The Futuristic Rare, which debuts with Mewtwo ex (157/128) and Mew ex (158/128), drawn by Japanese artist YOSHIROTTEN.