When Pokémon TCG releases its hotly anticipated 30th Celebration set on September 16, it’s going to be one of the most epic moments of the year. A Pikachu in every pack! A brand new Futuristic Rare card style! Enough gorgeous illustrator rares to fill a binder! The reveals have been coming thick and fast – now here’s our list of the 10 biggest 30th Celebration chase cards every trainer wants to open in their boosters.
30th Celebration is a huge moment for the game, and the Pokémon Company has already revealed a lot of iconic designs that are sure to generate huge demand – we don’t expect a single one of these cards to be cheap. But as this is the tentpole release for the whole year, not a niche promo card, it’s possible that even the most valuable of these cards will never earn a place in our guide to the rarest Pokémon cards ever. Even so, opening a single one of these cards would be a huge win!
Mew EX and Mewtwo EX Futuristic Rare
Mew and its cloned relative Mewtwo get what could be their most flamboyant card treatments ever with the new Futuristic Rare cards. When people talk about shiny cards, they don’t get much shinier than this! With multi-colored abstract designs on top of multi-hued foiling, they’re eye-catching – and the rarest cards in the set. While we’d be overjoyed to open either copy, there’s no doubt in our mind that Mew EX is simply better looking. Illustrator YOSHIROTTEN has done incredible work.
Pikachu EX 149 and 150- the day and night party Pikachus
Cards 149 and 150 in the set are both Pikachu EX, each one partying with a different crew of Alolan Pokémon either by day or at night. If it’s the same Pikachu in both cards, this is one party animal! 30th celebration is absolutely bursting with Pikachus, with one guaranteed in every set, and if we were just going off my personal favorite I’d have to go for Pikachu 14/30, illustrated by Okacheke – there’s nothing going on in that fluffy head, and I love it.
But in terms of chase cards you’ll be glad to open, the Special Illustration Rares are the obvious winners. Both are illustrated by Kantaro, which raises a troubling question – if you’re lucky enough to pull one of these beauties, can you possibly chase down the other one to reunite them?
Classic Collection Magikarp Illustrator Rare
Magikarp was among the first ever regular Pokémon to receive an Illustrator Rare card, with this gorgeous card art by Shinji Kanda originally printed in Scarlet & Violet – Paldea Evolved in 2023. The card is being reprinted in 30th celebration with brilliant foiling and a gold shiny border as part of the ‘Classic Collection’ – a suitably stunning tribute to everyone’s favorite useless fish.
Jirachi EX
We have no idea how a Pokémon can be so chilled out while it’s embarked on a cosmic voyage, but Jirachi EX certainly is in the art for this SIR. This is a Pokémon living through a galaxy brain meme and somehow still unflappably chill. We don’t know how Akira Egawa has made the cosmos seem so vibrant and so trippy, but the effect is stunning.
Zapdos, Articuno, and Moltres IR
While these are ‘only’ Illustration Rares rather than SIRs, there’s so much going for them. This trio share a gorgeous, extremely clean and bright illustration style by illustrator mashu, which come together to make an inspiring panorama.
Collecting all three parts is going to be about as challenging as getting a specific SIR, but if you’ve watched Pokémon: the Movie 2000, you’ll know how dangerous it is for the world when they’re allowed to become imbalanced!
Sylveon EX
Everyone loves Eeveelutions, and this Sylveon EX SIR is an absolute stunner. Although the smiling Sylveon is leaning out of an apartment window, You Iribi has made this feel like a natural scene with the profusion of flower blooms she’s summoned.
The way they spiral towards you and seem to reach out to you make this feel like a very welcoming card, with Sylveon holding open a heart-shaped space in the centre. And little touches like the parade balloons in the foreground being a little out of focus make this feel like a photograph a lucky trainer snapped during the celebration!
While these are a mixture of the cards we know will be in huge demand, and team Wargamer’s personal favorites, it’s far from the full list of secret cards coming in 30th Celebration. Which ones are you most stoked to open in your packs? Let us know in the Wargamer Discord community!
Source: Wargamer
