Pokémon TCG Reveals 15 New 30th Anniversary Illustration Rare Cards Ahead of Release
The Pokémon TCG has revealed another large wave of cards from its upcoming 30th anniversary expansion, with 15 new Illustration Rare and Special Illustration Rare designs split between bright daytime scenes and a much cooler collection set after dark.
Pokémon TCG: 30th Celebration is scheduled to launch worldwide on September 16, bringing together new cards, anniversary reprints, and several ideas created specifically to mark three decades of the Trading Card Game.
Every card in the expansion will receive a foil treatment, while each booster pack is also guaranteed to contain one of 30 different Pikachu cards featuring artwork created for the anniversary set.
Previous reveals have already confirmed major inclusions such as Mew and Mewtwo Futuristic Rares, new Greninja ex and Sylveon ex cards, and commemorative reprints of the original Base Set Charizard and Pikachu & Zekrom-GX.
The latest reveal divides 15 new cards into two groups that explore Pokémon enjoying completely different sides of the day.
The first group is built around bright outdoor scenes, with several of the Pokémon shown relaxing, playing, or exploring under clear skies and warm sunlight.
Alolan Exeggutor appears in the middle of a lively tropical gathering, while Morpeko races through an energetic outdoor scene and Fuecoco ex enjoys a much more relaxed day out.
Sylveon ex continues the lighter mood, while Salamence ex takes the theme into the skies with an expansive illustration showing the Dragon-type flying high above the landscape.
The “Having a Day Out” cards are:
- Alolan Exeggutor Illustration Rare, Card #129/128
- Moltres Illustration Rare, Card #130/128
- Morpeko Illustration Rare, Card #135/128
- Maushold Illustration Rare, Card #146/128
- Fuecoco ex Special Illustration Rare, Card #147/128
- Sylveon ex Special Illustration Rare, Card #153/128
- Salamence ex Special Illustration Rare, Card #156/128
The second group moves into the night, replacing the bright outdoor atmosphere with neon lighting, city scenes, performances, and some considerably moodier artwork.
Gholdengo takes to a glowing dance floor, Scraggy appears alongside a whole group of its own kind, and Toxtricity brings a more musical feel to the nighttime selection.
Greninja ex also embraces the darker setting, while Jirachi ex receives one of the most unusual pieces of artwork in the group, with a scene that takes the Mythical Pokémon far beyond the nighttime streets below.
Articuno and Zapdos join Moltres from the daytime group to complete a new three-card Legendary Birds sequence, with Pokémon deliberately teasing how the separate illustrations appear when placed alongside one another.
The “Taking On the Night” cards are:
- Articuno Illustration Rare, Card #132/128
- Zapdos Illustration Rare, Card #133/128
- Toxtricity Illustration Rare, Card #134/128
- Chandelure Illustration Rare, Card #137/128
- Scraggy Illustration Rare, Card #140/128
- Gholdengo Illustration Rare, Card #142/128
- Greninja ex Special Illustration Rare, Card #148/128
- Jirachi ex Special Illustration Rare, Card #155/128
The reveal considerably expands the secret-card portion of 30th Celebration, with every newly shown card numbered beyond the expansion’s 128-card main set.
It also gives collectors a clearer idea of how heavily the anniversary release is leaning into connected scenes and character-focused artwork rather than relying entirely on nostalgic reprints from the Pokémon TCG’s past.
Pokémon TCG: 30th Celebration launches worldwide on September 16, 2026, just one week after this latest group of Illustration Rares and Special Illustration Rares was unveiled.
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