Pokemon Turns 30
Thirty years. That is how long the Pokemon Trading Card Game has been around, and honestly that number stops me in my tracks a little. There is a good chance the reason you first walked into a shop like ours was a booster pack, and there is an even better chance you have handed one to a kid at some point and watched their face when they pulled something shiny. This release, that whole history gets a celebration, and it is a big one.
The 30th Celebration set arrives on September 16, and it is doing something the Pokemon TCG has never done before. It is launching worldwide on the same day, everywhere at once, which if you have ever waited months for an English release while watching the Japanese cards online, you will understand is a genuinely nice change. This is not a normal expansion either. It is an all foil special set built around the anniversary, packed with throwbacks and new treatments made to be pulled and kept rather than just played.
A few things in it are worth getting excited about. There is a run of thirty Pikachu illustrations, each one done by a different artist, which is exactly the kind of thing collectors go quietly feral over. There is a new rarity treatment giving the chase cards a distinct look. And there are classic reprints reaching all the way back to the beginning, including a Base Set Charizard, which for a lot of us is the card, the one that started the obsession. Alongside the set there is an Espeon and Umbreon premium collection dropping the same day, and if you know anyone in this hobby you know those two Eeveelutions have a following all their own.
Zoom out and this is a strong stretch for the game. We are deep in the Mega Evolution era, and it closes out the year in November with Delta Reign, headlined by Mega Rayquaza ex, which is one of the most requested Mega Evolutions there has ever been. So if the anniversary set pulls you back in, there is plenty more coming to keep you here.
However you play, whether you are a serious collector chasing the Pikachu run, a parent picking up a pack or two for a birthday, or someone who just wants to sit down and play, we have got you. We run Play Pokemon events at the store, so it is a great time to come find a game, and we will have the 30th Celebration products in as they arrive. Come by Wandering Adventures in Woodbridge, or shop online with free shipping across Canada on orders over 150 dollars. Thirty years is worth marking properly.
Our pre-orders are done in-store only, and we prioritize local players first. So if you want to get into it with the 30th anniversary, come check us out Thursday nights!
