Posted in: Card Games, Games, Pokémon TCG, Tabletop | Tagged: Eevee, Evolving Skies, pokemon, pokemon cards, Pokemon TCG

Pokémon TCG Countdown: Three Days Until Celebrations

Published Tue, 05 Oct 2021 13:12:11 -0500

by Theo Dwyer

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There are only three days until the Pokémon TCG releases its 25th Anniversary set, Celebrations. This all-holo set comes in booster packs with four cards that are only available through special Celebrations-branded products. The set will not be available through booster packs and booster boxes like a main Sword & Shield-branded expansion. The set itself has 25 cards as well as a subset of reprints which also has 25 cards.

Last time, we got into my chase cards for the main Celebrations set. Now, let's get into the cards that have everybody talking: the Classic Collection subset. This subset consists of 25 reprint cards branded with the Celebrations logo that include the original text and even original set symbol and number from their first run. Each of these cards is holofoil and fully textured, which makes them quite a bit more impressive in person than the online photos above. My chase cards from the Pokémon TCG: Celebrations Classic Collection subset are:

Umbreon Star: This is the best choice for a reprint for the entire Classic Collection. This POP Series promo is one of the most sought-after and highest valued Pokémon cards in existence. It is such a valuable card that it is almost impossible to find raw on the secondary market due to the grading craze and if you can find it raw, it'll still be more expensive than a car. This card is so rare and sought after that even TCGPlayer, known for cataloging the market value of Pokémon TCG products, has no reference point for its market value. On the sales area of the site, two damaged copies are selling for $2000. This reprint makes this new version of the card obtainable and makes it even more beautiful, with premium texture and the holofoil. While many will put the Base Set Charizard reprint as their chase card, this to me is A #1.
Happy Birthday Pikachu (or, ______'s Pikachu): Another terrific choice for a reprint. I remember when the mythology around the rarity of the Japanese version was spreading, which you can read about here, making this an incredibly hot item among young collectors during the start of the initial Pokémon craze.
Base Set Blastoise: This is pure nostalgia to me. Blastoise was my first holo I ever pulled from my first Pokémon TCG pack. Shadowless, no less. Now, it's nice to see a Blastoise reprint here because other reprint sets like XY – Evolutions neglected this card.
Base Set Charizard: I had to include it… and here's why. I wasn't going to have this as one of my chase cards at first because we see reprints of this classic card all the time. However, not quite like this. It's all about the texture. Seeing these cards in person adds a whole new dimension to the collectability of Celebrations and this, unlike the XY – Evolutions Charizard, actually feels like a suitable tribute to the original Base Set Charizard chase.