30th Anniversary Pokémon Card List: Every Rarity and Chase Card in 30th Celebration

Part of our guide to the Pokémon 30th Anniversary Set: The Complete Guide to 30th Celebration.

The 30th Anniversary Pokémon card list is one of the most interesting set lists Pokémon has ever printed. Every card in 30th Celebration is foil, 30 different Pikachu are spread through the set, and the rare cards run from new Illustration rares to two brand-new Futuristic rares. This guide walks through the list in order, so you know what you are looking at when you open a pack and which cards are worth protecting first.

If you are new to the set, start with our Pokémon 30th Anniversary Set guide, which explains the products and packs. Then come back here for the cards themselves.

How the 30th Anniversary Pokémon card list is numbered

English 30th Celebration cards are numbered out of 128. Cards 1 to 128 make up the main set, and the rare cards are numbered above 128, so a Special Illustration rare reads something like 149/128. The 30 Pikachu cards sit inside the main set rather than above it.

• 001 to 128: the main set, including commons, rares, Double Rare Pokémon ex and the 30 Pikachu cards.
• 129 to 146: Illustration rares.
• 147 to 156: Special Illustration rares.
• 157 and 158: the two Futuristic rares.
• Extra secret rares: three special Mew cards and foil Basic Energy cards in the Futuristic art style.
• Classic Collection: 30 reprints with their own numbering, kept separate from the main set.

Japanese cards use a different count. The Japanese 30th CELEBRATION set is numbered out of 103, with its Special Art rares at 124 to 133 and its two Futuristic rares at 134 and 135. If you open a Japanese 30th Celebration booster box, expect the same artwork under different numbers.

How to read a 30th Celebration card

Every card on the 30th Anniversary Pokémon card list carries the same set details in its bottom corner, which helps when you are sorting a big pile of pulls.

• Set code: English cards use the code 30C, so you can tell them apart from cards in other Mega Evolution era sets at a glance.
• Card number: a number out of 128. Anything numbered above 128 is a secret rare, so check those first.
• Rarity symbol: next to the number. The Futuristic rares use their own new symbol.
• Golden border: if a card has a gold border and an older card frame, it belongs to the Classic Collection, not the main set.

Japanese cards show a number out of 103 instead, and Japanese Futuristic rares are marked FUR.

Rarities on the 30th Anniversary Pokémon card list

Because every card is foil, rarity in this set is about artwork and treatment rather than whether a card is shiny. These are the rarities you will see:

• Common and Rare: the everyday cards of the main set, all with a foil finish.
• Double Rare: Pokémon ex such as Espeon ex, Sylveon ex, Gengar ex and Salamence ex.
• Pikachu Rare: the 30 Pikachu cards, one of which is in every pack.
• Illustration Rare: full-art scenes of Pokémon, numbered 129 to 146.
• Special Illustration Rare: the top full-art Pokémon ex cards, numbered 147 to 156.
• Futuristic Rare: a brand-new rarity with art by YOSHIROTTEN, used for Mewtwo ex and Mew ex.
• Classic Collection: golden-bordered reprints of famous cards from 1999 onwards.

The Pokémon Company has not published official pull rates for 30th Celebration, so treat any pull-rate figures you see online as estimates from collectors who have opened a lot of packs.

Double Rare Pokémon ex in the main set

Before you reach the secret rares, the main set has its own Pokémon ex at Double Rare. These include Espeon ex, Sylveon ex, Gengar ex, Salamence ex, Jirachi ex and Fuecoco ex, alongside Mew ex, Mewtwo ex and Pikachu ex. Many of them return higher up the list as Special Illustration rares with new artwork.

For players, Pokémon ex are the powerful cards that give up two Prize cards when they are knocked out. For collectors, the Double Rare versions are the easiest way to own each Pokémon from the set before chasing its full-art version.

The 30 Pikachu cards

Each of the 30 Pikachu cards was drawn by a different artist, and each booster pack contains one of them. That makes the Pikachu set the easiest part of the 30th Anniversary Pokémon card list to work on: open ten packs and you will already have a good start.

Collecting all 30 is still a challenge, because the Pikachu you get in each pack is random and duplicates are common. A few tips help:

• Keep a checklist. Note each Pikachu by its card number as you open packs so you can see the gaps.
• Store them together. A nine-pocket binder page holds nine Pikachu, so four pages show the whole subset.
• Swap duplicates. Trading duplicate Pikachu with friends is the quickest way to finish the set.

Pikachu also appears higher up the list. Two Special Illustration rare Pikachu ex cards, numbers 149 and 150, show a daytime and a night-time scene, matching the Day and Night versions of the Ultra Premium Collection.

Futuristic rares: the rarest cards on the list

Futuristic rare is new in 30th Celebration. The two Futuristic rare cards are Mewtwo ex at 157/128 and Mew ex at 158/128, both illustrated by the Japanese artist YOSHIROTTEN, who also created the set’s main artwork. Their bright, layered digital style is a deliberate contrast to the nostalgic Classic Collection.

YOSHIROTTEN’s style also carries over to the set’s foil Basic Energy cards, so even the Energy in this set looks different from any other expansion. On the Japanese side, the Japanese 30th Celebration Futuristic Box is built around these cards.

Special Illustration rares (147 to 156)

The ten Special Illustration rares are the main chase cards for most collectors. Here is the full list:

If you want one of these Pokémon guaranteed rather than hoping for a pull, the Sylveon ex Box and the Greninja ex Box each include a promo and an oversize card of their Pokémon.

Illustration rares (129 to 146)

The 18 Illustration rares show Pokémon in detailed scenes. They are easier to pull than Special Illustration rares, and many collectors think they are the best-looking part of the set.

Look out for the Meowth cards. Meowth, Alolan Meowth and Galarian Meowth all have Illustration rares, which makes a neat mini set of their own. The legendary birds Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres also appear as promos in the Poster Collection.

The three special Mew cards

Above the Futuristic rares sit three extra Mew secret rares, often called the RGB Mew cards because they come in red, green and blue versions. They nod to the original Pokémon Red, Green and Blue games, and they are among the hardest cards on the 30th Anniversary Pokémon card list to find.

Because the RGB Mew cards sit outside the main numbering, check every Mew card carefully when you sort your pulls. It is easy to mistake one of them for a regular Mew ex at a quick glance.

The Classic Collection card list

The Classic Collection brings back 30 famous cards from across the game’s history, each reprinted with a foil finish and a golden border. They are not legal in the Standard format. The Ultra Premium Collection Day and Night each include a dedicated Classic Collection pack with three of these cards.

This is the line-up as shown in Pokémon’s own reveal sequence, with the set each card first appeared in:

The rest of the 30 come from the XY, Sun & Moon and Sword & Shield eras, including Rayquaza-EX, Greninja BREAK, Buzzwole-GX, Zacian V, Mew VMAX and Arceus VSTAR.

Base Set Charizard is the headline reprint, just as it was in the 25th anniversary Celebrations set. For many collectors the Classic Collection is the reason to buy an Ultra Premium Collection Night or Day box sealed.

English and Japanese card lists compared

The English list is longer than the Japanese one because the international set also includes the cards from the Japanese Premium Deck Set Espeon & Umbreon, which was a separate product in Japan. That is why the English main set runs to 128 cards while the Japanese main set stops at 103.

The artwork is the same in both languages, so the same Pikachu, Special Illustration rares and Futuristic rares turn up whichever packs you open. The main practical difference is the packs: Japanese packs hold six foil cards and come in sealed booster boxes, while English packs hold five foil cards plus a foil Basic Energy. Compare the Japanese Espeon ex and Umbreon ex Premium Deck Set with the English Battle Decks if you want those cards ready to play.

Promo cards outside the main list

Promo cards from the English products are not numbered in the main set, so they do not appear on the 30th Anniversary Pokémon card list itself. They include Nidorina from the Elite Trainer Box, Eevee from the Knock Out Collection, the three legendary birds from the Poster Collection and the Pikachu ex promos in the Ultra Premium Collections. Our 30th Anniversary Set guide lists every promo with the product it comes in.

The most wanted cards on the 30th Anniversary Pokémon card list

Prices change quickly after a big release, so we will not quote them here, but a few cards stood out with collectors from launch:

• Mew ex Special Illustration rare (152/128) and Mewtwo ex Futuristic rare (157/128), the two mascots at their rarest.
• Gengar ex Special Illustration rare (154/128), one of the most praised pieces of artwork in the set.
• The two Pikachu ex Special Illustration rares (149 and 150), which pair up as a day and night set.
• The RGB Mew secret rares, because they are so hard to find.
• Base Set Charizard from the Classic Collection, the most famous card in the hobby, reprinted for the anniversary.

Which card is the best is a personal choice. Some collectors chase the most valuable pulls, others want every Pokémon from their favourite generation, and plenty simply love the Pikachu artwork. Decide what matters to you before you start opening packs, and the set becomes much more fun to collect, whatever you pull.

How to complete the 30th Celebration set

A full master set of 30th Celebration is a big job, so break it into stages:

• Start with the main set. Cards 1 to 128 come quickly from any product, and the Booster Bundle is a simple way to open six packs at once.
• Finish the Pikachu. Use a checklist and swap duplicates.
• Add the promos. Each promo comes with a specific product, so pick up the products for the promos you want.
• Chase the rares last. Illustration rares, Special Illustration rares and Futuristic rares take the most packs, so treat them as the final stage.
• Plan for the Classic Collection. It comes in its own packs inside the Ultra Premium Collections.

Protect every rare as soon as you pull it. All-foil cards scratch more easily than normal cards, so a penny sleeve and a toploader or a binder with side-loading pockets is worth having before you start.

Storing and grading your 30th Celebration pulls

All-foil cards look amazing but show wear quickly, so a little care from the first pack makes a big difference to how your collection looks later.

• Sleeve straight away. Slide every rare into a soft sleeve before it touches the table.
• Use toploaders or a side-loading binder. These stop cards bending and keep dust off the foil.
• Keep cards flat and dry. Store binders upright, away from sunlight and damp, to stop curling.
• Check before grading. If you plan to grade a Special Illustration rare or a Futuristic rare, look closely at the centring, corners and surface under a bright light before you send it off.

Sealed products need care too. If you are keeping an Elite Trainer Box or an Ultra Premium Collection sealed, store it out of direct sunlight so the box art does not fade.

30th Anniversary Pokémon card list FAQs

How many cards are in 30th Celebration?

The English main set is numbered to 128. The rares run from 129 to 158, three extra Mew secret rares and foil Basic Energy sit above them, and the 30-card Classic Collection is counted separately.

What is the rarest card in 30th Celebration?

The Futuristic rares, Mewtwo ex and Mew ex, and the three RGB Mew secret rares are the hardest cards to pull. The Mew ex Special Illustration rare is also one of the most sought-after cards.

Are the Classic Collection cards in normal packs?

The dedicated Classic Collection packs come in the Ultra Premium Collection Day and Night, with three Classic Collection cards in each of those packs.

How many Pikachu cards are on the 30th Anniversary Pokémon card list?

There are 30 Pikachu Rare cards in the main set, each by a different artist, and one comes in every booster pack. On top of those, two Pikachu ex Special Illustration rares sit at 149 and 150, and Base Set Pikachu returns in the Classic Collection.

Which product gives the most packs for chasing the rares?

In English, the Ultra Premium Collections have the most packs, with 29 regular packs plus a Classic Collection pack. For a smaller budget, the Booster Bundle has six packs and the Elite Trainer Box has nine. In Japanese, a sealed booster box is the simplest way to open a lot of packs at once.

Do Japanese and English cards have the same artwork?

Yes. The Pikachu cards, Special Illustration rares, Futuristic rares and Classic Collection cards share the same artwork in both languages. Only the language, the card numbers and the pack contents are different.

Where can I see the official card list?

The Pokémon Company shows the cards on its official 30th Celebration page, and you can browse sealed products in our 30th Celebration collection.