Some of the hottest items in any game are Pokémon cards, and when a new set like Pokémon Celebrations is announced, everyone takes notice. Collectors, tournament players, casual players, and even just nostalgic fans are excited to hear about new Pokémon stuff. So what is this new Pokémon thing?

OMG this just leaked! Shining Mew (gold secret) from the upcoming Pokemon Celebrations 25th Anniversary set! 🔥 🔥 🔥 pic.twitter.com/vu6ECGQB77

— Namer Merli (@AmetDj) July 24, 2021

What is Pokémon Celebrations?

Pokémon Celebrations is a new special expansion of cards for the Pokémon Trading Card Game. Described as a special expansion, the set will feature exciting reprints of old favorites, and a handful of new cards as well. Pokémon Celebrations is intended more for collectors than players, but any Pokémon fan will be excited for Celebrations.

Celebrations looks to be similar to other special expansions such Shining Fates, Hidden Fates, etc. It’ll have fewer cards in the set than mainstream Series expansions like Sword & Shield, with a focus on collectibility and a very specific theme.

Additionally, Pokémon Celebrations will come in packs, but won’t be sold in individual packs. Instead packs of Pokémon Celebrations will be included in special Pokémon Celebrations Collections, offering several packs as well as packs from other sets and various fun goodies.

When does Pokémon Celebrations come out?

Pokémon Celebrations comes out in English on Friday, October 8, 2021. Being a special expansion, we’re not anticipating any prerelease or release events. Interestingly, there’s a surprise in Celebrations’ schedule: typically, card sets are released in Japan weeks or months before everywhere else in the world. However, the Japanese version of Pokémon Celebrations comes out on October 22, 2021, closer to the anniversary of October 20.

What are they celebrating in Pokémon Celebrations?

Pokémon Celebrations celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Pokémon card game. The cards in Pokémon Celebrations will feature classic, Legendary, and Mythical Pokémon from all eras of the card game, looking back over the game’s storied history.

What cards will be in Pokémon Celebrations?

Pokémon Celebrations consists of over 45 cards that are a mix of new, specially-designed cards, and refreshed versions of classic cards. The first segment of newly-designed cards that will probably be legal in Pokémon tournaments. The other 25 cards will be a special subset, following in the footsteps of Shining Fates and Champion’s Path. This subset will include new Pokémon realized with older mechanics, such as Dark and Light Pokémon, Delta Pokémon, Pokémon (star), Pokémon LV.X, Pokémon SP, and Pokémon Prime. This special subset won’t be allowed in official Pokémon tournaments, but are nonetheless very for Pokémon fans of any stripe.

What Pokémon will be in Pokémon Celebrations?

Pokémon Celebrations will feature Pokémon from all throughout the games’ history. Notably, the selection focuses on Mythical and Legendary Pokémon, such as Mew, Ho-Oh, and Zamazenta. Evergreen fan favorite Pokémon will also make an appearance, such as Charizard from the 25-year-old Base Set, and no less than 5 different instances of Pikachu. The special subset cards feature Flying Pikachu, Surfing Pikachu, and the adored, innocent-looking “red cheeks” Pikachu from the original Base Set.

What does the Pokémon Celebrations set symbol mean?

The set symbol for Pokémon Celebrations is a stylized arrangement of the Japanese numbers of ni 二 and go 五 which spell out 25. Obviously, this is a reference to the 25th anniversary of the Pokémon Trading Card Game. A previous special expansion, Generations, featured a similar set symbol of ni-jū 二十 representing the then 20th anniversary.

Will Pokémon Celebrations have a limited print run?

As a special expansion, Pokémon Celebrations will most likely have a capped print run. The print run is expected to be smaller than Series expansions such as Sword & Shield: Battle Styles or Sword & Shield: Chilling Reign. Considering the recent run on Pokémon cards, it’s advised to pre-order Pokémon Celebrations items before the October 8 release date.

Where can you buy Pokémon Celebrations?

Pokémon Celebrations will be available in all the regular channels that Pokémon cards are available, including specialty retail stores, large chain retailers, and many online retailers. The best way to guarantee a purchase of Pokémon Celebrations is to pre-order items through specialty retailers and hobby shops, like Level One Game Shop. Larger retailers and online outlets can host fierce competition for Pokémon items, due to their first-come-first-serve policies; pre-ordering can reward smart shoppers with a much less difficult experience. Since the availability of this set will be difficult to gauge, Level One Game Shop has not announced any preorder availability for this set yet.

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