Pokémon TCG 30th Celebration Elite Trianer Box Review
Austin King is the Senior Editor of Gaming at ScreenRant and has been with the site since 2020 with a focus on RPGs and tabletop games. He previously managed content for Geek to Geek Media, and has served as a writer for sites like Nintendad, Geek Fitness, and more.
In addition to his work at ScreenRant, he also hosts the Dragon Quest FM podcast and is the author of several books, including co-writing Nimbus (a #1 bestseller in 2013). His latest is the nonfiction The Dragon Quest Book, available now.
He's written about pop culture, video games, and genre studies over the course of his career. You can find him on BlueSky, X, and at Dragonquestaustin.com
The Pokémon Trading Card Game is celebrating 30 years alongside the series as a whole, meaning the new 30th Celebration set is one fans won't want to miss. There are chase cards galore, including the so-called Blood Mew, along with 30 special Pikachu cards that serve as their own little collection inside the larger set. 30th Celebration comprises nearly 200 cards (more, if you consider some limited-edition promos) with some truly excellent artwork of many beloved Pokémon.
There are numerous products that are part of the Pokémon TCG: 30th Celebration lineup, including a poster collection starring Greninja and the Knockout Collection featuring Eevee. As with most new sets, however, the Elite Trainer Box is what most people will be after. The ETB for 30th Celebration certainly doesn't disappoint, although it's worth mentioning the individual booster packs only come with 5 cards + 1 Energy this time around, as opposed to the usual 10 cards + 1 Energy of other sets.
What's Included In the 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box
The 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box contains all of the following:
- 1 full art promo card of Nidorina
- 9 booster packs
- 65 card sleeves
- 16 Foil Energy cards
- 6 damage-counter dice
- 1 coin-flip die
- 1 code card for Pokémon TCG Live
- 1 player's guide for the new expansion
- 1 collector's box
As usual, a Pokémon Center exclusive version of the Elite Trainer Box was also released and comes with an additional Nidorina promo card with a special Pokémon Center stamp on it. The promo card itself is fine; although, Nidorina feels like an odd choice considering how many iconic Pokémon, particularly from Kanto, there are to choose from. I'm assuming it's Nidorina since she's #30 in the National Pokédex, and this is the 30th anniversary of the series.
All the items included here are high-quality, and if it's been a while since you played the TCG, there's a lot here that you'll find useful. Even from purely a collector's standpoint, the card sleeves and box make for excellent storage options. Beyond the 30th Celebration logo on everything, there's nothing too out of the ordinary in this Elite Trainer Box. The cards themselves, after all, are the real prize.
Pokémon TCG 30th Celebration Card Highlights
There are a number of chase cards in the 30th Celebration set for the Pokémon TCG. Beyond the normal secret rares and full arts, some of which you can view above, there are 30 Pikachu cards to try to collect. This is a pretty fun mini-game of sorts, since the Pikachu cards come with both the set numbering and a special numbering (out of 30) marking this Pikachu collection. They each come with a special 3-0 stamp as well, and the artwork is some of the best I can remember seeing.
Beyond that, the coolest cards are honestly whatever you'd like them to be. I'm especially fond of the Zapdos (133/128) that I managed to pull in my very first booster pack. Pretty much any card featuring Lugia, Gengar, and Mewtwo also made me happy. Not all the 1000+ Pokémon get their chance to shine in this set, but there are enough fan-favorites to keep just about everyone happy.
Is Pokémon TCG 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box Worth It?
The real question might just be if the Elite Trainer Box is worth it. While I found the Nidorina promo card to be a bit underwhelming, considering how many other Gen 1 Pokémon there are to choose from, the 30th Celebration items like card dividers, card sleeves, coin, and dice all make this great for fans. It's reasonably priced (officially, at least), but it's hard to talk about prices without mentioning scalping. If you can find a 30th Celebration ETB out in the wild, then it's well worth the cost.
The 30th Celebration set has some of the coolest cards I've seen in the Pokémon Trading Card Game, and if you grew up with the Gen 1 games and Indigo League anime like I did, then you'll likely be especially fond of this collection. To be clear, this is a set that's for fans, with fairly decent pull rates and some really nice artwork to enjoy. The Elite Trainer Box and the other 30th Celebration items are a great way to ring in the big 3-0 for the TCG.
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