Pokemon TCG · 30th Celebration
The pull rates for 30th Celebration are in, and they are the friendliest of the modern era. After opening 3,000 English booster packs, TCGplayer found the set hands out its best cards more generously than anything in years, exactly as an anniversary set should.
The headline: Special Illustration Rares land 1 in 21 packs, four times easier than Pitch Black's 1 in 80. Illustration Rares come 1 in 5, a Classic Collection card 1 in 10, and the Mew ex and Mewtwo ex Futuristic Rares 1 in 120. Only the three secret RGB Mews stay properly rare, sitting in gold-card territory that 3,000 packs was not enough to measure. Add it up and 34% of packs, about one in three, hold at least one Illustration Rare or better. The honest catch: those are the odds of any card in a tier. The specific card you want runs far longer, a named Special Illustration Rare is 1 in 205 and a named Classic Collection 1 in 295, which is the difference between a generous set and an easy one.
Because this is the first Pokemon set to release worldwide at the same time, we can also compare English and Japanese prices head to head for the first time. Both languages tell the same story at the top: the RGB Mews are in a league of their own, then Lugia and Charizard, then Mew, Pikachu and Gengar.
The most valuable 30th Celebration cards
Top 15 by current UK-equivalent market, English and Japanese side by side. English prices converted from TCGplayer, Japanese from Card Rush, at $1 = £0.74.
| # | Card | English | Japanese |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mew, Red (RGB secret) | £5,106* | £3,030 |
| 2 | Mew, Blue (RGB secret) | £4,069* | £2,562 |
| 3 | Mew, Green (RGB secret) | £2,958* | £2,235 |
| 4 | Lugia (Classic Collection) | £189 | £125 |
| 5 | Charizard (Classic Collection) | £137 | £130 |
| 6 | Mew ex (SIR) | £116 | £50 |
| 7 | Gengar ex (SIR) | £99 | £37 |
| 8 | Mew ex (Futuristic Rare) | £81 | £69 |
| 9 | Pikachu ex (SIR, #150) | £79 | £63 |
| 10 | Magikarp (Classic Collection) | £77 | £42 |
| 11 | Mewtwo ex (SIR) | £64 | £23 |
| 12 | Gengar (Classic Collection) | £61 | £37 |
| 13 | Pikachu ex (SIR, #149) | £60 | £47 |
| 14 | Jirachi ex (SIR) | £57 | £18 |
| 15 | Mewtwo ex (Futuristic Rare) | £56 | £47 |
*RGB Mew figures are the lowest ask, no settled market price yet.
- At least one FR, SIR, CC or IR34% of packs, roughly one in three
- Special Illustration Rares1 in 21 packs (4x easier than Pitch Black's 1 in 80); a specific one 1 in 205
- Illustration Rares1 in 5 packs; a specific one 1 in 91
- Double Rares1 in 5 packs; a specific one 1 in 48, the best odds for any named card
- Classic Collection1 in 10 packs; a specific one 1 in 295
- Futuristic Rares (Mew ex / Mewtwo ex)1 in 120 packs; a specific one 1 in 240
- RGB secret MewsRarer than 1 in 1,000, sample too small to pin down
- ReleaseFirst Pokemon set to launch worldwide simultaneously
Illustration Rare
Portal takeThe friendly one. An Illustration Rare of some kind lands roughly every fifth pack, which is why 30th feels so generous to open. The catch is the one you actually want: a specific IR is 1 in 91, so chasing a named card is a very different job from chasing the rarity.
Double Rare
Portal takeDouble Rares match the IR rate at 1 in 5, and a specific one is 1 in 48, the shortest odds of any named card in the set. If you are after one particular ex, this is the tier where it is realistically doable.
Classic Collection
Portal takeA Classic Collection reprint every ten packs sounds approachable, and it is, until you want a particular one: a specific CC is 1 in 295, the longest of any non-secret tier. The subset is simply wide, so the reprint you are hunting is buried in it.
Special Illustration Rare
Portal takeThe headline number, and the reason 30th reads as the friendliest modern set: 1 in 21 packs is roughly four times easier than Pitch Black's 1 in 80. A specific SIR is 1 in 205, so the tier is generous even if the individual card is not.
Futuristic Rare
Portal takeMew ex and Mewtwo ex in the Futuristic treatment are the rarest cards you can reasonably open: 1 in 120 packs for either, 1 in 240 for the one you want. Above this there are only the three RGB secret Mews, and 3,000 packs were not enough to measure those.
The middle of the list is where the two languages part ways. English pushes the Special Illustration Rares like Gengar and Mewtwo, and a couple of Illustration Rares like Maushold and Meowth, further up. Japan prefers the Base Set Pikachu and the Mewtwo Futuristic Rare. English also ranks both of those SIRs above their matching Futuristic Rares, while Japan does the reverse.
The takeaway for collectors is a happy one. Outside the three Mews, 30th Celebration is one of the most attainable modern sets there is, which makes it a brilliant one to actually build. The Classic Collection chases like Crystal Lugia, Charizard, Magikarp and Gengar PRIME are the ones both languages love, and generous pull rates mean a master set of this one is a realistic project rather than a fantasy.
Track it, fill the gaps with placeholders, and keep it in one binder. Collect better.
Pull rates determined by TCGplayer from 3,000 opened English booster packs, reported by PokeBeach on 23 September 2026. English prices from TCGplayer, Japanese prices from Card Rush. GBP figures converted from USD at $1 = £0.74, captured 24 September 2026. RGB Mew figures are the lowest ask, as no market price has settled yet.
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