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30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n 18<\/p>\n
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Request Invite at Amazon.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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10. Primarina \u2014 ME05: Pitch Black #088\/084<\/h2>\n This is genuinely one of my favorite cards of all time, let alone First Partner Pok\u00e9mon! While first-stage First Partner Pok\u00e9mon usually get the Pyroar\u2019s share of cute Illustration Rares, satoma\u2019s work on this final stage Primarina from Pitch Black is class. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Primarina – 088\/084<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n 0<\/p>\n
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I love the golden sun, and its glittering beachy vibe that give Alola\u2019s siren starter a spotlight worthy of a stage-performer. You can pick this up on TCGplayer for $4.49, making it a shockingly affordable piece of art.<\/p>\n
9. Mudkip \u2014 ME: Mega Evolution Promo #057<\/h2>\n This promo card from the First Partner lineup captures this water-type looking completely adorable. The artwork by Saboteri is crammed with subtle Gen 3 lore details in the background. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Mudkip – 057 – ME: Mega Evolution Promo<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n 0<\/p>\n
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My first-ever Pok\u00e9mon game was Pok\u00e9mon Ruby, but my partner got me a 3DS for my 21st birthday where I finally completed my starter trio with Mudkip in Omega Ruby, so picking up this promo was a non-negotiable personal mission for me. Right now, it’s holding steady at around $20.56 on TCGplayer.<\/p>\n
8. Charizard (Classic Collection #4\/102)<\/h2>\n It had to be in here! The holy grail that arguably started this hobby all those years ago, Mitsuhiro Arita\u2019s Base Set Charizard is the card that launched a million binder collections. The iconic Shadowless variant\u2014lacking the dark drop shadow along the right border of the art box\u2014remains the undisputed King of Nostalgia. Now, with the 30th Anniversary reprints, this card takes the crown as my favorite Charizard card because it gives more people a chance to own a slice of history.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Charizard (Classic Collection #4\/102)<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n 0<\/p>\n
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A special shoutout goes to the 151 Charizard ex Special Illustration Rare as well, but I couldn’t bring myself to put two Charizards on the list when there\u2019s so many other First Partner Pok\u00e9mon and art to celebrate! Unsurprisingly, market values on TCGplayer for the OG sit around $1,160 for raw copies, depending heavily on condition, but now more Trainers can get their hands on it thanks to the 30th Anniversary reprints, who knows what will happen. Have you managed to get your hands on one yet?<\/p>\n
7. Piplup (Secret) – SM – Cosmic Eclipse (SM12)<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Piplup (Secret) – SM – Cosmic Eclipse<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n 0<\/p>\n
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Before Trainer Gallery cards became a main-set staple, Cosmic Eclipse gave us Dawn and Piplup in this adorable SIR. Tomomi Kaneko\u2019s artwork highlights Sinnoh\u2019s Dawn alongside her stubborn Piplup at the Canalave City docks. Because of its legendary status among Gen 4 fans, you\u2019re looking at around $88.24 on TCGPlayer.<\/p>\n
6. Venusaur & Snivy-GX \u2014 SM Promos #SM229<\/h2>\n Yes, I know this card has two First Partners in it, but I\u2019m strictly counting it as one entry! I have a lot of time for artist Yuka Morii, who hand-sculpts every featured Pok\u00e9mon out of physical clay before photographing them in real-world outdoor dioramas. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Venusaur & Snivy GX – SM229 – SM Promos (SMP)<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n 0<\/p>\n
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When I went to EUIC in 2025, they had her original physical clay sculptures on display at the venue, and seeing the real-world scale and tactile craftsmanship behind the card in person was so unbelievably cool. If you want to add this gorgeous clay tag team to your collection, it’s currently running around $146.63 on TCGPlayer.<\/p>\n
5. Scorbunny \u2014 ME: Ascended Heroes #225\/217<\/h2>\n Veteran illustrator Yuu Nishida hit an absolute home run (wrong sport, but close enough) with this Galar First Partner. The artwork catches Scorbunny chilling out on a fresh bed of leaves. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Scorbunny \u2014 ME: Ascended Heroes #225\/217<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n 0<\/p>\n
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Thankfully, this Fire-type doesn\u2019t have any flames while resting. Best of all, it’s super easy on the wallet, hovering at just $9.26 on TCGplayer.<\/p>\n
4. Tepig \u2014 SV: White Flare #096\/086<\/h2>\n When it comes to cozy charm, it doesn\u2019t get much better than Tepig from Unova. Orca\u2019s warm and golden lighting shows Tepig warming its belly, rolling around in a heap of crisp autumn leaves. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Tepig – 096\/086 – SV: White Flare<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n 0<\/p>\n
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This calm, simple illustration makes you smile the moment you open the binder, and you can get a copy on TCGplayer for around $52.50.<\/p>\n
3. Torchic Star \u2014 EX Team Rocket Returns #108\/109<\/h2>\n Generation 3 holds a massive place in my heart, and while the whole Gen 3 TCG era produced absolute bangers, this is easily my favorite piece in the entire collection. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Torchic Star \u2014 EX Team Rocket Returns #108\/109<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n 0<\/p>\n
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Illustrated by Masakazu Fukuda, Gold Star cards had artwork that broke out of the frame. Sorry if your First Partner was Torchic though, copies of this card are ultra-rare and currently average around a wild $4,500.00 on LimitlessTCG.<\/p>\n
2. Pikachu ex \u2014 ME: Ascended Heroes #276\/217<\/h2>\n Look, I know Pikachu is a bit of a rogue choice for a “First Partner” list compared to the standard Grass\/Fire\/Water trios, but let\u2019s not forget Pok\u00e9mon Yellow (and Let’s Go, Pikachu!)! Pikachu was, arguably, our very first First Partner, so it absolutely earns a spot here. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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USUMON\u2019s ultra-high-contrast, electric-charged art style makes the iconic mascot practically leap off the foil, though pulling off that high-voltage style means it commands a heavy $935.99 market price on TCGplayer.<\/p>\n
1. Greninja ex – 148\/128 – ME: 30th Celebration<\/h2>\n This card is just awesome. Everyone loves Greninja, but artist GIDORA completely stole the 30th Anniversary show with this one. Did you spot the Eevee and Lucario in the background? <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Greninja ex – 148\/128<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n 0<\/p>\n
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Between the playful street-style vibe and the hype surrounding the set, this could easily be one of the most fun chase cards modern Pok\u00e9mon has seen in a long time. Because it\u2019s so new, the market is pretty volatile, currently sitting around $70.99 on TCGPlayer. <\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nSara Heritage<\/p>\n
Freelance Writer<\/p>\n
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Sara Heritage is a freelance journalist for IGN, specialising in Pok\u00e9mon TCG. When she’s not gaming, you\u2019ll probably find her building yet another LEGO set she absolutely did not need, or chaining ranked matches in Pok\u00e9mon Champions. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/span><\/span><\/section>\n
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Read Full Article At Source <\/a>With 2026 marking Pok\u00e9mon\u2019s milestone 30th Anniversary, what better way to celebrate than by taking a nostalgic stroll down memory lane with the ones who…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":86276,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[5656,654,75],"class_list":["post-86275","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tech-gadgets-reviews","tag-ranked","tag-time","tag-top","wpcat-32-id"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86275","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=86275"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86275\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/86276"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=86275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=86275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=86275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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