This year is the 30th anniversary of Pokémon, which is exciting news for fans of the Trading Card Game!
In addition to the releases we’ve been anticipating – Perfect Order, Ascended Heroes, and Chaos Rising – we’re also thrilled to announce a special set to celebrate our anniversary!
Starting in 2026, special Pokémon cards will be released that feature the original starter Pokémon – the first Pokémon many fans ever chose!
When will the first Original Partner cards become available, and what will they offer? Here’s a breakdown of everything you need to know.
When is the Pokémon Original Partner cards release date?
Pokémon Original Partner cards are currently scheduled to release on 20th March 2026.
Currently, an English announcement of this release date hasn’t been made, but it was confirmed on Pokémon’s Chinese website.
The cards will go on sale March 20th at 10am, priced at 39 yuan, which is about £4.13 or $5.64.
This is the first volume of the Original Partner launch. Since it currently includes only three out of nine Generations, we expect Volumes 2 and 3 to be released later this year.
What to expect from Pokémon Original Partner cards
To celebrate 30 years of Pokémon, a new set of special illustration flash cards has been released. Called the ‘Original Partner Special Illustration Flash Card Set Vol. 1’, each box contains one randomly chosen card from a set of nine, all featuring the very first Pokémon starter characters.
“These nine cards depict the original starters from the Kanto, Sinnoh, and Alola regions.
These cards showcase cute Pokémon and include details designed to bring back fond memories. If you collect three cards with special artwork that all feature Pokémon from the same area, they connect to form one larger picture.
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The set will include nine cards showcasing starter Pokémon from three different regions: Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle from Kanto, Turtwig, Chimchar, and Piplup from Sinnoh, and Rowlet, Litten, and Popplio from Alola.
The set comes with more than just the cards – it also includes a magnetic frame made of acrylic. This frame lets you store and show off your cards, and it can stick to any metal surface. You can even connect multiple frames together to create a larger display.
Players will also get one Brilliant Fantasy booster pack as a bonus.
I’m so excited to hear that Volumes 2 and 3 are probably coming out later this year! And it sounds like we’ll also be getting starter Pokémon from the Johto, Hoenn, and Unova regions too, which is amazing!
Authors
Alex Raisbeck writes about video games for TopMob, covering both popular, big-budget titles and smaller, independent games. He’s also contributed to well-known gaming publications like VideoGamer, GamesRadar+, PC Gamer, and PCGamesN.
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2026-02-10 20:34