Pokémon
Welcome to our Pokémon card collecting guide. Directly translated from Japanese as “Pocket Monsters”, Pokémon is considered one of the most successful anime, video game, and collectible franchises in the world. It started as a video game in 1996, part of the Pokémon series, and rapidly grew into a trading card game (TCG), TV series, films, Pokémon figurines, merchandise, and other related media. As of October 2025, the rarest Pokémon card was still the 1998 Pikachu Illustrator Card. The most expensive Pokémon collectible was the Pokémon 2000 film frame. Surprisingly, the most valuable Funko Pop! was one never officially released: the #843 Charizard (Metallic). For Pokémon collectors in Australia and around the world, the most valuable cards are highly sought-after items, especially those featuring Pikachu, Charizard and Umbreon, as well as rare holo cards, first edition cards, limited edition Pokémon cards, graded cards (PSA / BGS), and promo cards.
Poké Highlight
30 YEARS OF POKEMON
The Pokémon Company has officially confirmed the release date for its major milestone 30th anniversary expansion, titled “30th Celebration,” with the Japanese set scheduled to debut on September 16, 2026. This set is speculated to be different – 6 holofoil cards per booster pack.
Furthermore, the set will lean heavily into nostalgia by featuring reprints of fan-favorite cards from previous eras of the game, including the notable Pikachu & Zekrom GX and the classic Lugia from the Aquapolis expansion. The celebration extends beyond cards into a dedicated merchandise hub and significant brand collaborations, ensuring a steady stream of commemorative products and activations for fans worldwide through the remainder of the year.
What will not be a part of this year’s celebrations is generation X. It might be a while until it hits the TCG
THE DARK WORLD OF POKEMON
It is quite the contrast. While Pokémon is a colourful world of friendship and adventure, three decades of deep lore and a massive adult fanbase have created a “dark side” to the franchise.
When you look at a series with over 1,000 creatures, the writers eventually lean into ghost stories, urban legends, and biological “realism” to keep things interesting, and sometimes disturbing. From “femboys” to “soul thieves”, Pokémon is said to be inspired by all. I am still recovering from finding out Magicarp is delicious
Poké News
STRUCTURAL MODIFICATIONS
Organizers behind the global competitive circuit have implemented widespread structural modifications to the ongoing Pokémon Championship Series to optimize the tournament ecosystem. Tournament structures have officially been extended by adding an extra round of Swiss pairings to any age division exceeding 65 participants, a strategic change designed to ensure that top-performing trainers with resilient win-loss records have a much fairer path to the elite Top 8 cut.
Furthermore, strict new end-of-round procedures have been introduced to resolve long-standing issues with slow play and match deadlock; table judges will now enforce a maximum ten-minute overtime clock coupled with a definitive single-additional-turn constraint to guarantee that unfinished matches resolve smoothly into clear draws.
More information here
CHAOS RISING IS HERE
The global tabletop community is currently experiencing a major structural shift with the official release of the highly anticipated Mega Evolution—Chaos Rising expansion. This new set marks a pivotal moment for both collectors and active players, centering heavily on the return of powerful Mega Evolution Pokémon ex variants.
Alongside physical product arrivals, the expansion has simultaneously integrated into the digital space via Pokémon Trading Card Game Live.
The digital platform update introduces a permanent new Build & Battle Mode that replicates real-world pre-release formats, allowing online trainers to open virtual booster packs, build 40-card custom decks, and compete in unique four-Prize matches using a newly established system of in-game Event Tokens.
Pokémon of the Week
With Generation X set to add over 100 Pokémon in the next couple of years, I’ve realised that if I maintain the ratio of introducing just one a week to newcomers, finishing the list would take me way over 20 years!
So, let’s go! Introducing #0056 Mankey, in Japanese Mankey.
Mankey is defined by its perpetually explosive temperament and agile physical prowess. As a pure Fighting-type, Mankey relies on its light feet and quick reflexes to launch blistering close-quarters assaults, easily navigating mountain valleys and dense forest canopies. In the Pokémon ecosystem, these creatures live in tight-knit, highly volatile treetop colonies. They are so deeply communal that if a single Mankey becomes isolated or loses sight of its pack, the resulting bout of frantic loneliness triggers an immediate, uncontrollable rage that can cause the entire colony to start rampaging simultaneously for no reason.
While its short-fused anger is its most famous trait, Mankey holds a dark piece of biological lore that was only fully realized generations later: its anger-induced blood circulation is so incredibly intense that the sheer physical strain eventually causes its evolution, Primeape, to pass away from absolute fury—a tragic biological dead-end that canonically births its Ghost-type evolution, Annihilape, meaning Mankey’s foundational design is a rare case where a Pokémon’s anger literally transcends the mortal coil.
HOW MUCH WAS IT AGAIN?
If 2025 taught us anything, it was to stay alert when checking the value of our cards. eBay sold items remain one of the most reliable sources when checking real-world secondary market values on Pokémon cards.
You can, however, count on other websites to help with that, like:
Poké-Gallery
How I expected the LEGO-Pokémon to be
Bulbasaur and the Hidden Village S01E10
Pokémon TCG Checklists
The Pokémon TCG has been around for decades now, which can both overwhelm new collectors and make it somewhat hard for hobbyists to complete sets. Intrigued by the development of terms such as “Grandmaster,” “Master Pokémon,” and “Pokémon Master,” I set out to find helpful checklists. While tracking down every single appearance of a Pokémon across all variations, trainer sets and country-exclusive releases has proven to be incredibly challenging, I’m optimistic that my findings will be genuinely helpful. Just follow the links and good luck!
National Pokédex
The National Pokédex serves as the definitive Pokémon encyclopedia, containing a complete list of every known species across all generations. For players, collectors, and trainers, it’s the key resource for Pokédex completion, offering detailed information such as base stats, evolution paths, abilities, and type advantages. Whether you’re researching your next team or tracking rare Pokémon, the National Pokédex remains the ultimate guide for understanding and mastering the world of Pokémon:
TCC’s Collection
Our journey doesn’t stop here. Explore the other corners of our digital library where we dive deep into the specific worlds of Funko, AFL, and more.