Published Oct 17, 2026, 3:00 PM EDT
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With 30th anniversary celebrations for the Pokémon franchise in full swing, fans are getting treated to some major announcements. Not only can we expect the next mainline entry, Pokémon Winds and Waves, to launch in the new year, but the Pokémon Trading Card Game has also welcomed some stunning new additions in recent months. On top of that, plenty of new merchandise is threatening to permanently damage our bank accounts, and we can only imagine that Game Freak and Nintendo still have some surprises up their sleeves before the year is done.
That includes the news that Pokémon is set to officially redesign Kanto's most legendary birds in order to celebrate 30 years of some of the Pokédex's most iconic residents. This trio of special Pokémon will always hold a place in the hearts of fans who were there at the very beginning. Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno made for some of the original game's most memorable encounters, hidden away at the end of a trio of challenging caves filled with puzzles and fights.
It was back on 16 September that the 30th Anniversary collection for the Pokémon Trading Card Game was released, bringing with it a new Pikachu redesign and other stunning pieces of art. However, on top of a brand-new Pikachu, it seems as though legendary bird trio from Generation 1 also received a makeover as part of the coveted set with Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos all getting redesigns courtesy of artist HYOGONOSUKE.
In this redesign, Pokémon TCG: 30th Celebration will be showcasing Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos in coordinated glory with all three boasting 120 HP and working best when teamed up together. That is because Moltres' Fiery Flapping, Articuno's Frosty Flapping, and Zapdos' Flash-Pop Flapping will be able to accelerate their respective Energy types, but only if the other two Kanto legends are played alongside.
Not only that, but each of their attacks will play a different role, with Moltres dealing 130 damage, Articuno spreading 30 damage across every opposing Pokémon, and Zapdos delivering a whopping 210 damage with the caveat being 60 damage itself.
The Pokémon TCG: 30th Celebration includes three different versions of each Legendary Bird and, as such, Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos will have nine unique cards in the pack. However, as Pokémon legends, it is only what they deserve.
One such example is a set of designs made available through the 30th Celebration Poster Collection. Each with their own dedicated artist: Krgc for Moltres, Taira Akitsu for Articuno, and SIE NANAHARA for Zapdos, they offer stunning interpretations of the winged 'mon and, luckily, these posters launched alongside the base pack. These variants can be seen below:
Back in September, The Pokémon TCG: 30th Celebration set launched alongside new Illustration Rares, returning cards in the Classic Collection, and 30 unique Pikachu illustrations, and despite scalpers' best intentions to hoard all the stock, it seems as though Pokémon's biggest fans managed to get their hands on these stunning new additions to the long-running trading card game.
Released April 10, 2000
ESRB e
Developer(s) Hudson Soft
Multiplayer Local Multiplayer
English (US) ·