The Pokémon 30th Celebration Reprints vs. The OGs: Part 2
Part 1 of this series featured the oldest cards reprinted, including classics like the Base Set Charizard and the TCG's first-ever banned card, the Neo Genesis Sneasel.
Now, we go into the cards that took the spotlight in the early-to-mid-2000s.
Neo Destiny Shining Celebi
Shining Celebi is an important part of Pokémon TCG history as it was one of the first-ever cards to feature Pokémon with their alternative "Shiny" colors. The card was originally released in Neo Destiny, which featured several historic Shining cards, such as Shining Mewtwo and Shining Charizard.
The 30th Celebration Shining Celebi can be yours for $50; however, it's a completely different story for the Neo Destiny version. The Unlimited Shining Celebi is currently priced at $435, while its 1st Edition variant is in the four-digit range at a whopping $3,000.
Aquapolis Crystal Lugia
One of the greatest Lugia cards of all time and simply one of the greatest cards ever from a collector's standpoint, Crystal Lugia is the one and only representative of the treasured Crystal line from the 2000s.
Hailing from Aquapolis, one of the most valuable sets of the era and one of the hardest to collect sets in all of Pokémon, Crystal Lugia gets its name from the overall card design and the Poké-BODY "Crystal Type" that comes with all cards of similar nature.
It's visually stunning and even more so in person, which more than makes up for its lack of competitive viability. The 30th Celebration Crystal Lugia still fetches a decent amount at around $240, but that's nothing compared to the $11,000+ market price for the OG.
The current price is an all-time record for the card, having been heavily influenced by the hype surrounding the 30th anniversary re-release. As things stand, the Crystal Lugia from the 30th Celebration is also the most valuable reprint in the Classic Collection subset.
EX Ruby and Sapphire Delcatty
This particular Delcatty card is another classic that made its way onto the reprint list because of its competitive viability in the Standard format.
The draw support it provided to players and its relatively inexpensive attack (not its selling point, but still a nice bonus) made it an important piece of winning decks.
Delcatty is one of the cheapest cards in the 30th Celebration Classic Collection, and its original counterpart isn't all that expensive either. The reprint is currently worth around $6, with the reverse holo from EX Ruby and Sapphire trending around $20 and the holo version only a little more valuable at $33.
EX Team Rocket Returns Dark Tyranitar
Dark Tyranitar does well blending both worlds of the Pokémon TCG, being both competitively viable during release and a good-looking card.
Each of the attacks did significant enough damage with justified energy costs for how powerful they were, and on more than one occasion, Dark Tyranitar proved itself on the international competitive stage.
Dark Tyranitar also looked incredible in the EX Team Rocket Returns set, especially in reverse holo, where the set's logo appears in the bottom right corner of the frame.
The 30th Celebration reprint is very affordable at only $25 currently, but those numbers are a decent step up from its original counterparts. The non-holo rare card goes for about $77, while the much more desirable reverse holo is moderately valuable at around $225.
EX Unseen Forces Scizor ex
While it's true that there are many more notable ex cards from the original run, Scizor ex is still a solid representative of one of the mechanics that forever changed the game. Scizor has always been and will always be a fan-favorite Pokémon, and it's now being honored as part of an anniversary set forever.
The 30th Celebration reprint is very affordable at $13 currently, while the original is still considered a decent hit from the set at $186 despite the other heavy hitters that are part of EX Unseen Forces.
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Joaqin is a journalist with a strong passion for the Hobby. He has published work for HLTV.org, Rappler.com, and DLSU Sports. A decade-long Pokémon TCG collector, he recently shifted into sports cards to collect Lakers, Dodgers and Chargers players with growing PCs of Shohei Ohtani and Justin Herbert.