The Pokémon 30th Celebration Reprints vs. The OGs: Part 4
Parts 1, 2, and 3, of this six-part series showed off the 30th Celebration Classic Collection reprints from the very first Base Set release all the way to the end of the 2000s. This time around, we begin with the early 2010s in what was a pivotal decade for the Pokémon TCG.
HGSS Triumphant Darkrai & Cresselia LEGEND
One of the most iconic gimmicks that the Pokémon TCG ever put out was the half-and-half LEGEND cards from the HeartGold & SoulSilver era. They could only be played with both cards together, and when the top and bottom halves were combined, the artwork was simply like none other.
Darkrai & Cresselia LEGEND did not achieve much in the competitive scene, but that doesn't take anything away from the absolutely mesmerizing artwork that would be a solid piece in anyone's collection.
The 30th Celebration Classic Collection reprints aren't that expensive, with both halves sitting at a current value of $21 each. Near-mint copies of the Triumphant release are significantly more expensive, with the Darkrai half selling for $275 and the Cresselia side going for $157.
Noble Victories N
One of the greatest cards ever produced in the history of the Pokémon TCG is the Full Art N from Noble Victories. It was the first-ever Full Art Supporter card, and its design has really held up through the years.
Equally as impressive, if not more, as the artwork is the card itself. N is known by anyone that played the TCG at a competitive scale as one of the strongest Supporter cards in existence, and there have been way too many cases to count of an entire game being won or lost because of it.
The Classic Collection N is way more affordable than the original at only $15 currently. $233 is the price for a NM version of the N Full Art from Noble Victories, making it one of the few instances where a highly competitive card has maintained its value despite being rotated out of the Standard format.
Dragons Exalted Rayquaza EX
Half art EX cards are severely underappreciated these days for a number of reasons, but even way back then, nobody could keep their eyes off a basic Rayquaza EX card.
One of the first Dragon-type cards in the Pokémon TCG, Rayquaza EX was equal parts visually appealing and competitively viable. Celestial Roar and Dragon Burst were all you needed to win games over and over, and with Rayquaza being one of the coolest-looking Pokémon ever, lots of people were running this deck when it came out in Standard.
The 30th Celebration Rayquaza EX reprint sells for around $21 right now, and the Dragons Exalted copy is only slightly more expensive at $47. $4,920 is the record price for a PSA 10 copy of the original card, with the sale taking place just this month last October 5.
Plasma Blast Genesect EX
Genesect EX was 100% placed in the Classic Collection because of its competitive viability when it was in the Standard rotation. Not only was it viable, but it was also arguably the best deck of that entire era — and the World Championship records speak for its absolute dominance.
That being said, the art for this particular card is nothing crazy and doesn't have the same kind of pull as Rayquaza EX, which makes its market price relatively more affordable.
The 30th Celebration Genesect EX Reprint is only about $7, and the original half-art version costs only $20 more. The record PSA 10 sale price of the card is $7,999.99, and it sold just last week.
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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.