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Thirty years of Pokémon, and I'm still chasing Lucario

3 min read #pokemon #tcg #personal

Pokémon turned 30 this year, and the trading card game marked it with the 30th Celebration expansion in September. I still haven’t gotten my hands on a single pack. Meanwhile I’m trying to finish a different project: every English Lucario card ever printed.

How it started

My first Pokémon cards date back to 2002 and 2003. I liked Lucario before it was even in the games: it showed up in Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, the 2005 movie, about a year before it debuted in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl.

I got back into the TCG around the Diamond and Pearl days, and one of the first Level X cards I got was the Lucario LV.X from the Lucario tin. I’ve been collecting Lucario ever since.

Sealed Pokémon TCG Lucario tin with the Lucario LV.X card in the window and a sticker reading: includes 4 Diamond & Pearl Series boosters and 1 special Lucario foil card
The Diamond & Pearl era Lucario tin: four boosters and the Lucario LV.X foil. Photo shown for illustration; not mine.

What counts as complete

Complete means the entire English run of Lucario cards, promos included, and every variant counts. A Lucario with a different stamp or finish is its own card and goes on the list. The collection itself is a mix of binders, graded slabs, and sealed product.

Japanese cards are off the list for now. Once the English set is done I’m open to starting on those, which is probably how a collection like this never really ends.

I’m about 80% of the way there. The latest pickups were the Pokémon League 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Place versions of the Fates Collide Lucario (63/124).

Lucario 63/124 from XY Fates Collide with a Pokémon League 1st Place stamp Lucario 63/124 from XY Fates Collide with a Pokémon League 2nd Place stamp Lucario 63/124 from XY Fates Collide with a Pokémon League 3rd Place stamp Lucario 63/124 from XY Fates Collide with a Pokémon League 4th Place stamp
Lucario 63/124 (XY Fates Collide, 2016) with the Pokémon League 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Place stamps. Card images © The Pokémon Company International.

The 30th Celebration promo I can’t find

The 30th Celebration set came out worldwide on September 16. It brings back 30 classic cards with a Pikachu “30” stamp, adds a new Futuristic rarity illustrated by YOSHIROTTEN, and puts one of 30 different foil Pikachu cards in every pack.

The product I care about is the 30th Celebration Tech Sticker Collection. One version comes with a foil Lucario promo representing “Pokémon Night Out,” a sheet of tech stickers with Lucario, Pikachu, and Mewtwo, and three booster packs. A promo is a variant, so under my rules it goes on the list.

Pokémon TCG 30th Celebration Tech Sticker Collection blister pack: three booster packs, a sticker sheet with Pikachu, Mewtwo, and Lucario, and a foil Lucario promo card with the Aura Sphere attack
The 30th Celebration Tech Sticker Collection, Lucario version. Product image © The Pokémon Company International.

So far I haven’t been able to find one. More 30th anniversary products are scheduled through the end of the year, and I’m hoping a restock or one of the later releases makes it easier.

No finish line yet

Every new set can add more Lucario cards, so the finish line keeps moving. I’m fine with that. Everything will be fine on a long enough timeline, and that includes tracking down a Tech Sticker Collection.

If you have one sitting on a shelf, my email is at the bottom of the page.