Pokémon's 30th Celebration TCG set was released last month. Upon opening their packs, collectors immediately began submitting their pulls to CGC, resulting in a surge of submissions. Already, CGC has certified more than 19,770 cards from the English 30th Celebration set, according to the CGC Cards Population Report! It isn't hard to see why — to commemorate 30 years of Pokémon, the Pokémon 30th Celebration set introduced new rarities and subsets including the Classic Collection, a Pikachu subset, "Day and Night" variants, and even the new Futuristic rarity. With so many new and exclusive cards to collect, collectors are eager to get their best pulls graded.
In this month's hot list, we're going to narrow down the hottest secret rare cards that have been submitted to CGC since the Pokémon 30th Celebration set released to the public, with a focus on Special Illustration Rare and Futuristic Rare cards.
Top 5 Secret Rare Cards From Pokémon's 30th Celebration Set
Pikachu ex - 149/128
The Pokémon 30th Celebration set introduced several fun subsets, themes, and twists, including the "Day and Night" theme. Several cards in the set have parallels that depict either a sunny and bright "day" theme, or a cool and dark "night" theme. Many of these cards feature Espeon and Umbreon — the signature "Day" and "Night" Eeveelutions — and Pikachu, which brings us to our fifth-most submitted card: Pikachu ex, specifically the "Day" version.
Pikachu ex features Pikachu, Espeon, and Sylveon grouped with several other Pokémon under a bright, sunny sky. According to the CGC Cards Population Report, CGC has certified 118 examples of Pikachu ex as of early October 2026. More than half of these recorded examples are graded CGC Gem Mint 10 and CGC Pristine 10.
Gengar ex - 154/128
It's no surprise that Gengar ex is one of the hottest and most-submitted Special Illustration Rare cards from the 30th Celebration set. Gengar is an extremely popular Pokémon — up there with the likes of Pikachu and Charizard themselves — and CHORISO's card illustration is a beautiful interpretation of the Ghost-type in its natural spooky habitat. As of early October 2026, CGC has certified 128 examples of Gengar ex according to the CGC Cards Population Report, and 49 examples received a grade of CGC Pristine 10.
Mewtwo ex (Futuristic) - 157/128
The Pokémon 30th Celebration expansion introduced Futuristic Rare cards, a brand-new rarity that is currently exclusive to only two Pokémon. One half of the duo is Mewtwo ex, the Legendary Pokémon known for its brooding nature and intense personality. Mewtwo ex's Futuristic Rare has eye-popping 3D effects and stunning purple colors that really bring out the Genetic Pokémon's intimidating stature. According to the CGC Cards Population Report, CGC has already certified 129 examples of Mewtwo ex, with 61 of them graded CGC Pristine 10.
Mew ex (Futuristic) - 158/128
The other half of the Futuristic Rare duo is Mew ex, Mewtwo's signature counterpart. Mew ex is also illustrated in stunning 3D, but unlike Mewtwo, Mew's background colors are a beautiful metallic green and teal, giving the card a bright atmosphere. Both Mew ex and Mewtwo ex were illustrated by YOSHIROTTEN, who designed the cards by taking themes from his 2018 FUTURE NATURE exhibition. As of October 2026, CGC has certified 134 examples of Mew ex, according to the CGC Cards Population Report.
Mew ex - 152/128
That's right, the most submitted Special Illustration Rare card from the Pokémon 30th Celebration set isn't Pikachu ex, or even Mewtwo ex — it's the Mew ex! It's not hard to see why — the artwork is gorgeous, featuring Mew floating sleepily in a sea of plants. The illustration, along with the card's rarity, has led collectors to send their Mew ex's in for grading. Mew ex was illustrated by Kuroimori, who has done other fan-favorite illustrations for the Pokémon TCG, including the Articuno Illustration Rare from Journey Together and the Iris's Fighting Spirit Special Illustration Rare from Ascended Heroes. CGC has certified 145 examples of Mew ex, according to the CGC Cards Population Report.
About CGC
Since revolutionizing comic book grading in 2000, CGC has grown to include certification services for a vast variety of pop culture collectibles, including trading card games (TCGs), sports cards, magazines, video games, and home media. CGC also offers seamless solutions for autograph collectors with CGC Signature Series and JSA Authentic Autograph services. If you collect it, we will grade and protect it.
CGC is part of the Certified Collectibles Group, a global provider of expert and impartial authentication and grading services for collectibles. Since 1987, the Certified Collectibles Group companies have certified more than 110 million collectibles, including coins, banknotes, comic books, cards, autographs, and stamps.