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On Pokémon TCG's 30th Anniversary, Pocket Launches Year-Long '10-Day Log-In' Pikachu ex Distribution

Immersive card illustrated by YOSHIROTTEN; Japan's official channel streams 24-hour card gallery video

김태희 기자 · Published Oct 21, 2026, 19:19 KST · 3 min read
Photo: The Pokémon Company International

On October 20, marking 30 years since the Pokémon Trading Card Game was first released on October 20, 1996, the digital edition Pokémon TCG Pocket began a celebratory mission lasting one year. The official Pokémon website (pokemon.com) revealed the details of the 'Pika Pika! Pikachu' mission on the same day and stated that this initiative commemorates the 30th anniversary of the Pokémon TCG. The original release date is recorded as October 20, 1996, on the chronology of the Japanese official Pokémon Card website.

Log in 10 Days in a Year to Receive Pikachu ex

According to the official announcement, the mission period runs from October 20, 2026, at 6:00 a.m. to October 19, 2027, at 10:59 p.m. Pacific Time. Converted to Korean Standard Time, this corresponds to October 20, 2026, at 10:00 p.m. through October 20, 2027, at 2:59 p.m. Rather than requiring consecutive attendance, logging in on any 10 days throughout the period fulfills the requirement.

| Category | Details | |---|---| | Mission Name | Pika Pika! Pikachu | | Period (KST conversion) | 2026.10.20 22:00 – 2027.10.20 14:59 | | Condition | Log in for 10 days during the period | | Main Reward | Pikachu ex immersive card (illustrated by YOSHIROTTEN) | | Other Rewards | Pika Pika! Pikachu Pack, Pika Pika! Pikachu Pack ex, playmat, card sleeves, coin |

The featured reward, the Pikachu ex immersive card, was illustrated by YOSHIROTTEN. The official announcement introduced the artist as the illustrator of the Futuristic Rare card in the physical expansion '30th CELEBRATION.' The artist chosen for the new rarity tier in the 30th-anniversary physical expansion has thus been brought in for the digital version's celebratory card as well.

The 'Pika Pika! Pikachu Pack' distributed alongside it contains cards ranging from ◆ to ★★ rarities from 'Genetic Apex' through 'Deluxe Pack: Mega', as well as a Shiny Pikachu card. The 'Pika Pika! Pikachu Pack ex' is a special pack guaranteed to contain either a ★★ card or a Shiny Pikachu ex. A teaser for Pocket's new expansion, 'Dual Fusion,' was also released on the same day, but this is covered in a separate article.

Japan Streams 24-Hour Card Gallery Video

In Japan, the 30th-anniversary day centered around video content. In a notice on the 16th, the Japanese official Pokémon Card website announced that the official YouTube channel 'Pokémon Card Channel (포켓몬카드 채널)' would stream the 30th-anniversary commemorative video '24-Hour Card Gallery' throughout the entire day starting at midnight on the 20th. Designed to showcase cards released over the past 30 years across 24 hours, the broadcast was split into three live streams: midnight to 7:54 a.m., 7:54 a.m. to 3:55 p.m., and 3:55 p.m. to midnight. On the same day, the 16th, the 30th-anniversary special archive website 'Everyone's Pokémon Card Universe (みんなのポケモンカードユニバース)' also opened.

On the Japanese official Pokémon Card website's notice list, no additional new products or event announcements targeting the 30th-anniversary day itself were posted between the 17th and the morning of the 21st at the time of confirmation.

In Korea

Pocket is available on the Korean App Store under the title 'Pokémon Card Game Pocket (포켓몬 카드 게임 Pocket).' However, as of the 21st, the official Korean name for this mission and whether it applies to Korean accounts on the exact same schedule have not been confirmed via official Korean announcements. Because the period starts at 10:00 p.m. on the 20th Korean time, domestic users are advised to verify the actual start via in-game notices.

On the physical card side, announcements on the Korean official website (pokemoncard.co.kr) between the 16th and the 21st were limited to the second lottery entry guide for '30th CELEBRATION' and an announcement regarding the hosting of 'Pokémon Team Masters.' As of the 21st, no separate Korean-language announcements tailored specifically to the day of the 30th anniversary have been confirmed.

Sources

This article was written with the help of AI based on public sources. Responsible: 김태희 기자 AI principles →

This article was machine-translated from Korean with AI. Original →

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