In 30th Celebration each of the three birds carries an Ability that only switches on when the other two are in play, and all three also get a shared AR secret-rare treatment across three consecutive-ish numbers. If you’re searching for how the legendary birds 30th Celebration cards work as a set, this is the full breakdown — the regular prints, the AR block, the synergy between the three Abilities, and what comparable graded copies are currently listed at.
All three birds share one illustrator across their regular prints — HYOGONOSUKE — which is unusual for a trio this prominent and worth noting on its own. 30th Celebration (M6a) releases worldwide on 16 September 2026, five days from today, so nothing here has a real sale price yet.
Moltres (006/103), Articuno (012/103) and Zapdos (049/103) each carry an Ability that only activates when the other two birds are also in play — Fiery Flapping, Frost Flapping and Flash-Pop Flapping. All three get AR secret-rare printings at 105/103, 107/103 and 108/103, confirmed by the compiled checklist published 9 September 2026, though no official AR image file is available to us for 105/107/108, so the AR artwork is not pictured here. A classic trio card, PSA10 Moltres & Zapdos & Articuno GX 035/054, is currently listed at ¥14,982 (~$97). The M6a booster box containing all three 30th Celebration prints is currently listed as a pre-order.
Today is 11 September 2026. Yen figures convert at ¥154/USD. PSA10 prices below are current listings on our site, linked; 30th Celebration singles have no sale prices yet since the set hasn’t released.
The Legendary Birds in 30th Celebration
30th Celebration’s official card list, published by The Pokémon Company on 9 September 2026, confirms Moltres, Articuno and Zapdos as three separate main-set cards: 006/103, 012/103 and 049/103. All three also appear in the set’s AR (Art Rare) secret-rare block — numbered 104–135 and compiled from official promotional images and PokeBeach’s translated checklist, not yet part of the official card database — at 105/103, 107/103 and 108/103 respectively.
No official AR image file is available to us for 105/107/108 as of 11 September 2026, so this guide shows each bird’s confirmed regular-print artwork instead and notes clearly where the AR artwork is not pictured.
Moltres 006/103 and AR 105/103
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Regular print | 006/103, illustrator HYOGONOSUKE |
| AR print | 105/103, illustrator not published |
| Type / HP | Fire / HP120 |
| Ability | Fiery Flapping |
| Attack | [R][R][C] Fire Spin — 130 damage. Discard 2 Energy from this Pokémon. |
| Weakness | Water (×2) |
Articuno 012/103 and AR 107/103
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Regular print | 012/103, illustrator HYOGONOSUKE |
| AR print | 107/103, illustrator not published |
| Type / HP | Water / HP120 |
| Ability | Frost Flapping |
| Attack | [W][W][C] Hail — 30 damage to each of your opponent’s Pokémon (no Weakness/Resistance for Benched Pokémon). |
| Weakness | Metal (×2) |
Zapdos 049/103 and AR 108/103
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Regular print | 049/103, illustrator HYOGONOSUKE |
| AR print | 108/103, illustrator not published |
| Type / HP | Lightning / HP120 |
| Ability | Flash-Pop Flapping |
| Attack | [L][L][L][C] Thundering Lightning — 210 damage. This Pokémon also does 60 damage to itself. |
| Weakness | Fighting (×2) |
The Flapping Abilities: How the Trio Connects
What makes this printing of the legendary birds notable isn’t any single card — it’s that all three Abilities are written to depend on each other. Per PokeBeach’s 9 September 2026 translation:
- Moltres — Fiery Flapping: once during your turn, if you have Articuno and Zapdos in play, you may attach a Basic [R] Energy card from your hand to this Pokémon.
- Articuno — Frost Flapping: once during your turn, if you have Moltres and Zapdos in play, you may attach a Basic [W] Energy card from your hand to this Pokémon.
- Zapdos — Flash-Pop Flapping: once during your turn, if you have Moltres and Articuno in play, you may attach a Basic [L] Energy card from your hand to this Pokémon.
Each Ability is inert on its own — it only works once the other two birds are also on your Bench or Active spot. Fielding all three at once means each turn you can attach an extra Energy to each bird beyond your one-per-turn normal Energy attachment, which is a meaningful acceleration if you can get all three into play and keep them there. This is a card-text observation from the official translation, not a competitive tier ranking; how it performs in actual play depends on the wider format once the set is legal.
English Poster Collection Promos
Per compiled EN checklists, the English-language 30th Celebration release ties Moltres, Articuno and Zapdos to a Poster Collection product as promo cards numbered 096, 097 and 098 respectively. These are separate physical cards from both the Japanese regular prints and the Japanese AR block covered above — useful context if you see “legendary birds 30th anniversary promo” referenced and are trying to work out which market it belongs to.
PSA10 Legendary Birds: What’s Currently Listed
Since 30th Celebration hasn’t released, none of the six cards covered here has a real sale price — SNKRDUNK shows no live asks on individual M6a singles as of 11 September 2026. What we do have is an active graded market for the birds’ earlier printings, including trio cards that feature all three together.
Individually, our graded market currently spans Moltres from a Master Ball Mirror copy at ¥11,869 (~$77) up to a 1st Edition Dream Kira Collection print at ¥42,982 (~$279), among the currently listed Moltres PSA10s; Articuno has multiple listings; and Zapdos includes a Zapdos ex SAR from Pokémon Card 151 at ¥28,423 (~$185) among the currently listed copies. None of these is from 30th Celebration — they’re earlier printings we currently have graded copies of.
Where to Buy
We ship Japanese sealed product and graded singles out of Tokyo with tracked delivery. The M6a booster box — the set containing all three legendary birds’ regular prints and their AR counterparts — is currently listed as a pre-order, with dispatch after the 16 September release; see the product page for the current dispatch date.
Browse the full PSA10 collection or the Japanese Pokémon card collection for other legendary-bird printings and sealed product. For our dedicated write-up on all three birds across Japanese card history, see the legendary birds cards guide. For any card not currently listed, use Quick Order to build a mixed order.
For box pricing and pre-order mechanics, see our 30th CELEBRATION booster box pre-order guide, and for every number in the set, the full 30th CELEBRATION card list.
Frequently Asked Questions
What AR numbers do Moltres, Articuno and Zapdos get in 30th Celebration?
Moltres AR is 105/103, Articuno AR is 107/103, and Zapdos AR is 108/103 — all confirmed by the compiled checklist published 9 September 2026, though no official AR image file is available to us, so the AR artwork is not pictured here.
How do the three birds’ Abilities work together?
Each bird’s Ability only activates if the other two are also in play: Moltres’s Fiery Flapping needs Articuno and Zapdos, Articuno’s Frost Flapping needs Moltres and Zapdos, and Zapdos’s Flash-Pop Flapping needs Moltres and Articuno. Each lets you attach an extra Basic Energy of the matching type once per turn.
Who illustrated the legendary birds in 30th Celebration?
All three regular prints — Moltres 006/103, Articuno 012/103 and Zapdos 049/103 — are credited to HYOGONOSUKE. AR illustrators are not published for any card in the 104–135 block.
Is there an English promo version of the legendary birds for this anniversary?
Per compiled EN checklists, yes — Moltres, Articuno and Zapdos appear as Poster Collection promos numbered 096, 097 and 098 in the English-language release, separate cards from the Japanese M6a prints.
How much is a PSA10 legendary birds trio card currently listed at?
A PSA10 Moltres & Zapdos & Articuno GX (035/054 RR) is currently listed at ¥14,982 (~$97). Individual PSA10 birds from various eras are also currently listed, separately, starting under ¥10,000 for some printings.
When does 30th Celebration release?
Wednesday, 16 September 2026, worldwide simultaneous release. Packs are ¥360 for 6 foil cards; a 20-pack box is ¥7,200 tax-in.
Samurai Sword Tokyo 1st Anniversary Sale
- Every in-stock Pokémon product is on sale
- Pre-orders are not included
- Ends when stock sells out
In-stock Pokémon products only · Pre-orders are not included · While stock lasts · Import duties, taxes and customs charges are not included in the price and are collected on delivery, except for destinations we ship duty-paid.
Picked for this article
📩 Be first when pre-orders open
Members get pre-order launch alerts by email before anyone else — allocation goes to the fastest.
