The 30th Celebration Binder Collection pairs a 9-pocket binder with five English packs; Japan’s M6a 30th CELEBRATION box is a sealed box of packs.
The English Pokémon TCG: 30th Celebration Binder Collection is listed on pokemon.com’s product gallery with a launch date of December 4, 2026, a 9-pocket binder and 5 booster packs. Japan’s M6a 拡張パック「30th CELEBRATION」 box was released on September 16, 2026, and the official Japanese notice of June 8, 2026 gives it a tax-included price of ¥7,200. Both are official sources as of September 29, 2026.
Side by side, the two products have different shapes: one is a collector’s accessory with a small serving of packs, the other is a sealed box of packs and nothing else. We sell Japanese sealed product and graded singles from Tokyo. Yen prices convert to dollars at ¥154/USD.
The Binder Collection’s official date is December 4, 2026, and its official contents are a 9-pocket binder plus 5 booster packs. No official page states a US price. The Japanese counterpart to open packs from is the sealed M6a 30th CELEBRATION booster box, currently listed at ¥24,513 (~$159) for the No Shrink option. No official page says the English set and the Japanese set match card for card.
- As of September 29, 2026, the product page and the June 30, 2026 product showcase on pokemon.com both give December 4, 2026 for the Binder Collection.
- A PokeBeach lineup article of June 30, 2026 gave October 2, 2026 for the same product; that date does not appear on either official page.
- As of September 29, 2026, the Japanese M6a set, Premium Deck Set and FUTURISTIC BOX are all dated September 16, 2026 on the official Japanese pages.
- Card list for the Japanese set: 30th CELEBRATION (M6a) card list.
What the Binder Collection Officially Includes
The official product page for the Pokémon TCG: 30th Celebration Binder Collection lists two items as of September 29, 2026.
| Detail | What the official page states | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Official name | Pokémon TCG: 30th Celebration Binder Collection | Official |
| Launch date | December 4, 2026 | Official |
| Binder | A thematic 9-pocket binder | Official |
| Booster packs | 5 booster packs | Official |
| Promo card | None listed in the contents line | Official page silent |
| US price | Not stated on the product page | Not stated officially |
The contents line is short: a binder and five packs. It does not mention a promo card, a card list insert or a TCG Live code, which several other products in the same lineup do list. Where an item is not on the page, it is unknown rather than absent.
December 4 or October 2: Which Date Is Official
Two dates have circulated for the Binder Collection. Only one of them appears on an official Pokémon page.
| Source | Date given | Status |
|---|---|---|
| pokemon.com product page for the Binder Collection | Launch: December 4, 2026 | Official |
| pokemon.com 30th Celebration product showcase (June 30, 2026) | December 4, 2026 | Official |
| PokeBeach full English lineup article (June 30, 2026) | October 2, 2026 | Reported, conflicts with both official pages |
The two official pages agree, and the media date conflicts with both. December 4, 2026 is the date used here. October 2, 2026 is the official date of two other products in the same lineup, the Booster Bundle and the Mini Tins, so it is easy to meet in lineup lists without belonging to the Binder.
The English expansion itself was released worldwide on September 16, 2026.
Where the Binder Sits in the English 30th Celebration Lineup
The English lineup is a run of collections, boxes and tins dated from September 16 to December 4, 2026. The dates and contents below are the official ones from the pokemon.com product gallery, the product showcase and the September 2026 release list.
| Product | Official date | Official contents |
|---|---|---|
| Knock Out Collection | September 16, 2026 | Foil Eevee card, plastic coin, 2 booster packs |
| Tech Sticker Collection | September 16, 2026 | 1 foil promo (Alolan Exeggutor or Lucario), sticker sheet, 3 booster packs |
| Poster Collection | September 16, 2026 | 3 foil promos (Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres), double-sided poster, 3 booster packs |
| Pokémon ex Box: Sylveon ex & Greninja ex | September 16, 2026 | Foil promo and oversize foil, 4 booster packs |
| Elite Trainer Box | September 16, 2026 | 9 booster packs, full-art Nidorina promo, 16 foil Basic Energy, 65 sleeves, dice, coin, collector’s box, TCG Live code |
| Pokémon Center Elite Trainer Box | September 16, 2026 | 11 booster packs, 2 full-art Nidorina promos, 16 foil Basic Energy, 65 sleeves, dice, coin, collector’s box, TCG Live code |
| Booster Bundle | October 2, 2026 | 6 booster packs |
| Mini Tins | October 2, 2026 | 2 booster packs, sticker sheet, art card |
| Battle Deck: Espeon ex & Umbreon ex | October 30, 2026 | 60-card all-foil deck, deck box, coin, playmat, illustration rare-style Victini or Zeraora |
| Ditto Premium Collection | November 6, 2026 | Ditto promo, acrylic card display, 8 booster packs, TCG Live code |
| Ultra-Premium Collections: Day & Night | November 6, 2026 | Foil Pikachu ex promo, foil Espeon ex or Umbreon ex promo, playmat, 65 sleeves, deck box, metal coin, 6 dice, 29 booster packs, 1 Classic Collection pack |
| Figure Collection: Mew & Mewtwo | November 6, 2026 | Foil promo and oversize foil, Kaiyodo figure, 5 booster packs |
| Binder Collection | December 4, 2026 | 9-pocket binder, 5 booster packs |
PokeBeach (June 30, 2026) also lists a 30th Celebration Pokémon ex Tin dated December 4. That tin appears on no official page, so it is a media report only.
Our separate write-ups of the Figure Collection, the Knock Out Collection and the Mini Tins cover the neighbouring products.
What an English 30th Celebration Pack Contains
The five packs in the Binder Collection are ordinary English 30th Celebration boosters. The official product showcase of June 30, 2026 describes each pack as five foil cards, including one of 30 unique Pikachu illustrations, plus one foil Basic Energy card. The same page states that the packs are sold only inside products.
| English set detail | Official statement |
|---|---|
| Release | September 16, 2026, the first simultaneous worldwide release |
| Card count | Over 150 cards |
| Pikachu | 30 Pikachu rare cards, one Pikachu in each pack |
| Classic Collection | 30 iconic cards, including reprints such as Charizard from Base Set |
| Illustration rares | Over 20 new illustration rare and special illustration rare cards |
| Futuristic rares | Two cards by YOSHIROTTEN, Mewtwo and Mew |
| Standard legality | Classic Collection reprints are not legal in the Standard format |
The Binder Collection is an accessory-led product, and the official text does not present it as a route to the whole set.
The English Classic Collection reprints include a Base Set Charizard and cards from Team Up such as Pikachu and Zekrom-GX, according to the launch announcement. Our 30th Celebration complete guide covers how that reprint block is organised in the Japanese set.
The Japanese M6a Box: Pack Structure and MSRP
Japan’s counterpart product is the MEGA expansion pack 「30th CELEBRATION」, set code M6a. The official Japanese pages give the details in the table below.
| Detail | Japanese official page |
|---|---|
| Release | September 16, 2026 |
| Pack price | ¥360 (~$2), tax included |
| Pack contents | 6 foil cards, a Basic Energy guaranteed in each pack, YOSHIROTTEN energy design |
| Box price | ¥7,200 (~$47), tax included (notice of June 8, 2026) |
| Packs per box | The official page does not state packs per box |
| Pikachu | 30 Pikachu by 30 illustrators |
| Classic reprints | 30 historic cards reprinted in a special specification, not Standard-legal |
In Japan the box was distributed through lotteries. The June 8, 2026 notice says most winning slots were prepared for identity-verified accounts, and that users without identity verification could still apply with a lower chance of winning. Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo ran a separate pack lottery with a limit of 10 packs per person.
Binder Collection vs the Japanese M6a Box
The spec table puts the two products on the same rows. English figures come from the pokemon.com pages; Japanese figures come from the pokemon-card.com pages and the 30th anniversary site.
| Spec | English 30th Celebration Binder Collection | Japanese M6a box |
|---|---|---|
| Release | December 4, 2026 | September 16, 2026 |
| Packs | 5 | The official page does not state packs per box |
| Cards per pack | 5 foil cards plus 1 foil Basic Energy | 6 foil cards, a Basic Energy guaranteed |
| Binder | Thematic 9-pocket binder | None |
| Promo card | None listed | None in the box (promos sit in separate products) |
| Official price | Not stated officially | ¥7,200 (~$47) tax included |
| Pikachu chase | 30 Pikachu in the English set | 30 Pikachu by 30 illustrators |
| Reprints | 30 Classic Collection cards, not Standard-legal | 30 historic cards, not Standard-legal |
The English product’s proposition is the binder; the Japanese product’s is a sealed box of packs. Neither official page recommends one over the other.
Is the English Set the Japanese Set?
No official source states that the English 30th Celebration set equals the Japanese M6a set. The English pokemon.com pages do not name M6a, and the Japanese pages do not name the English product line. What both sides show is a shared set of headline features.
| Feature | English official pages | Japanese official pages | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product name | 30th Celebration | 30th CELEBRATION | Same name |
| Release day | September 16, 2026 | September 16, 2026 | Same day, described as a worldwide simultaneous release |
| 30 Pikachu | Stated | Stated, by 30 illustrators | Both sides state it |
| 30 classic cards | Stated as the Classic Collection | Stated as 30 historic cards in special specification | Both sides state it |
| YOSHIROTTEN Futuristic rares | Mewtwo and Mew | Futuristic rares by YOSHIROTTEN | Both sides state it |
| Card-by-card equivalence | Not stated | Not stated | No official mapping |
Buyers should read the table as “same name, same anniversary and same headline features”, not “same set”. A card-level comparison of one pair is in our Umbreon comparison, Japanese vs English, and the general differences between the two languages are in Japanese vs English Pokémon cards.
Precedent: Black Bolt and White Flare Binder vs Japan’s Card File
The most recent earlier case of an English binder and a Japanese file product is the Unova split set. It shows that the two markets can shape the same kind of accessory differently. No official page states that the two products correspond.
| Detail | English Black Bolt / White Flare Binder Collection | Japanese カードファイルセット |
|---|---|---|
| Release | July 18, 2025 | June 6, 2025 |
| Accessory | Thematic 9-pocket binder | 3-pocket file for 156 cards |
| Packs | 5 packs of one expansion (Black Bolt or White Flare) | 3 packs of each expansion |
| Extras | A collector’s card list | Promo Victini |
| Price | Not stated officially | ¥2,640 (~$17) tax included |
Both official sites describe the Black Bolt and White Flare pair as covering all 156 Unova Pokémon. The English binder was one binder per expansion, and the Japanese file set covered both. That is a difference in product design, and the 30th Celebration Binder Collection’s official contents are a single set, so the same question does not arise.
Japanese sealed product for the Unova pair is also part of what we list: the SV11B Black Bolt booster box, Sealed option, currently listed at ¥20,292 (~$132), and the SV11W White Flare booster box, Sealed option, currently listed at ¥20,396 (~$132).
The Japanese 30th CELEBRATION Products We List
The Japanese 30th CELEBRATION range has four main products with official prices, all shown in the table below.
| Japanese product | Official date and price (tax included) | Official contents | Our listing |
|---|---|---|---|
| M6a 30th CELEBRATION Booster Box | September 16, 2026; ¥7,200 (~$47) | Sealed box of 6-card packs with a guaranteed Basic Energy | No Shrink option ¥24,513 (~$159) |
| 30th CELEBRATION Premium Deck Set Espeon & Umbreon | September 16, 2026; ¥6,200 (~$40) | Espeon ex and Umbreon ex 60-card decks, damage sheets, coins, playmat, sliding tin double deck case | Sold out at the time of this update |
| 30th CELEBRATION FUTURISTIC BOX | September 16, 2026; ¥27,500 (~$179), Pokémon Center Online only | 2 FUR Pikachu ex promos, 2 coins, 12 metal damage dice, deck shields, flip deck case, display frame, rubber playmat | ¥67,559 (~$439) (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order) |
| 30th CELEBRATION Card Set x9 | October 16, 2026; ¥1,200 (~$8) each, ¥10,800 (~$70) for the nine-type set | Foil first-partner promo cards, 2 packs, paper card stand | Card Set All 9 Types sold out at the time of this update — restock requests go through Quick Order |
The listed prices are our own store prices and are not the official Japanese MSRPs in the second column. The full Japanese product family, including the accessories, is covered in every Japanese 30th Celebration product.
What Is Still Unknown About the Binder
Several questions that a buyer would reasonably ask have no answer on the official pages as of September 29, 2026.
| Question | What the official pages say |
|---|---|
| Which retailers carry it? | The gallery pages say only “the Pokémon Center and where Pokémon TCG products are sold”; no exhaustive retailer list is given. |
| Is there a card list insert? | Not mentioned; the Black Bolt and White Flare binder page did list one. |
| Is there a Japanese binder product? | None appears among the Japanese 30th CELEBRATION products with official prices above. |
Decide whether you want a binder (an English accessory product) or packs (a Japanese sealed box). Check the launch date on pokemon.com rather than a lineup article. Treat any US price as media until pokemon.com states one. If you want the Japanese cards, use the M6a card list to see exactly which numbers you are opening for.
Where to Buy the Japanese Alternative from Japan
The Binder Collection is an English retail product listed on pokemon.com. The Japanese product to open packs from is the sealed box, and we list it together with the Premium Deck Set and the FUTURISTIC BOX.
- M6a 30th CELEBRATION Booster Box — currently listed at ¥24,513 (~$159) for the No Shrink option.
- 30th CELEBRATION Premium Deck Set Espeon & Umbreon — sold out at the time of this update — restock requests go through Quick Order.
- 30th CELEBRATION FUTURISTIC BOX — currently listed at ¥67,559 (~$439) (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order).
Browse the Pokémon card box collection, the MEGA card list hub and the M6a card list. For anything not listed, use Quick Order. How the ordering itself works is in how to buy Japanese Pokémon cards from Japan.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the 30th Celebration Binder Collection release?
The official pokemon.com product page and the June 30, 2026 product showcase both give December 4, 2026. A PokeBeach lineup article of the same date said October 2, 2026, which conflicts with both official pages. December 4, 2026 is the launch date used here.
How many booster packs are in the 30th Celebration Binder Collection?
Five. The official contents are a thematic 9-pocket binder and 5 booster packs. Each English 30th Celebration pack holds five foil cards, including one of 30 Pikachu illustrations, plus one foil Basic Energy card. The official page lists no promo card, and the packs are sold only inside products.
How much does the 30th Celebration Binder Collection cost?
No official page states a US price for the Binder Collection as of September 29, 2026. The Japanese M6a box, by comparison, has an official Japanese price of ¥7,200 (~$47) tax included from the June 8, 2026 notice, and the pack is ¥360 (~$2).
How many cards are in the English 30th Celebration set?
The official English page says over 150 cards. That includes 30 Pikachu rare cards, 30 Classic Collection cards, over 20 new illustration rare and special illustration rare cards, and two Futuristic rare cards by YOSHIROTTEN, Mewtwo and Mew. A more exact English count is not stated officially.
When did the Japanese M6a 30th CELEBRATION set release?
September 16, 2026, the same day as the English set. The Japanese pages describe it as a worldwide simultaneous release, the first for the card game, with some regions excluded. The Japanese pack is 6 foil cards at ¥360 (~$2) tax included, with a Basic Energy guaranteed in each pack.
How much does the Japanese M6a booster box cost?
The official Japanese price is ¥7,200 (~$47) tax included, from the June 8, 2026 notice. Our store lists the M6a box separately: the No Shrink option is currently listed at ¥24,513 (~$159). Our price is a store price, so it differs from the Japanese MSRP.
Is the English 30th Celebration set the same as Japan’s M6a?
No official source says so. Both sides share the name, the September 16, 2026 release day, 30 Pikachu, 30 classic cards and YOSHIROTTEN Futuristic rares, but neither publishes a card-by-card mapping. Read them as sharing a name and headline features, not as the same set.
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