Pokemon First Partner Illustration Collection vs Japanese Starter Sets

What the First Partner Illustration Collection Contains

Every official product page opens with the idea that a Trainer’s journey begins with a first partner, and each one describes the same box: a booster pack containing three of nine illustration rare-style promo cards of beloved first partner Pokemon, two more Pokemon TCG booster packs and a sticker sheet featuring first partner Pokemon friends. The includes line on all three pages reads 1 Pokemon TCG pack containing 3 of 9 promo cards, 2 Pokemon TCG booster packs and 1 sticker sheet. The pages say the collections are sold at the Pokemon Center and where Pokemon TCG products are sold.

The wording matters for a buyer comparing formats. The three promos in a box come from a pack, so the trio is drawn from nine candidates for that series. Which two expansions the booster packs come from is a separate question the official pages do not answer; Bulbapedia’s merchandise page, as of October 2, 2026, says the packs were typically one each from two Mega Evolution Series sets, and that pairing is reported by Bulbapedia, not stated by the publisher.

The 27 Promo Cards: MEP 037 to 063

The promo list is regular enough to set out by region. Each row gives the three cards of one region in Grass, Fire and Water order, with the MEP number of each as Limitless TCG prints it.

Hit points run from 60 to 90 across the 27 cards. Turtwig and Fuecoco carry 90 HP, Chimchar, Snivy and Torchic carry 60, and most of the rest sit at 70 or 80. Limitless lists no other print of any of the 27 cards, English or Japanese, as of October 2, 2026.

The sticker sheet and the two booster packs are the other parts of the box, but the promos are what the line is built around, and they are why the Japanese side matters. Japan has not released these cards under the First Partner name. Bulbapedia’s card pages say the Japanese release is the 30th CELEBRATION Card Set.

The Japanese Starter Set ex Decks

The official pokemon-card.com page for MEGA Starter Set ex lists three products, each at ¥1,800 with tax and released on Friday, July 31, 2026. Ogni box contiene one 60-card deck, one damage counter and marker sheet, one Pokemon coin, one playmat, one player’s guide and one rules booklet. The page notes that decks of this kind repeat the same card several times, and that two decks are needed to play.

Only one of the three decks overlaps the English line. Sprigatito is the Paldea first partner and appears in the English collection as MEP 061; Eevee and Zorua are not among the 27 promo Pokemon. The decks are therefore siblings of a first partner product rather than versions of it.

SNKRDUNK figures are asking prices from its product pages, not sales, and each ask changes. Our listings are separate products with their own terms.

SNKRDUNK also lists three AR-labelled cards under titles that name the starter decks. Its listing for Eevee is titled “AR仕様 [MEE 020/019]”, Zorua “AR仕様 [MEZ 020/019]” and Sprigatito “AR仕様 [MEM 018/017]”. Those codes are SNKRDUNK’s naming and are not confirmed.

Older Japanese M-P Promos That Share the Names

The official Japanese database holds older M-P promos under several first partner names, and they can be mistaken for the Japanese First Partner cards. They are separate cards with their own numbers and illustrators. The database shows no rarity icon on any of them.

Quaxly 019/M-P is credited to Saboteri, the same illustrator credit as English MEP 063. A shared credit does not make the cards the same print: Bulbapedia numbers the First Partner Quaxly as 127/M-P, so 019/M-P is a different card. The same rule applies to the other three rows, which carry different illustrators from the English promos.

A buyer who searches by Pokemon name and finds an M-P Sprigatito, Fuecoco or Quaxly should read the number before assuming it is the Japanese twin of a First Partner promo. Numbers 017, 018 and 019 and 001 are earlier cards; the cards Bulbapedia assigns to the First Partner line are numbered from 101 to 127.

Buying Checklist: English Collection or Japanese Starter Product

The choice between the English collection and its Japanese counterparts is a choice between three different jobs.

• Decide whether you want a deck or promos. The Starter Set ex is a playable 60-card deck with no booster pack. The card set is promos and packs. The English collection is promos, boosters and stickers in one box.
• Read the series, not just the name. A Kanto, Sinnoh or Alola Pokemon sits in Series 1, Johto, Unova or Galar in Series 2, and Hoenn, Kalos or Paldea in Series 3.
• Check the number on any M-P card. The cards Bulbapedia assigns to the First Partner line are 101 to 127; 017, 018, 019 and 001 are older promos.
• Treat Japanese promo numbers as reported. They come from Bulbapedia’s card pages (October 2, 2026).
• Use dated asks. A SNKRDUNK figure is an asking price on one day. Treat each as a reference point and look at the date next to it.
• Match the product to the price. Compare a deck against a deck: the three Starter Set ex products carry different prices, and the Eevee ex deck differs from the other two.

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