Overview
The Pokémon Company has announced the First Partner Illustration Collection Series 2, ensuring that our wallets will not be recovering anytime soon as they shift focus to the Johto, Unova, and Galar starters.
Highlights
- Series 2 Announced: Scheduled for a June 19, 2026 release, giving everyone just enough time to forget the stress of the Series 1 launch.
- Featured Regions: Generation 2 (Johto), Generation 5 (Unova), and Generation 8 (Galar) finally get their turn in the illustration rare spotlight.
- Series 1 Context: Follows the March 20, 2026 release of Series 1, which featured Kanto, Sinnoh, and Alola, and immediately sold out.
- What’s Inside: For a modest $15.99 MSRP, buyers receive a promo pack with 3 of 9 promos, a sticker sheet, and 2 standard TCG booster packs.
Gen 2 Rises Up: First Partner Illustration Collection Series 2 Revealed
It appears The Pokémon Company is fully committed to capitalizing on our collective 30th Anniversary nostalgia. In a move that surprised absolutely no one, the First Partner Illustration Collection Series 2 has been officially slated for a June 19, 2026 release. Following the exact formula of the previous wave, this set features illustration rare-style promo cards dedicated to the first partner Pokémon, this time pulling from the Johto, Unova, and Galar regions. Fans of Generation 2 can now look forward to seeing Chikorita, Cyndaquil, and Totodile receive modern art treatments, assuming they can actually manage to buy a box.
This announcement arrives shortly after the First Partner Illustration Collection Series 1 hit retail shelves on March 20. The debut collection kicked off the anniversary by focusing on Kanto, Sinnoh, and Alola. At a $15.99 MSRP, the Series 1 boxes offered undeniable value, which naturally meant they were instantly swarmed by scalpers and dedicated collectors alike. Along with the promos and a sticker sheet, Series 1 included two recent TCG booster packs, a trend that will undoubtedly continue in Series 2.
Here’s a look at Series 1
As June 19 approaches, it might be wise to prepare for another retail battle. Securing the Johto, Unova, and Galar starters will likely require the same dedication it took to find Series 1 in the wild. Given the obvious trajectory, a Series 3 featuring Hoenn, Kalos, and Paldea is an inevitable conclusion to this rollout. We will continue to monitor the situation and provide the official card art reveals for Series 2 when The Pokémon Company decides to share them.
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