A few months ago, The Pokemon Company trademarked “The Glory of Team Rocket,” sparking hopes of a brand-new Team Rocket-focused set in the Pokemon TCG. Then, at last year’s World Championships, it shared a brief teaser with Rocket’s ‘R’, adding fuel to the fire.
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It later turned out that Team Rocket would be part of the ‘Owners Pokemon’ gimmick, which will officially be returning in the upcoming Journey Together set, although Rocket will be absent here.
Following a tease from Gamescom LATAM, we knew that Team Rocket wouldn’t be getting their own set in the West, and would instead be appearing as part of a new set called Destined Rivals, a set which The Pokemon Company has officially revealed today.
The Pokemon Company Unveils Destined Rivals TCG Set
The Pokemon Company has now officially confirmed the Destined Rivals TCG expansion. The set will, once again, focus on owners Pokemon, with trainers like Ethan, Misty, Cynthia, and Steven stepping into the limelight, alongside the long-awaited Team Rocket return. It is scheduled for release on May 30, 2025.
The set is confirmed to include cards like Ethan’s Ho-Oh ex and Cynthia’s Garchomp ex, both of which have been seen in the recent Japanese set, Heat Wave Arena. It has also teased Rocket’s Mewtwo ex and Arven’s Mabosstiff ex.
Based on cards revealed from these upcoming Japanese expansions, we know the set will likely also include Ethan’s Pichu, Misty’s Psyduck and Lapras, Cynthia’s Roserade, Steven’s Beldum, Rocket’s Meowth and Marnie’s Morpeko.
The Pokemon Company has confirmed that Destined Rivals will include:
- 83 new cards tagged as Team Rocket’s
- 17 Pokémon ex, including 10 Trainer’s Pokémon ex
- 23 illustration rare Pokémon
- 11 special illustration rare Pokémon
- Six hyper rare gold-etched cards
The set is leaning heavily into the return of Team Rocket, with Giovanni and Mewtwo emblazoned on the front of the Elite Trainer Box and the team taking up two of the four pack artworks. The other two feature Cynthia and Garchomp and Ethan and Ho-Oh.
The announcement follows hot on the heels of Pokemon confirming The Glory of Team Rocket in Japan. In a time when the Pokemon TCG is more popular than ever, expansions as good as this are only going to make products even more challenging to come by.
- Original Release Date
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October 20, 1996
- Player Count
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2
- Age Recommendation
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6+
- Length per Game
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Variable
- Franchise Name
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Pokemon