30th Anniversary Pull Rates Revealed (They’re Insane)
Barno
Pokémon collector since the 90s
The 30th Anniversary Pokémon set's pull rates are some of the best we've seen in years.
Every single pack guarantees a holo Pikachu, and on top of that you're looking at roughly 1 in 5 packs for a standard ex, 1 in 6 for an Illustration Rare, and a genuinely trustworthy ~5.5% shot at a Special Illustration Rare.
I pulled four of the Mew Futuristic Rares and 5 SIRs on release day alone. I know how that sounds ~like I'm bragging~ but genuinely, go and open a box yourself and tell me this set isn't hitting different 😅
| Card Tier | Pull Rate | Roughly |
|---|---|---|
| Holo Pikachu (guaranteed) | 100% | Every pack |
| Standard ex | 22% | 1 in 5 packs |
| Illustration Rare (IR) | 18–20% | 1 in 6 packs |
| Classic reprint (gold border) | 10% | 1 in 10 packs |
| Special Illustration Rare (SIR) | 5–5.5% | 1 in 18 packs |
| Futuristic Rare (Mewtwo ex / Mew ex) | 0.7–1.2% | 1 in 82–140 packs |
A couple of things jump out immediately:
Just under 6 in 10 packs deliver something beyond the guaranteed Pikachu
The Futuristic Rare tier (the two Mewtwo ex and Mew ex cards) is thin on paper, sitting around 1% depending on which sample you look at
Holos have a 100% pull rate because there are no basic/bulk cards in the 30th Anniversary set
Pikachu pull rates (1 in every pack)
Every 30th Anniversary pack includes 1 of 30 different Pikachu cards, each illustrated by a different artist. You're chasing 30 distinct cards, which means every pack feels like a hit.
Every 30th Anniversary pack has one of 30 Pikachus.
Standard ex pull rate: ~1 in 5 packs
Sitting at roughly 22%, the standard (non-full-art) ex is comfortably the most common secondary hit in the set.
Think Umbreon ex, Jirachi ex, non-SIR Mewtwo ex, and dozens more turning up across every large sample opened so far. If you're ripping packs expecting a hit beyond the Pikachu, this is the one you'll get most often.
Illustration Rare (IR) pull rate: ~1 in 6 packs
IRs land around 18–20%, which works out to roughly one every 5 or 6 packs.
Meowth, Maushold, Lapras, Gholdengo, and Moltres lead the pack in terms of frequency. Solid mid-tier hit rate, consistent with what you'd expect from a full-art illustration tier.
Classic reprint pull rate: ~1 in 10 packs
The gold-border reprints — thirty vintage cards including Charizard, Shining Celebi, Crystal Lugia, Metagross, and even Magikarp — are pullable from standard packs at around 10%.
👋 Worth knowing: The 30th Anniversary UPC has one Classic Collection Pack which guarantees three reprints. It's the only way to get reprints without relying on the ~10% pack odds. Check the Pokémon UK release calendar to see when they’re coming.
Pull rates for classic reprints are ~1 in 10 packs.
Special Illustration Rare (SIR) pull rate: ~1 in 18 packs
SIRs have settled around 5–5.5% across larger samples. Pikachu, Fuecoco ex, Gengar ex, and Salamence lead the named pulls.
The catch: the set has a dozen-plus different SIRs, so while the overall tier rate is solid, your odds of a specific named SIR are far longer than 1 in 18.
Futuristic Rare pull rate: ~1 in 82 to 140 packs
The rarest tier in the set by a wide margin, sitting between 0.7% and 1.2% depending on the sample. This is the YOSHIROTTEN-illustrated Mewtwo ex and Mew ex — the set's marquee digital fine-art pieces and genuinely the top of the pile.
Pulling four of these on release day is exactly as lucky as it sounds; most samples put this at roughly 1 in 100 packs or rarer.
Should you open or buy singles?
Open if you want the Pikachu experience and don't mind that under half your packs will be Pikachu-only. Open if the gold-border reprints and the base set itself are the appeal.
Buy singles if you have one specific card in mind: a named SIR, a particular reprint, the Maushold IR. The set has a dozen-plus SIRs alone, so even a solid overall SIR rate spreads painfully thin once you're chasing one exact card.
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30th Anniversary Pokémon pull rates: FAQ
Does every 30th Anniversary pack guarantee a Pikachu?
Yes. Every pack includes 1 of 30 different holo Pikachu cards, each with unique artwork from a different illustrator.
What are the odds of pulling a Futuristic Rare?
Roughly 1 in 100 to 1 in 140 packs, depending on the sample. It's the rarest tier in the set by a wide margin — the two Mewtwo ex and Mew ex FUR cards sit right at the top.
Are the gold-border classic reprints only in the Ultra Premium Collection?
No — they're confirmed pullable from standard packs and binder collections at around 10%, though the UPC's Classic Collection Pack does guarantee three of them.
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