First Partner Illustration Collection Series 3: Hoenn, Kalos and Paldea land in August

The third box of the First Partner Illustration Collection official date and artwork are now available. It comes out on August 7, 2026 and closes the 30th anniversary trilogy of the Pokémon TCG: if Series 1 covered Kanto, Sinnoh and Alola, and Series 2 did the same with Johto, Unova and Galar, this third installment completes the map with the initials of Hoenn, Kalos and Paldea. We review what's included in the box, what the revealed packaging confirms, how much it costs and what's still to be shown.

What is First Partner Illustration Collection

A commemorative line from The Pokémon Company for 30 years of the Trading Card Game. The idea is simple: instead of looking back at the current set, it looks back and gives exclusive artwork to the initials of each generation, the Pokémon that most of us chose when we started our first game. Each box groups together three regions and three initials, with treatment Illustration RareIllustration occupying the whole card, worked background and holography.

The contents per box are the same in all three series:

• 1 promotional envelope with 3 Illustration Rare cards from the region you play (from a pool of 9 cards in total between the three regions of each set).
• 2 envelopes from the Pokémon TCG of recent expansions.
• 1 sheet of stickers anniversary.

The important thing is the promotional cards: they come with an anniversary frame and are exclusives of this product. They are not in regular envelopes or other sets, so the only way to get them sealed is this box.

The three Series 3 regions

Hoenn (Ruby and Sapphire)

The initial third generation. Probably the most awaited for nostalgia:

• Treecko · Torchic · Mudkip

If the line keeps the pattern of Series 1 and 2 (where both initial forms and final evolutions appeared), here we could see both the initial baby and Sceptile, Blaziken and Swampert. Blaziken remains among the most coveted of the historical competitive JCC.

Kalos (X and Y)

The generation that debuted the Mega Evolution and set the bar high in design once again:

• Chespin · Fennekin · Froakie

A Greninja promo in Illustration Rare style would square perfectly with the current pull of the Mega Evolution era in Rising Chaos and company. If the art direction goes that way, this may be the most expensive Series 3 region in the singles market.

Paldea (Scarlet and Purple)

The most recent initials, still in competitive circulation:

• Sprigatito · Fuecoco · Quaxly

Paldea gives continuity to the JCC present. It is the active generation, with live competitive block and with Mega Evolutions arriving just now through the new western sets such as Growing Chaos y Ascending Heroes. These three promos close the anniversary with a nod to the current player.

What the packaging confirms

The box art revealed makes clear three points that in the previous series were leaked later:

• The two envelopes included are Pitch Black and Chaos Rising. (in Spanish version, Growing Chaos). These are the two most recent western expansions on the release date, so the box is worth double: exclusive promos + topical envelopes.
• Pitch Black is the western counterpart of Japanese Abyss Eye, with Mega Darkrai ex as header.
• The central promotional envelope sports a group illustration with all 9 Series 3 starters together: Treecko, Torchic, Mudkip, Chespin, Fennekin, Froakie, Sprigatito, Fuecoco and Quaxly.
• The box repeats the known contents: 3 Illustration Rare promo cards, 2 booster packs and 1 anniversary sticker sheet.

The detail of the confirmed booster packs increases the attractiveness of the product: for the same price as a commemorative box, you get two booster packs of the most current sets. For someone who doesn't have either Pitch Black or Rising Chaos, it's a cheap entry to those two collections.

Date and price

• LaunchAugust 7, 2026
• Official price in the U.S.14.99 USD per box
• Distribution: Pokémon Center and regular retailer network

As the first two series are already on the street, the 3 Series benefits from the run-in: a well-oiled production line, wider distribution and less risk of stock-outs on the first weekend.

What about specific promo cards?

The packaging is in, but the individual artwork for the 9 promo cards has yet to be seen. The Pokémon Company usually reveals the artwork through the Chinese JCC website with about a month's lead time over the western release. For Series 3, that would put the official reveal at early July 2026. Until then, any individual design circulating in networks is speculation.

What we can assume from the pattern of the previous two series:

• 9 cards in total in the promotional subset (3 per region).
• Mixture of initials in its three stages, with weighting on the end forms.
• Standard Illustration Rare finish, illustrated background and visible artist signature.
• Own numbering, outside the main JCC set.

How it fits into the 30th anniversary of the JCC

The Pokémon Company structured the anniversary in three staggered boxes to cover the nine main regions:

• Series 1: Kanto, Sinnoh, Alola.
• Series 2: Johto, Unova, Galar.
• Series 3: Hoenn, Kalos, Paldea.

Series 3 covers all generations of Pokémon in this promotional format. One series per quarter, more or less, and a clean anniversary close.

If you started the collection with the first box, in ShinyHit we still have available the First Partner Illustration Collection Series 1 in Spanish version.

What to watch for in the secondary market

Three reasonable bets, based on Series 1 and 2 patterns and which starters have historically moved the most in singles:

• Blaziken (Hoenn)Combination of nostalgia, competitive history and iconic design. Clear candidate for subset chase.
• Greninja (Kalos)The most popular modern starter. Any new Greninja card goes up.
• Skeledirge (Paldea): current competitive weight and very photogenic aesthetics, especially if the promo bets on the moment of the solo.

This is speculation on our part based on how the Series 1 and 2 promos have performed in the singles market. Until The Pokémon Company releases official images, no pricing is locked in.

To be clear

The First Partner Illustration Collection Series 3 arrives on August 7 with the initials of Hoenn, Kalos and Paldea, same format as the previous two: promotional envelope with 3 Illustration Rare, two normal envelopes and sticker sheet. The exact cards will be known in early July, via the Chinese JCC website. And with it the 30th anniversary trilogy comes to an end.

If you want to secure your Series 3 when we open presales, keep an eye on the blog and the reservations of ShinyHit.