For Pokémon's 30th anniversary, The Pokémon Company put out three waves of First Partner Illustration Collections through 2026. Each one is built around a special promo booster containing three Illustration Rare starter cards from a trio of regions — a follow-up to those jumbo First Partner packs from 2021, but at standard card size, with new artwork, and at a price that's actually reasonable.
The format is the same across all three series: one promo pack (3 of 9 cards at random), two regular boosters, and a sticker sheet — all for $14.99. The nine promos in each series form three connected panoramic scenes, one per region, so the full artwork only shows when you lay all three cards out together. Every card is illustrated by Saboteri.
Series 1 and Series 2 are out. Series 3 releases on 7 August 2026 and completes the run at 27 cards, numbered MEP 037 through MEP 063. Every English card from all three series is pictured below.
What's in the Box
| Contents | Detail |
|---|---|
| Promo booster pack | 1 pack containing 3 of 9 Illustration Rare promo cards — each series spans 3 Pokémon regions (9 regions total across all three series), with the specific cards random within that series |
| TCG booster packs | 2 assorted Pokémon TCG booster packs |
| Sticker sheet | 9 individual stickers featuring first partner Pokémon from the series' regions |
| Retail price | $14.99 / £14.99 |
| Release dates | Series 1 — 30 March 2026 · Series 2 — 19 June 2026 · Series 3 — 7 August 2026 |
Collecting tip: Each pack contains only 3 of the 9 cards at random. To complete a full set of nine you'll typically need three to four boxes — or trade duplicates. The regional trios are each printed on the same print sheet, so distribution between Kanto, Sinnoh, and Alola cards appears roughly even.
Series 1 — Kanto, Sinnoh & Alola
Series 1 launched on 30 March 2026 with the Kanto trio alongside Sinnoh and Alola starters. The artwork leans into each region's identity: Kanto cards feature Gym Badges and the original Pokédex, Sinnoh ones have the Pokétch front and centre, and the Alola trio is framed with Z-Crystals.
Kanto — Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle
Sinnoh — Turtwig, Chimchar, Piplup
Alola — Rowlet, Litten, Popplio
Market note: The Kanto starters are the chase pulls of Series 1. Charmander (#038) has been going for around $36, Squirtle (#039) at $32, and Bulbasaur (#037) at roughly $25 — all well above the $14.99 box price. Sinnoh and Alola cards sit lower, though Piplup has a following and tends to trade around $16. Series 1 hit shelves and was gone same day at most stores.
Partner Network · First Partner Illustration Collection — Series 1Series 2 — Johto, Unova & Galar
Series 2 released on 19 June 2026 in the same format as Series 1. It covers Johto (Chikorita, Cyndaquil, Totodile), Unova (Snivy, Tepig, Oshawott), and Galar (Grookey, Scorbunny, Sobble) — nine Illustration Rare promos numbered MEP 046 through MEP 054, three per region, distributed at random.
Johto — Chikorita, Cyndaquil, Totodile
Unova — Snivy, Tepig, Oshawott
Galar — Grookey, Scorbunny, Sobble
Series 3 — Hoenn, Kalos & Paldea · out 7 August 2026
Release date: Series 3 goes on sale Friday 7 August 2026 at $14.99, at Pokémon Center and participating retailers. It is the last of the three waves — after this, all 27 starter promos are out.
Series 3 closes out the run with Hoenn (Treecko, Torchic, Mudkip), Kalos (Chespin, Fennekin, Froakie), and Paldea (Sprigatito, Fuecoco, Quaxly), numbered MEP 055 through MEP 063. Saboteri illustrated all nine, same as the previous two waves, and each regional trio again forms one continuous scene across its three cards.
Hoenn — Treecko, Torchic, Mudkip
Kalos — Chespin, Fennekin, Froakie
Paldea — Sprigatito, Fuecoco, Quaxly
Partner Network · First Partner Illustration Collection — Series 3Every Card Number — MEP 037 to MEP 063
All 27 promos sit in the same MEP (Mega Evolution Promos) black star run, numbered in an unbroken block from 037 to 063. Within each region the order is grass, fire, water.
| Series | Region | Cards |
|---|---|---|
| Series 1 | Kanto | MEP 037 Bulbasaur · MEP 038 Charmander · MEP 039 Squirtle |
| Series 1 | Sinnoh | MEP 040 Turtwig · MEP 041 Chimchar · MEP 042 Piplup |
| Series 1 | Alola | MEP 043 Rowlet · MEP 044 Litten · MEP 045 Popplio |
| Series 2 | Johto | MEP 046 Chikorita · MEP 047 Cyndaquil · MEP 048 Totodile |
| Series 2 | Unova | MEP 049 Snivy · MEP 050 Tepig · MEP 051 Oshawott |
| Series 2 | Galar | MEP 052 Grookey · MEP 053 Scorbunny · MEP 054 Sobble |
| Series 3 | Hoenn | MEP 055 Treecko · MEP 056 Torchic · MEP 057 Mudkip |
| Series 3 | Kalos | MEP 058 Chespin · MEP 059 Fennekin · MEP 060 Froakie |
| Series 3 | Paldea | MEP 061 Sprigatito · MEP 062 Fuecoco · MEP 063 Quaxly |
Full picture: Across all three series, the First Partner Illustration Collections cover all 27 starter Pokémon from every generation — each one in the Illustration Rare style, exclusive to these products. None of the 27 promos appear in any regular booster set.