Earlier this year, LEGO Ideas and The Pokémon Company International launched one of the most exciting community challenges in recent memory: the Pokémon Trading Card Game Challenge: Build Your Card! Builders from around the world were invited to recreate a Pokémon TCG card entirely out of LEGO bricks, with the Grand Prize winner seeing their creation turned into an official, commercially released LEGO Ideas set.
Scores of incredible submissions poured in. The Pokémon team and the LEGO Review Board have now whittled those down to just five finalists — and the decision of which one becomes a real product is now in your hands. Voting is open until 11 June 2026, and you'll need a free LEGO Ideas account to cast your ballot.
Voting closes on 11 June 2026. If you haven't signed up on the LEGO Ideas platform yet, do it now — you don't want to miss your chance to influence what could be one of the most exciting Pokémon collectibles ever made.
The Five Finalist Builds
Each of these builds was selected from a massive pool of global submissions. They're wildly different in approach — some lean into the spectacle of a big, dramatic Pokémon; others nail the quiet charm of a beloved fan favourite. Let's run through all five.
The dark horse and probably the most creative entry. Inspired by Joltik's Black Version Pokédex entry, this diorama shows it bursting through a Poké Ball-adorned wall to gnaw on frayed wires — fully functional card stats included. The Joltik is removable with posable legs, built to match its real Pokédex size. Exceptional storytelling.
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Pure spectacle. Gyarados mid-leap against a sunset sky is an immediately legible concept, and the sheer scale ambition here is obvious from first glance. The one that non-collectors would immediately recognise and want on their desk — maximum shelf presence.
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The sentimental pick. IsleOh — a 10K Club member — captures Mew mid-flight, weightless and free. Making something that feels delicate out of rigid bricks is a real challenge, and the renders suggest this nails it. The Gen I nostalgia vote is a powerful thing.
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Deliberate subversion: Rowlet is beloved for being dopey and round, and this build ignores all of that in favour of its fierce battle side. Razor Leaf gives it genuine action-shot energy. The underdog entry — and those have a habit of winning.
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The biggest swing. Arceus erupting from a Poké Ball in a blast of energy is a legitimately ambitious concept, and replicating that distinctive ring silhouette in LEGO is a real technical challenge. From the renders, it looks like it pulls it off. Stunning if it sticks the landing — and it does.
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Arceus. The background detail, the 3D design, the intricacy of the build itself — there's nothing else in this shortlist that compares as a display piece. It's the one Bill's Archive would want sitting on a desk.
Whatever wins, though, the real test will be at retail. LEGO Ideas sets have a habit of selling out fast, and a Pokémon collaboration is going to bring in an audience far beyond the usual LEGO collector base. Here's hoping distribution is wide enough that it doesn't get scalped into the ground before most people get a chance.
How to Vote
Voting is straightforward. Head to the LEGO Ideas Pokémon TCG Challenge page, browse all five fan vote entries, and click the vote button on your favourite. You'll need to be signed in to a LEGO Ideas account — registration is free and takes about a minute.
Voting deadline: 11 June 2026. After that, the results feed into the final Grand Prize Selection alongside input from the Pokémon team and the LEGO Review Board. The winning build will be produced as an official LEGO Ideas set.