On 16 september 2026 is the time: Pokémon TCG: 30th Celebration appears worldwide. The special set celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Pokémon Trading Card Game and brings with it a large number of different products.
But what can you buy best on release?
Are you going to get as many booster packs as possible for your money? Do you want to collect interesting promos? Or is an Elite Trainer Box ultimately the better deal due to all the extras you get?
In this blog we only look at the products from the first release of september 16, 2026 and compare how much you actually get for your money.
What prices do we use?
To compare the products fairly, we use the prices of Smyths Toys Nederland.
Pokémon does not publish an official Dutch MSRP in the same way as in the United States, for example. That is why we use the prices Smyths Nederland uses for these products as a fixed Dutch retail target price.
The prices in this article have been verified on 8 september 2026. Prices can change direction or after release of course.
So we deliberately do not charge high preorder prices, Marketplace prices or other prices that may arise from scarcity and hype.
The products of September 16 compared
| Product concerned | Smyths Prize | Boosters | Price per booster |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30th Celebration 2-Pack Blister | €14,99 | 2 | €7,50 |
| Tech Sticker Collection | €22,99 | 3 | €7,66 |
| Poster Collection | €29,99 | 3 | €10,00 |
| Greninja ex / Sylveon ex Box | €29,99 | 4 | €7,50 |
| Elite Trainer Box | €69,99 | 9 | €7,78 |
It is striking that the differences between most products are actually quite small.
Only the Poster Collection stands out clearly with about €10 per booster.
But of course the price per booster does not tell the whole story. For almost every product you also get promo.
So let's look at them one by one.
30th Celebration 2-Pack Blister €14.99
The cheapest way to start 30th Celebration on September 16 is the 2-Pack Blister.
You get:
- 2× 30th Celebration booster packs
- Eevee foil promo
- Pikachu coin
For €14.99 you pay converted approximately €7,50 per booster.
And with that the blister is directly among the cheapest options of the first release.
For a relatively small amount you get two packs and an Eevee promo. Especially if you don't want to spend €30, €50 or €70 directly, this is an attractive choice.
Our judgment
- Price per booster: €7,50
- Boosters for your money:
- Extra
- Total: 8/10
Best for: with a small budget packs open.
Tech Sticker Collection €22.99
Please note: this product may seem delayed, so it may not be available immediately on the release date (16 september).
The Tech Sticker Collection is available with Lucario or Alolan Exeggutor.
You get:
- 3× 30th Celebration booster packs
- 1× foil promo by Lucario or Alolan Exeggutor
- 1× matching sticker sheet
With a Smyths price of €22.99 you pay about €7,66 per booster.
This is only €0.16 more per booster than with the cheapest options.
For that small extra prize you get an exclusive promo and the sticker sheet.
That's why we secretly find this one of the better deals from the first wave. You don't get anything on the price per booster, but you get a few extra dressings.
Our judgment
- Price per booster: €7,66
- Boosters for your money:
- Extra
- Total: 8,5/10
Best for: a good combination between packs and promo.
Poster Collection €29.99
Then we come to an interesting case: The 30th Celebration Poster Collection.
You get:
- 3× 30th Celebration booster packs
- Articuno foil promo
- Zapdos foil promo
- Moltres foil promo
- Double-sided 30th Celebration Poster
The price at Smyths is €29.99.
With this you pay almost exactly €10 per booster.
Purely for opening packs, this is the least advantageous choice of our comparison.
But there's something to that.
You will immediately receive three different promotions from the Legendary Birds and also a big anniversary poster. If you want to collect those cards, the extra price could be worth it.
However, if you were only chasing the cards from the boosters, we would skip them.
Our judgment
- Price per booster: €10,00
- Boosters for your money:
- Extra
- Total: 7/10
Best for: collectors who want the three Legendary Bird promotions.
Greninja ex / Sylveon ex Box 29,99 €
For exactly the same €29.99 as the Poster Collection, you can also choose the 30th Celebration ex Box.
And here it gets interesting.
You get:
- 4× 30th Celebration booster packs
- Greninja ex of Sylveon ex foil promo
- Oversized version of the promo
For €29.99 the price per booster is about €7,50.
That's the same price per booster as the 2-Pack Blister.
Only this box gives you four boosters at once and an ex promo and jumbo card.
Just looking at the combination of boosters and extras, we think this is perhaps the strongest deal of the first release.
For example, compare it to the Poster Collection:
Poster Collection €29.99
- 3 boosters
- 3 doctoral candidates
- Poster
ex Box 29,99 €
- 4 boosters
- ex promo
- Jumbo promo
You pay exactly the same, but get a full extra booster with the ex Box.
The choice depends mainly on how much value you attach to the three Legendary Bird PhD candidates.
Our judgment
- Price per booster: €7,50
- Boosters for your money:
- Extra
- Total: 9/10
Best for: the best combination of packs and extras.
Elite Trainer Box €69.99
Then we come to probably the most popular product of the release: The 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box.
You get:
- 9× 30th Celebration booster packs
- Nidorina foil promo
- 65 sleeves
- 16 foil Basic Energy cards
- Dice
- Mint
- Dividers
- Players' Guide
- Collector's box
Smyths asks for €69.99 for the ETB.
With nine boosters the price is about €7,78 per booster.
That's interesting.
You only pay about €0.28 more per booster than with the cheapest options from this release.
Suppose that nine boosters would cost €7.50 each, then you'll be at €67.50.
The ETB costs €69.99.
So the difference is only €2.49.
For that difference you get the Nidorina promo, sleeves, Energy cards, dice, coin, Players Guide and of course the ETB itself.
That makes the Elite Trainer Box the best all-round deal of the first release.
Our judgment
- Price per booster: €7,78
- Boosters for your money:
- Extra
- Total: 9/10
Best for: the best total package.
Binder Collection €49.99
Please note: this product may seem delayed, so it may not be available immediately on the release date (16 september).
The 30th Celebration Binder Collection is mainly intended for collectors who want to complete the new set.
You get:
- 5× 30th Celebration booster packs
- 1× Special 30th Celebration 9-pocket Binder
At Smyths Nederland, the Binder Collection costs €49.99.
With five boosters, the price is about €10,00 per booster.
Just looking at boosters, that's not cheap. In our comparison, only the Poster Collection comes at the same price per booster.
But at the Binder Collection you will not only pay for the packs.
You also get a full 9-pocket compilation album in 30th Celebration-design. If you plan to collect the set completely, that's an extra you actually need.
Suppose you would buy a loose binder of about €10 to €15, then the deal suddenly looks a lot better.
Therefore, we would not recommend the Binder Collection to anyone who simply wants to open as many boosters as possible.
But for someone who wants to collect a complete set or master set, it is precisely one of the most logical products to start with.
Our judgment
- Price per booster: €10,00
- Boosters for your money:
- Extra
- Total: 8/10
Best for: collectors who want to collect the full 30th Celebration set.
What about the Knock Out Collection?
The 30th Celebration Knock Out Collection is also scheduled for the first release of September 16th and includes two boosters, an Eevee promo and a coin.
At the time of writing, however, it is not yet available with a Dutch prize at Smyths Toys Nederland.
Because we only use Smyths prizes for this whole comparison, we don't have the Knock Out Collection in our ranking yet.
Once Smyths adds it, we can easily see how he relates to the 2-Pack Blister.
Which one gives you the most value for money?
If we only look at the price per booster, the ranking looks like this:
- 2-Pack Blister €7.50 per booster
- Greninja/Sylveon ex Box
- Tech Sticker Collection €7.66 per booster
- Elite Trainer Box €7.78 per booster
- Binder Collection €10.00 per booster
- Poster Collection €10.00 per booster
The first four products are remarkably close together.
The difference between €7,50 and €7,78 per booster is so small that you should look at the extras you get.
Our top 3 of September 16
1. Greninja ex / Sylveon ex Box
For €29.99 you get four boosters, an ex promo and a jumbo card.
With €7.50 per booster you are also at the lowest price per pack of this release.
Score: 9/10
2. Elite Trainer Box
The ETB is technically slightly more expensive per booster, but the difference is minimal.
For €69.99 you get nine boosters and for just a few euros more than the theoretical value of nine boosters you get all ETB extras.
Do you want to buy one large 30th Celebration product? Then we'd probably go for this.
Score: 9/10
3. Tech Sticker Collection hampered deal
With €7.66 per booster it is extremely close to the cheapest options.
You also get a Lucario- or Alolan Exeggutor-promo and the stickers.
For €22.99 we find this a very strong middle class product.
Score: 8.5/10
What can you best buy with €100?
Then the best test.
Suppose you want to spend about €100 on release. Then how do you get as many packs as possible for your money?
An interesting combination is:
3× Greninja/Sylveon ex Box
Costs:
3 × €29,99 = €89,97
That's what you get:
- 12 booster packs
- 3 ex promotional material
- 3 oversized cards
Effectively you still pay about €7.50 per booster.
Do you want to collect as many different products and promotional products as possible? Then you can go for:
1× Elite Trainer Box + 1× Tech Sticker Collection
Total cost:
€69,99 + €22,99 = €92,98
That's what you get:
- 12 booster packs
- Nidorina promo
- Lucario or Alolan Exeggutor promo
- Sticker Sheet
- Sleeves
- Energy Maps
- Dice
- Mint
- ETB and other accessories
This also yielded twelve boosters, but for only €3.01 more than three ex Boxes you get a much larger variety of anniversary products and extras.
For someone who really wants to build a 30th Celebration collection, we might even find that the nicer purchase.
Conclusion: What would we buy?
Are you just looking at as many boosters as possible for your money? Then the 2-Pack Blister and Greninja/Sylveon ex Box come out of the bus with about €7.50 per booster based on the current Smyths prizes.
The ex Box is the best value for money. For €29.99 you get four boosters, an ex promo and a jumbo card.
Would you prefer one complete anniversary product? Then the Elite Trainer Box is probably the best choice. The price per booster is hardly higher, while you get a large amount of extra fertilizers.
The Tech Sticker Collection is nicely in between and also offers a lot of value for money for €22.99.
The Poster Collection is the strange duck in the bite. With €10 per booster it is clearly more expensive. We would therefore mainly buy them if you really want the Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres promotional products.
Our ranking for the first release of September 16, 2026:
- Greninja ex / Sylveon ex Box
- Elite Trainer Box
- Tech Sticker Collection
- 2-Pack Blister best cheap option
- Poster Collection especially interesting for the promos
And maybe most importantly, don't let preorder prices drive you crazy.
For this comparison ETB costs €69.99 and the ex Box €29.99. If other shops are above tens of euros, you know what to compare the price with.
