History Combined with Innovation: CGC Cards Certifies Pokémon 25th Anniversary Cards During On-site Grading Event in China
Posted on 7/11/2024
In December 2021, Creatures Inc. distributed the Creatures Deck: Corporate History to various Pokémon TCG illustrators, staff and associates to commemorate the company's 25th anniversary. The gift set contains a half-deck (30 cards) of special Pokémon cards, as well as several other 25th anniversary commemorative items.
Distributed as a gift during Pokémon's 25th anniversary ceremony, this set is exclusive and extremely limited. Even single cards from the anniversary set sell for high prices, while the entire half deck is extremely valuable and elusive.
By the end of 2021, there were around 175 illustrators on the Pokémon TCG team. Creatures Inc. also hired around 218 employees, bringing the total staff at Creatures Inc. to around 393. It is assumed that other Creatures Inc. employees may have also received this 25th anniversary gift set, but it is uncertain if every employee received one.
In total, it is assumed that about 250 to 400 Creatures Deck: Corporate History sets were produced and distributed to Creatures Inc. employees for Pokémon's 25th anniversary.
Packaging and Contents
The contents of the 25th Anniversary gift set were packed in a wooden gift box, including the half-deck and other items, such as:
- a 32-pack of card sleeves with older versions of the Pokémon TCG card backs printed on the sleeve covers
- a blue handbag
- congratulatory letters and instructions for the half-deck
Chronicle Card Deck
The half-deck contains 30 unique, playable Pokémon cards. Each card has an exclusive backing that describes the card's history and key points in the history of Creatures Inc. and the Pokémon TCG. Meanwhile, the front of each card displays a key illustration from a significant point in the TCG's development, complete with a star holographic layer and the Pokémon 25th anniversary logo in gold foil stamped in the right-hand corner of the Pokémon's art box. Three of the cards included in the half-deck include exclusive interviews with Hirokazu Tanaka — the president of Creatures Inc. from 2001 to 2023 — and Tsunekazu Ishihara — the president of The Pokémon Company.
The cards included in the half-deck are somewhat thinner than normal Pokémon TCG cards. The backside of the cards also uses a matte texture, which is different from the glossy texture of normal Pokémon cards.
During an exclusive collaboration with Pokécolor in Mainland China, CGC Cards certified each of the 30 cards included in the Creatures Deck: Corporate History set with a special "ENJOY THE CARD (寓卡于乐)” label. The entire set received grades of CGC 8.5 or better. Here are some of the most popular cards from this set!
1995: Chansey
This Chansey is the first card in the Creatures Deck: Corporate History set, and it represents one of the earliest development periods of the Pokémon TCG. Sketched in 1995 by Kouichi Ooyama, this card depicts an early version of the Chansey illustration that would be featured in Base Set. Symbolically, Chansey represents a newborn.
Chansey was a popular card in the early Pokémon TCG circuit. It was often used in competitive play, and was included in the deck used by the winner of the first official Pokémon TCG tournament. Later, Chansey continued to appear in decks used in the first official Pokémon World Championships.
This Chansey, Pokémon (2021) Japanese Creatures Deck: Corporate History 25th Anniversary – 1995 received a grade of CGC Gem Mint 10.
1996: Charizard
The Pokémon TCG was officially released in Japan in 1996 with Base Set - 1st Edition. Among the cards that were produced and distributed in Base Set, none are more recognizable than Charizard. This Charizard card's iconic design was illustrated by Mitsuhiro Arita. Children loved Charizard for its design and power in official TCG matches — Charizard was one of the few playable Pokémon cards in Base Set that could evolve to a second stage.
The content paragraph on the reverse of the card recalls the history of developing the first set of the Pokémon TCG. Ishihara collaborated with Kouichi Ooyama and Akihiko Miura to design the pack art for Base Set. In addition, the interview on the back of Charizard confirms that the Pokémon TCG was well in development before Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Green Version released in Japan.
This Charizard, Pokémon (2021) Japanese Creatures Deck: Corporate History 25th Anniversary – 1996 received a grade of CGC Pristine 10, the highest grade on the CGC Cards Grading Scale.
2004: Charmeleon
Originally released in a Japanese Charizard theme deck, this Charmeleon card was later re-released in EX FireRed and LeafGreen booster packs, made to commemorate the release of Pokémon FireRed Version and Pokémon LeafGreen Version, remakes of the original Pokémon games.
The reverse of this Charmeleon card includes a brief introduction of Pokémon Dash by Creatures Inc.'s Game Director, Muneaki Ozawa. Pokémon Dash was the first Pokémon game to release on the Nintendo DS. It invited players to race their favorite Pokémon using the DS's touchscreen.
This Charmeleon, Pokémon (2021) Japanese Creatures Deck: Corporate History – 011/052 25th Anniversary – 2004 received a grade of CGC Gem Mint 10.
2005: Mew ex
Mew ex was so powerful in gameplay that it appeared in the Pokémon TCG World Championships for two consecutive years. In 2006, Jason Klaczynski (Champion of the 2000 International Tropical Mega Battle) won the master group championship by using the "Mew Trick" deck. The deck relied on Manectric ex and Mew ex to ban opponents from using their trainer cards.
Mew ex was also included in the winning deck of Tom Roos' deck during the 2007 World Championship master group competition. Roos' strategy was to use cards such as Absol ex to manipulate damage counters and achieve a quick knockout. Two Mew ex cards were used in his deck as powerful support cards — Mew ex can manipulate the attacks of other Pokémon in play.
This Mew ex, Pokémon (2021) Japanese Creatures Deck: Corporate History – 041/086 25th Anniversary – 2005 received a grade of CGC Pristine 10.
2007: Charmander
The Charmander card featured here was originally released in the English EX Power Keepers set in 2007. In Japan, this card was distributed in special World Championships packs during the 2007 World Championships event.
Unlike other Pokémon cards, these World Championships packs were made available exclusively on Pokémon's official website. Japanese TCG players could purchase these packs online or at the venue of the 2007 Summer Battle Road. The cards inside were meant to supplement decks for the competition, so players wouldn't feel disadvantaged. The World Championships packs were only available for purchase from June 15 to July 1, 2007.
The back of this Charmander card includes an interview with Tsunekazu Ishihara explaining how the Pokémon TCG tournaments represented his passion for hosting international competitions. It also shows highlights from the 2007 Pokémon TCG World Championships event.
This Charmander, Pokémon (2021) Japanese Creatures Deck: Corporate History – 006/108 25th Anniversary – 2007 is graded CGC 9.5.
2011: Mewtwo EX
Mewtwo EX was first made available in Japan's Psycho Drive set, which would be released in English as Next Destinies in 2011. One of two Mewtwo EX cards in the Creatures Deck: Corporate History set, the other Mewtwo EX represents the year 2015 and features Mega Mewtwo X.
Mewtwo EX was a powerful card in competitive tournaments. It is a basic Pokémon, which means it doesn't need to evolve, and boasts an incredible 170 HP. Its signature attack, X-Ball, dealt 20 times the amount of energy attached to all Pokémon on the field, including the opponent's Pokémon, and only cost two colorless energy to use.
The back of Mewtwo EX describes two products from 2011: PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond for the Nintendo Wii, and Pokémon Battle Chess BW, a Japanese board game that combines chess with some traditional shoji mechanics, using Pokémon characters.
This Mewtwo EX, Pokemon (2021) Japanese Creatures Deck: Corporate History – 026/052 25th Anniversary – 2011 received a grade of CGC Gem Mint 10.
2015: Mega Mewtwo EX
Although Mega Mewtwo EX wasn't as ubiquitous as its non-Mega form, the card was still used in some decks of its era.
The reverse side of Mega Mewtwo EX introduced two free games. The first one, called Dancing? Pokémon Band was a rhythm game that was released on iOS and Android. Players tapped on the screen to the beat as 3D Pokémon models danced accordingly. Unfortunately, Dancing? Pokémon Band was removed from mobile app stores on October 29, 2015, just four months after its launch. Creatures Inc. would use the app's technology to create the aDanza application.
Mega Mewtwo EX, Pokémon (2021) Japanese Creatures Deck: Corporate History – 028/059 25th Anniversary – 2015 received a grade of CGC Pristine 10.
2018: Pikachu & Zekrom GX
The introduction of Tag Team cards changed the Pokémon TCG meta for several competitive circuits. In particular, Pikachu & Zekrom GX was often used in "PikaRom" decks, which used cards such as Pikachu & Zekrom GX and Boltund V to quickly search for Lightning energies and attach them to powerful attackers, giving the player an advantage. PikaRom decks are still used in extended play today because of their outstanding sustainability.
The back of Pikachu & Zekrom GX highlights Detective Pikachu, which was released on the Nintendo 3DS. In Japan, Detective Pikachu was first released as an eShop demo in 2016. Those who played the demo could start playing Detective Pikachu where they originally left off, as long as they had valid save data from the demo. Because the demo was never released overseas, the full release of Detective Pikachu was the first time the game was made available in North America — in 2018. In 2019, the game was adapted into a feature film that took the world by storm.
Pikachu & Zekrom GX, Pokémon (2021) Japanese Creatures Deck: Corporate History – 031/095 25th Anniversary – 2018 received a grade of CGC Gem Mint 10.
2020: Marnie
Marnie is a fan-favorite card among Pokémon collectors and competitive TCG players alike, who appreciate the character's design and the card's abilities. Marnie allows players to both refresh their own hand and disrupt their opponent by reshuffling both hands into their respective decks. Most mainstream competitive decks are created with some Marnie cards included, and several counter-strategies to Marnie have been developed in recent years.
Even outside of the TCG, Marnie is a very popular character in Japan. Though the set that this Secret Rare Marnie first appeared in — Shiny Star V — is four years old, Marnie is still one of the most expensive cards in the set.
The back of the card describes the Creatures Inc. 25th anniversary celebration event, complete with comments from Hirokazu Tanaka. He compares the celebration event to Omatsuri (お祭り), a popular Japanese festival. Tanaka states that the original meaning of the word "omatsuri" comes from the idea of death and rebirth. The Katakana character “祭” is derived from the Chinese language, which means "sacrifice" and "remembrance."
In 2020, Creatures Inc. also announced the acquisition of its longtime video game development partner, Ambrella. Ambrella specialized in Pokémon spin-off games, including Hey You, Pikachu!, Pokémon Channel and Pokémon Rumble. All Ambrella employees became Creatures Inc. employees as a result of the merger.
Marnie, Pokémon (2021) Japanese Creatures Deck: Corporate History – 198/190 25th Anniversary – 2020 received a grade of CGC Gem Mint 10.
Special Interview Card: History Gate
Unlike the other cards in this set, History Gate was not originally included in past sets. Instead, History Gate was made exclusively for the Creatures Deck: Corporate History half-deck, both as a supporting card and as a host for a special interview on the card's reverse.
History Gate's card effect doubles the HP and attack damage for all cards released from 1996 to 2000. This ability makes every card in the Creatures Deck: Corporate History half deck viable for competitive play by solving the power creep introduced by modern cards.
The special interview on the back of the card was conducted by both Tsunekazu Ishihara and Hirokazu Tanaka. Both gave heartfelt messages to their Pokémon TCG manufacturing employees, encouraging them to understand the value they give to the company.
This History Gate, Pokémon (2021) Japanese Creatures Deck: Corporate History – 011/008 25th Anniversary – Special Interview received a grade of CGC 8.5.
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