Blastoise ex in the Pokémon 30th Celebration Set: The Rain Dance Starter's Return
By Dexhaul Team · September 4, 2026
Blastoise ex arrives September 16, and it carries more competitive history than the other two Kanto starters combined.
The 30th Celebration set introduces new ex-class cards for all three Kanto starters: Charizard ex, Venusaur ex, and Blastoise ex. Each card is new for this set, designed in the Scarlet and Violet lowercase-ex style. None of them existed before September 16.
But Blastoise has a different history in this game than either of the other two starters. Understanding that history changes which collector should prioritize this card and why.
What Made Blastoise Different in the Base Set Era
When the original TCG launched in 1996 in Japan and 1998 in English, Charizard became the collector's card. It was rare, in demand, and its Pokémon Power was unplayable competitively: you needed to flip a coin and discard two Energy cards just to do 100 damage.
Blastoise was the card players actually wanted.
Base Set Blastoise (2/102) came with the Rain Dance Pokémon Power, which let you attach as many Water Energy cards as you wanted to any of your Water-type Pokémon each turn. That was a direct bypass of the one-Energy-per-turn rule. It enabled combo decks built around Pokémon that needed large amounts of Water Energy quickly: Gyarados, Starmie, and eventually the Blastoise-Articuno lock strategy that dominated early tournament play.
Charizard was a display card. Blastoise was a game piece. That divide stayed consistent through the WotC era and is still reflected in how veteran collectors talk about the two cards today.
The 30th Celebration gives them the same ex treatment. Both become new cards for a new era, both printed at ex rarity, both accessible through the same product formats.
The collector market has always priced Charizard higher, and that will not change with this set. But Blastoise ex arrives with a story that Charizard ex does not have: the card that defined what competitive Water decks looked like for a full decade of the TCG's early history.
The 30th Celebration Blastoise ex Card
Blastoise ex in the 30th Celebration set is a Scarlet and Violet-era ex card, using the lowercase format that replaced the older EX, GX, V, and VMAX mechanics. It is a new design specific to this set.
The 30th Celebration is an all-foil set. Every card in every pack has a foil treatment, including the basic Pikachu reprints the set guarantees per pack. That changes the visual profile of the Blastoise ex card compared to standard SV-era ex cards, which appear in non-foil packs alongside non-foil common cards.
The set's chase-rarity tier is the Futuristic Rare, introduced here for the first time. Futuristic Rare cards feature a distinct art style and foil treatment that sits above standard ex rarity.
Charizard ex, Mew ex, and Mewtwo ex appear in this tier, along with a small number of other marquee cards. Blastoise ex occupies the standard ex tier, which means equal pull odds to Venusaur ex: the same rate per pack, the same expected cost per pull.
That pull-rate parity has a practical consequence. In a set where Charizard ex commands attention as a Futuristic Rare, the two starters at standard ex rarity become the accessible alternatives.
Venusaur ex draws lower secondary market attention by default. Blastoise ex draws a dedicated fanbase through the Squirtle line's nostalgia but sits in the same rarity slot.
The Three Starter Profiles: Which One Are You Chasing?
The three Kanto starter ex cards in this set serve three distinct collector intentions. Knowing which category you fall into determines the right product and the right budget.
Charizard ex (Futuristic Rare)
The highest-rarity ex in the set. Charizard ex sits in the Futuristic Rare tier alongside Mew ex and Mewtwo ex. It is the card that drives pre-order volume, secondary market speculation, and buyer attention.
If you want the definitive chase card from the 30th Celebration, you are already in this category. The ETB and UPC are the formats that maximize your pack count and pull opportunity. Expect Futuristic Rare pull rates to be significantly lower than standard ex rates.
Blastoise ex (Standard ex)
The historical-weight card. Blastoise ex carries the competitive legacy: Rain Dance, the WotC-era tournament tables, the player community that built around the Squirtle line for a decade.
Collectors who grew up playing competitively in the early 2000s often have a stronger attachment to Blastoise than to Charizard. At standard ex rarity, this card is accessible at a fraction of the effort required for the FUR tier. For that collector, Blastoise ex in a 30th Anniversary set is a milestone card, not a secondary choice.
Venusaur ex (Standard ex)
The value-position card. Equal rarity to Blastoise ex, lower buyer demand during the pre-order window, and the same pull odds. Venusaur ex appeals most to completionists who want all three Kanto starters from this set, or to collectors who specifically track the Bulbasaur line.
Which Format to Order
Every 30th Celebration booster pack is the path to Blastoise ex. There is no product-exclusive version of the card, no promo variant, no Battle Deck print. If a format contains 30th Celebration packs, it contains a chance at Blastoise ex.
Here is how the available formats compare.
Single Booster Pack at $14.95
The entry point. At $14.95 from Galactic Toys, a single pack gives you one shot at Blastoise ex at the cost of a fast-food meal.
This is the format for collectors who want to experience the all-foil pack structure without committing to a multi-pack product. It is also the format for those who just want to open something on launch day without worrying about value.
Elite Trainer Box at $179.95
Nine packs, plus the ETB accessories: sleeves in the set's anniversary design, dice, the player's guide, and the collector's box. At $179.95 from Galactic Toys, the per-pack cost works out above a single loose pack.
The ETB's value case is the accessories and the sealed format itself. Anniversary ETBs carry a distinct secondary-market history: they represent the complete product as it existed at launch. For collectors who plan to keep the product sealed, the ETB is the practical choice at this price tier.
ex Tins and ex Boxes at $59.99–$65.00
The mid-tier formats. The 30th Celebration ex Tin [Sylveon ex] at $59.99 (Phantomich) and the Sylveon ex Box at $64.99 include booster packs alongside a promo card for the featured Pokémon.
These formats give you packs at a lower upfront cost than the ETB while still providing a sealed product with a promo card and accessories. The promo card is Sylveon ex, not Blastoise ex. If you specifically want Blastoise ex, these tins are one path to packs, not a dedicated Blastoise product.
Ultra-Premium Collection Night at $549.95
The maximum pack-depth option in the current pre-order catalogue. The UPC Night at $549.95 from MHDEALSPLUS contains the highest pack count among the available formats, plus the UPC-exclusive figurine, coins, and card sleeves. This is the collector format for those who want both the premium product and the broadest statistical chance at the full set, including Blastoise ex at standard ex rarity and Charizard ex at Futuristic Rare.
The UPC is not a budget format. It is a commitment to the full scope of what the 30th Celebration set offers as a premium product. Collectors who want to maximize packs opened from one purchase, and who want the definitive anniversary box, are the correct audience for this format.
Ordering Before September 16
The pre-order window closes when the set launches. After September 16, pricing on sealed product reflects launch-week availability, which for anniversary sets typically runs above the pre-order price before normalizing over weeks.
Pre-orders at the listed prices are the predictable option. You know the format, the price, and the ship date.
The alternative is waiting for launch-week availability from whatever retailers have stock, at whatever price that market reflects. For a set with the collector attention the 30th Celebration is generating, the pre-order price is likely the more stable option of the two.
None of those formats guarantees Blastoise ex. Pull rates are probabilistic. The right format is the one that fits your budget for the statistical attempt you want to make.
Browse all available 30th Celebration formats currently listed from independent shops at DexHaul. Dexhaul is independent and unofficial, not affiliated with Nintendo, The Pokémon Company, or any seller listed here.