Pokémon TCG 30th Celebration: What Ships September 16 and What Comes After
By Dexhaul Team · August 28, 2026
September 16 is nineteen days away. Here is the part most pre-order guides skip: not everything in the 30th Celebration lineup arrives that day.
The official Pokémon Company rollout for the 30th Celebration (product code ME05.5) runs in waves. The flagship Wave 1 products all ship on September 16. A second group arrives in October.
The Booster Bundle specifically carries a confirmed October 2 presale ship date from multiple independent retailers. Knowing which products fall into which window changes how you should place your pre-orders right now.
This guide maps the full release calendar, identifies what you can open on launch day versus what you are waiting on, and shows you how to stack your orders accordingly. Dexhaul is an independent, unofficial search engine and has no affiliation with The Pokémon Company or any retailer listed here.
Wave 1: Everything That Launches September 16
Most of the 30th Celebration line hits shelves globally on September 16, 2026. These are the products you can open on day one.
Elite Trainer Box
The ETB is the standard collector's entry for anniversary sets. Pre-orders currently sit between $149.99 and $199.99 USD depending on the retailer, with most independent shops in the $180–185 range for North American stock. It ships September 16 across all confirmed retailer listings.
If you want the full booster-pack-plus-accessories experience on launch day, this is your format.
Ultra Premium Collection
The UPC comes in two versions for the 30th Celebration: Day and Night. Anniversary Ultra Premium Collections, as established with the 25th Celebration, typically include more booster packs, a premium box, coins, and exclusive oversized or promo cards. Day is priced at $449.95 and Night at $489.95 at MHDEALSPLUS, both with September 16 availability.
ex Boxes
Two ex Boxes launch September 16: the Greninja ex Box and the Sylveon ex Box. Each includes four 30th Celebration booster packs, a promo ex card, and an oversized card.
Individual boxes are available from $49.99 to $98.00 depending on the seller and region. The set of both from MHDEALSPLUS runs $139.95.
Knock Out Collection and Poster Collection
Both of these lower-cost formats are confirmed for September 16. The Knock Out Collection (Wave 1) is available for $23.65 to $29.99 across independent shops. The Poster Collection lands around $44.99 USD.
Both include a promo card and booster packs. If you want a September 16 unboxing without a large spend, either format gets you into the set on day one.
What Comes in October
Two categories of 30th Celebration products are confirmed for October rather than September 16.
The Booster Bundle: October 2
This is the detail most pre-order guides omit. The Pokémon TCG 30th Celebration Booster Bundle contains six booster packs and has a confirmed presale ship date of October 2, 2026, not September 16. The listing from Double Infinity Gaming explicitly states "Expected release date: October 2nd, 2026."
At $79.99 for six packs, it works out to roughly $13.33 per pack. That is a lower per-pack cost than the ex Box format and competitive with the ETB per-pack rate. But you will not have it in hand on launch day.
Pokemon TCG: 30th Celebration Booster Bundle (Presale - Expected release date: October 2nd, 2026)
$79.99 USD
Wave 2 Products: Late October 2026
A second wave of the Knock Out Collection and Poster Collection arrives in late October 2026. Wave 2 Knock Out Collections are listed at $36.00 (Banana Games) and $39.99 for the Wave 2 Poster Collection.
These are distinct printings rather than restocks of Wave 1. Whether Wave 2 contains different promo cards or the same promos in a new print run has not been officially confirmed at this writing. Treat them as supplementary stock arriving well after the September 16 launch heat settles.
How to Build Your Pre-Order Stack Around This Calendar
The release window gap changes the math on stacking orders.
If your goal is maximum pack volume on September 16: the ETB, one or both ex Boxes, and the Knock Out Collection give you the highest combined pack count from Wave 1 formats. You are not waiting on anything. The Booster Bundle adds six more packs but does not arrive until October 2, sixteen days later, so plan accordingly if you want to open everything at once.
If your goal is value efficiency over time: order the Knock Out Collection or ex Box for September 16 and pre-order the Booster Bundle separately for October. That sequence gives you a launch-day opening experience while locking in six additional packs at the lower per-pack rate before October stock sells through.
(Pre-Order) Pokemon 30th Celebration ex Box Set of 2 (Greninja ex/Sylveon ex)
$139.95 USD
UPC collectors face a simpler call. Both the Day and Night UPC variants ship September 16 with no Wave 2 equivalent announced.
If you want a UPC and you have a preferred version, order now. There is no second chance at the same configuration.
One practical note: the Knock Out Collection and Poster Collection both have Wave 2 listings in late October. If you miss Wave 1 stock at launch, Wave 2 is not a fallback for the same promo card unless confirmed otherwise. Track new official announcements as they surface rather than assuming the two waves are identical.
The Short Version
September 16 ships: Elite Trainer Box, Ultra Premium Collection (Day and Night), ex Boxes (Greninja and Sylveon), Knock Out Collection (Wave 1), and Poster Collection (Wave 1).
October 2 ships: the Booster Bundle.
Late October ships: Knock Out Collection Wave 2 and Poster Collection Wave 2.
Most collectors will want at least one September 16 product locked in before launch-day demand pulls pre-order allocations. The Booster Bundle is worth adding as a separate October order for the pack-per-dollar math alone.
Browse the full range of 30th Celebration pre-orders, compare prices across independent retailers, and find your format at DexHaul's 30th Celebration search. Listings update as new sellers add stock, so check back as September 16 approaches.