A Selection of the Best Collaborative Pokémon TCG Promos Ever

9th June 2025 EDT FEATURES

A Selection of the Best Collaborative Pokémon TCG Promos Ever

Of the many Pokémon TCG promotional cards which have been collabs, the following can be regarded as some of the obvious standouts.

In the almost three decades that the Pokémon TCG has been around, it shouldn’t be surprising that the largest and most successful TCG franchise of all time has been part of some notable collaborations. Many of these collabs have included cards that have gone on to become some truly all-time great pickups for collectors willing to shell out the money needed for their hefty price tags.

While this list is by no means exhaustive, we’ve nonetheless provided a selection of cards that we believe are some of the greatest Pokémon TCG promotional collaborations in history.

Mario Pikachu (XY-P Promotional Cards 293/XY-P / XY-P Promotional Cards 294/XY-P) / Luigi Pikachu (XY-P Promotional Cards 295/XY-P / XY-P Promotional Cards 296/XY-P)

Mario Pikachu: PROMO[XY-P 293/XY-P](XY-P Promotional cards)

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Mario Pikachu: PROMO[XY-P 294/XY-P](XY-P Promotional cards)

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Luigi Pikachu: PROMO[XY-P 295/XY-P](Promotional Card “Luigi Pikachu Special BOX”)

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Luigi Pikachu [XY-P 296/XY-P](Promotional Card “Luigi Pikachu Special BOX”)

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These cards were the result of a 2016 collaboration between Nintendo’s two largest franchises: Mario and Pokémon. The Mario Pikachu Special Box and the Luigi Pikachu Special Box contained a non-Full Art and a Full Art version of Mario Pikachu and Luigi Pikachu, respectively. Considering the immense global popularity of both franchises involved, it’s unsurprising that these cards depicting Pikachu “cosplaying” Mario Pikachu and Luigi Pikachu rank among the most valuable Pokémon TCG cards today.

With the exception of the Super Smash Bros. video game series, official crossover material between multiple Nintendo franchises is seldom seen. Thus, when the two Special Boxes and their cards were first announced, the hype for them surged to almost unprecedented levels—and they more than lived up to the hype. On top of that, certain real-world events have caused a recent spike in demand for the Luigi Pikachu card.

Psyduck (SM-P Promotional Cards 286/SM-P) / Eevee (SM-P Promotional Cards 287/SM-P) / Pikachu (SM-P Promotional Cards 288/SM-P) / Mimikyu (SM-P Promotional Cards 289/SM-P) / Rowlet (SM-P Promotional Cards 290/SM-P)

Psyduck Munch Exhibition: PROMO[286/SM-P](SM-P Promotional cards)

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Eevee Munch Exhibition: PROMO[SM-P 287](SM-P Promotional cards)

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Pikachu Munch Exhibition: PROMO[SM-P 288](SM-P Promotional cards)

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Mimikyu Munch Exhibition: PROMO[SM-P 289](SM-P Promotional cards)

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Rowlet Munch Exhibition: PROMO[290 SM-P](SM-P Promotional cards)

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From 27 October 2018 to 20 January 2019, the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum held the “Munch: A Retrospective” exhibition. Creatures Inc. collaborated with the museum to produce five promotional Pokémon TCG cards with Full Art illustrations all based on The Scream, a painting by Edvard Munch.

One of the Psyduck, Eevee, and Rowlet cards would be distributed to buyers who purchase at least two Pokémon TCG booster packs at participating Pokémon Centers and Pokémon Stores from 2 November for as long as stocks lasted. The Pikachu card was distributed to visitors of the exhibition at the museum from 10 to 16 December, while the Mimikyu card was available in Pikachu/Eevee Scream Mini Card File, which, from 27 October, could either be purchased from the exhibition venue itself or on the Pokémon Center Online.

Due to their limited availability, connections to a one-time collaboration, and unique art styles, these cards continue to fetch major money today when sold on the open market. Not surprisingly, given their immense popularity, the most valuable of these cards are the Pikachu and Mimikyu cards.

Cramorant (S-P Promotional Cards 226/S-P) / Pikachu (S-P Promotional Cards 227/S-P)

Cramorant: PROMO[S-P 226](S-P Promotional cards)

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Pikachu Beauty looking back: PROMO[S-P 227](S-P Promotional cards)

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Both cards were part of the Pokémon Stamp Box which was a Pokémon TCG collaboration with Japan Post Co., Ltd. and could only be obtained via three separate lotteries. The first lottery was for purchasing the Pokémon Stamp Box at the Japan World Stamp Championship Exhibition in August 2021; the latter two, at a local post office in October and November.

The Cramorant card’s Full Art illustration was based on Wild Geese Flying Under the Full Moon by Utagawa Hiroshige while the Pikachu card’s was based on Beauty Looking Back by Hishikawa Moronobu. Owing to the unique nature of these cards’ aesthetics as well as the general difficulty in obtaining the cards, these cards have become extremely coveted by collectors—particularly the Pikachu card which carries a value several times that of the Cramorant card.

Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat (SVP Black Star Promos 085)

Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat: PROMO [SVP EN 085](SVP EN Promotional cards “Van gogh exhibition” )[English Ver.]

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For the third entry in a row, the collab in question makes reference to a famous painting; this is also the only English-exclusive card on the list. From 28 September 2023 to 7 January 2024, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam held the Pokémon x Van Gogh collaboration. Everyone who participated in the museum’s “Pokémon Adventure” activity could obtain the card by handing in their completed leaflet to museum staff; it was also thrown in for free with the purchase of any Pokémon Center x Van Gogh Museum merchandise available online at the Pokémon Center’s international website. The card’s Full Art illustration was based on Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat, a painting by Vincent van Gogh.

In addition to the obvious reasons why this card is as iconic as it is—the limited-time nature of the collab, the eye-catching and unique aesthetics, and even the fact that it’s Pikachu, the face of the Pokémon franchise—a further factor that elevated this card’s profile was the fact that it was one of the first cards ever to be the subject of a targeted attack by scalpers.

On the first day of the collaboration, a mass of scalpers descended upon the museum in hopes of scoring as many copies of the card as possible, then flipping those copies to make a tidy profit. The incident compelled The Pokémon Company (TPC) to issue an official apology regarding the events that took place; nevertheless, in an ironic twist, the fact that the card was so outwardly and blatantly targeted by scalpers gave it a publicity boost that sent its reputation among the TCG community and thus its value skyrocketing.

Pikachu GX (SM-P Promotional Cards 393/SM-P)

Pikachu GX: PROMO[SM-P 393](SM-P Promotional cards)

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Rounding out our list is this card which was the result of a collab with Japanese clothing brand BEAMS—the second time that Creatures Inc. had worked with BEAMS on a promotional card.

Those selected via a lottery would be eligible to receive the card by purchasing at least 2,400 JPY (~2,610 JPY / ~US$18 today) worth of BEAMS collaboration products at participating stores over the weekend of 3-4 August 2019; each buyer could only receive two copies of the card. Following this, Pokémon Centers and the Pokémon Center Online handed out this card for free with purchases from 6 August for as long as stocks lasted at a quantity of one copy per buyer.

In addition to the card’s status as a promotional card which was only distributed while stocks lasted, the card also held inherent appeal to those who purchased the BEAMS collab card from a 2013 campaign as many of those who owned the prior card would have been interested in picking up its “sequel” as well.

As already mentioned, part of this card’s appeal has to do with the fact that Meowscarada is one of the most featured Pokémon in Pokémon Horizons—especially after Liko’s Floragato evolved into Meowscarada in episode 88. Since the buzz over the “will it/won’t it” nature of Meowscarada being bipedal prior to its reveal also added to the Pokémon’s profile, the first Full Art card depicting Meowscarada standing upright was always likely to draw much attention as well.

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