Pokemon TCG Pocket Busts Out Another Major Expansion, Celestial Guardians, Themed Around Pokemon Sun and Moon

Pokemon TCG Pocket’s steady deluge of new cards continues apace, with yet another brand new expansion on its way next week. This one’s a biggie, too: it’s called Celestial Guardians, and it’s themed around Pokemon Sun and Moon.

Celestial Guardians officially releases on April 30, and is a bigger expansion than the last couple, with two different types of booster packs themed around legendaries Solgaleo and Lunala. It primarily features Alolan Pokemon, including the three starters Rowlet, Litten, and Popplio, as well as regional variants such as Alolan Raichu and Marowak. And of course, it comes with new trainer cards, themed around popular characters from the Alola region, and new ways to display your collection such as a new binder cover and display board.

Curiously, the set also appears to include what looks like two versions of the starter trio, a daytime and a nighttime version, each with different stats and abilities. It’s unclear how prevalent this split is going to be throughout the set, but it could make for some interesting decks if there are multiple paths to getting the same cards out on the field.

Celestial Guardians is the sixth expansion so far and the third major one, following major expansions Genetic Apex and Space-Time Smackdown and smaller expansions Mythical Island, Triumphant Light, and the most recent, Shining Revelry. At the time this piece was written, none of these expansions have been retired yet, but it’s perhaps only a matter of time before we say goodbye to Genetic Apex.

So far, Pokemon TCG Pocket has kept up the pace with roughly one new expansion per month, alongside regular in-game solo and competitive events. Alongside collecting and battling, TCG Pocket also implemented trading earlier this year, but the feature was widely panned due to its high cost barrier and lack of useful trading feature, forcing the developer to confirm changes were on the way… months down the road. Nevertheless, the game has been successful, and is estimated to have made half a billion dollars in less than three months.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.