The Pokémon Trading Card Game has officially announced Destined Rivals, a new international set that will introduce Team Rocket's Pokémon cards to the game. Since last year, fans have eagerly awaited the return of Team Rocket to the Pokémon TCG. We've known, thanks to leaks and teases, that a Team Rocket-focused set was coming, bringing powerful new Trainer's Pokémon cards to the game. Some of those cards were revealed with the Japanese set The Glory of Team Rocket, but now we have confirmation as to when and how they'll be coming over to the United States.

Destined Rivals was announced today by The Pokémon Company and will contain cards from the Japanese sets Heat Wave Arena and The Glory of Team Rocket. Included in the set are a whopping 83 cards tied to Team Rocket, plus 17 Pokémon ex cards. The set will also include 23 Illustration Rare Pokémon cards, 11 Special Illustration Rare cards, and six gold-etched cards. The full set will be released on May 30 in the U.S. and other territories worldwide.

What We Know About Destined Rivals, Pokémon TCG's Newest Set

Set Will Contain Cards Like Ethan's Ho-Oh Ex and Team Rocket's Mewtwo Ex

Destined Rivals will contain cards from two Japanese sets and two Japanese pre-constructed decks. We know that the set will focus on Trainers like Ethan (from Pokémon Gold and Silver), Cynthia (from Pokémon Diamond and Pearl), and Misty (from Pokémon Red and Blue). The set will also have a heavy focus on Team Rocket, given that half of the cards come from a Japanese set solely dedicated to Team Rocket. Exact card counts are unknown, but it's likely this set will be one of the larger international Pokémon TCG sets of the year.

In of highlight cards, Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex, Ethan's Ho-Oh ex, and Cynthia's Garchomp ex should all be powerful cards in the set. Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex can blast opponents for 280 damage, although it requires at least three other Team Rocket's Pokémon in play. Ethan's Ho-Oh's ex is a powerful Fire Energy accelerator that can place Fire Energy onto other Ethan's Pokémon, while Cynthia's Garchomp has a draw mechanic tied to an attack that also deals 100 damage. All three Pokémon cards should see some use in meta-relevant decks.

Our Take: This Will Be The Pokémon TCG Set Of The Year

Demand For Pokémon Cards Are Already High And This Set Will Spark A Frenzy

Demand for Pokémon TCG products is already at an unreasonably high level, driven by a glut of TCG scalpers and collectors pulling products off the shelf at a ridiculous pace. We expect Destined Rivals to push that demand even higher, thanks to the popularity of Team Rocket. With so many Team Rocket cards (not to mention secret rare cards that are sure to become chase cards), we expect Destined Rivals to be the biggest Pokémon TCG set of 2025.

Source: The Pokémon Company