One of 2026’s best Pokémon cards is nearly impossible to get

One of the best Pokémon cards of the year has to be the recently revealed Mega Gallade special illustration card drawn by prolific artist Akira Egawa. Don’t get too excited about the majestic card, though. The Pokémon Company is only printing a small number of those Gallade cards, and any fan who wants one will need to jump through quite a few hoops.

As pointed out by The Kanto Post, the card is a promo release for a Japanese Pokémon TCG set called Storm Emeralda that introduces stadiums split into two separate cards. This is what it looks like:

There are two ways to obtain the card. The first is entering a themed tournament where players must construct a deck using mostly cards from the Storm Emeralda release. Players who win three matches will be mailed the Gallade card starting in December 2026. Basically, you need to be good at the Pokémon trading card game — and many new collectors don’t bother to learn it.

The second is to submit an account of the experience to TPC that details the experience of actually playing the Emeralda set with friends and family at home. Skill isn’t a requirement, but spending time thinking about the card game is. 2,000 people who submit their accounts will be randomly selected to receive the card.

Getting the new Pokémon Mega Gallade card will be hard

The caveat to all of this is that, in order to apply at all, fans will need to verify their identity using My Number Card — Japan’s version of an ID. Back in May, The Pokémon Company explained that it would soon require fans to furnish ID to purchase cards at official Pokémon Center stores. This measure was being adopted “to provide all customers with equal opportunities and ensure they can enjoy our services safely and securely,” the company said.

In other words: The Pokémon Company wants to give actual fans a chance to get cards, not scalpers and bots. The Pokémon Company is evidently expanding the ID requirement for other official events. The additional measures, which require actually playing the Pokémon TCG, align with the company’s desire to ensure real fans are rewarded for their loyalty.

Ironically, the beauty and rarity of the Mega Gallade card make it very likely that at least some of those fans will resell it. According to TCGPlayer, cards tied to events like this can be sold for thousands of dollars — but the supply of those cards is much smaller.

The government ID requirement may sound extreme, but fans outside of Japan are begging TPC to expand the program. Trying to buy Pokémon cards is that awful these days.