Santa Cruz Skateboards, the Californian brand behind the 2023 Pokémon decks, is back with a line built for card collectors. This time it is not character artwork: each of the 30 decks reproduces the illustration of a real card from the game, which Santa Cruz says has never been done on a skateboard before. PokeBeach and European skate shops such as Skatewarehouse have shared the details.
Sold like a booster pack
The format is the hook. Every deck comes in an opaque bag, so you do not know which one you have until you open it, just like a pack. And like a pack, there is a chase: three glitter gold decks covered in a collage of cards in different languages, limited to 500 copies each worldwide.
- When: Saturday 17 October at 2pm UK time. That is 3pm in Paris, Berlin, Madrid and Rome, 9am Eastern and 6am Pacific.
- Where: selected skate shops worldwide.
- Price: not confirmed. PokeBeach expects around $110, based on earlier collaborations.
- Size: 8 × 31.6 inches, a real, rideable deck. It comes with a limited-edition booklet but no card.
The 30 cards, from Base Set to Scarlet & Violet
The selection spans three decades of the game. This is the list Skatewarehouse published, era by era:
- Wizards of the Coast: Base Set Charizard, Blastoise and Venusaur, Jungle Flareon and Neo Destiny Dark Espeon.
- EX era: Rocket's Mewtwo ex, Jolteon ex, Rayquaza ☆ and Flygon δ.
- Diamond & Pearl / HeartGold & SoulSilver: Gardevoir, Lucario LV.X, Leafeon LV.X, Blaziken FB LV.X and Scizor.
- Black & White / XY: Lugia EX, M Charizard EX in both X and Y versions, Gengar EX and Xerneas.
- Sun & Moon: Vaporeon GX and Pikachu & Zekrom GX.
- Sword & Shield: Giratina V, Sylveon V, Umbreon VMAX and Glaceon VSTAR.
- Scarlet & Violet: Mew ex, Eevee, Pikachu ex, Dragapult ex and Iono's Bellibolt ex.
There is apparel too: T-shirts, hoodies and caps with the Santa Cruz hand logo holding a card, plus designs built around the game's eleven energy types.
What it means for your collection
With 500-copy gold decks and blind bags, resale will follow the booster script: a sealed bag is worth more than an opened deck, and the 30 regular decks will not be worth the same. Expect the Charizard and Umbreon VMAX boards to be the most wanted. If you love one of these illustrations but have no shelf space for a skateboard, the original card is often the cheaper way in. Check its price in the full card list and prices for every set and, if you already own it, log it in your collection.