Lines Form ‘Around the Block’ as Ascended Heroes Products and First Partner Illustration Collection Drop
Why are so many people lining up around the corner at department stores around the country?
Pokémon TCG fans, collectors, and resellers have been seen lining up around the block today on March 20, 2026 at big box stores like Best Buy for one reason: in hopes of bagging some hot new Pokémon TCG products. Today, the highly anticipated 30th Anniversary First Partner Illustration Collection and several freshly released Ascended Heroes products – including the Premium Poster Collection, First Partners Deluxe Pin Collection, and Ascended Heroes Mini Tins – get released, causing a huge frenzy of excitement for Pokémon TCG fans everywhere.
Ascended Heroes products and the 30th anniversary First Partner Illustration Collection cause a frenzy
While excitement for the Pokémon TCG is always high, it’s been building to a relative frenzy lately. I myself have found it hard to find even a single pack of Pokémon cards at local shops to rip. Meanwhile, the slow trickle for Ascended Heroes products that started in January and continues through April is still getting a ton of attention. After all, Ascended Heroes has a broad range of highly desirable chase cards to pursue, making it one of the hottest Pokémon TCG sets right now.
Below, let’s look at each and every Pokémon TCG product getting released today.
Ascended Heroes Premium Poster Collection boxes featuring Mega Lucario ex and Gardevoir ex promos
Arguably the biggest Ascended Heroes product releasing today is the two poster collection boxes (pictured above). These are very hot right now on the secondary card market where a single product can fetch you over $100 – double the MSRP.
Ascended Heroes First Partners Deluxe Pin Collection
Not to be confused with the other “First Partner” product coming out today, the First Partners Deluxe Pin Collection is an excellent way to get your hands on a solid number of Ascended Heroes packs – something worthwhile in itself given how valuable many of the Ascended Heroes cards can be.
Ascended Heroes Mini Tins
Lastly on the Ascended Heroes front, these mini tins are also coming out, featuring many memorable Pokémon from different generations including Clefairy, Pikachu, Togepi, Zorua, and Riolu.
While they may just be “mini tins” with two booster packs inside, they are actually surprisingly valuable, with a five pack set going for over $100 on TCGPlayer.
First Partner Illustration Collection
The big ticket item coming out today on March 20, 2026, however, is bigger than even these incredibly hot Ascended Heroes products – it’s the 30th Anniversary First Partner Illustration Collection.
While actually less expensive than some of the Ascended Heroes products releasing today, the First Partner Illustration Collection is arguably even more hyped, with each set containing a special First Partner Illustration Collection Booster Pack that has three of nine total promos you can collect – each one featuring a different starter from three generations. See these highly collectible promos below.
Despite having such gorgeous promos contained within them, the First Partner Illustration Collection is not actually all that expensive even on the secondary card market where TCG prices tend to be higher than they would be at a big box store. Still, getting them at MSRP is a particularly good deal as sets like this tend to maintain value well.
While not an official release day for a major or special Pokémon TCG set, March 20, 2026 might as well be for how many hot items are coming out. The real question is – do you have what it takes to stand in one of those lines and catch ‘em all?
