Pokemon Day Presents: Everything Cool You May Have Missed!

February 27, 2025 Marcoangelo

Today is February 27th, Pokemon Day, and the 29th anniversary of Pokemon. Every year on this date, the Pokemon Company releases major news for fans of the franchise. This blog is going to go over the meat of the news today. I won’t be covering the news for games like Unite, Sleep, GO, or Cafe Remix here.

Here are the major highlights from the Pokemon Day presentation you may have missed!

TCG Pocket

A New TCG Pocket Set Based on Arceus is Coming!

Previous leaks mentioned some sort of Arceus set coming to Pokemon TCG Pocket, and it seems those leaks were in fact real. This looks like another smaller set comparable to how we got Mew’s set, Mythical Island. The Arceus set, Triumphant Light sports a pretty sick Arceus EX card, a Tyranitar, Raichu, Shaymin, Crowbat, and more. It’s set to be released tomorrow, February 28th. To celebrate Pokémon Day, from Feb. 27, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. EST to April 29, 2025, at 1:59 p.m. EST, TCG Pocket players can log in to receive special packs that will contain at least one card of ♦♦♦♦ rarity or higher. Special missions with rewards will also be available from Feb. 27, 2025, at 1:00 a.m. EST to March 26, 2025, at 1:59 a.m. EST.

Ranked Matches are Coming at the End of March!

Something you may have missed if you blinked at the end of the TCG Pocket portion of the presentation was Ranked Battles. All we know is that it’s coming at the end of March with no further information at this time. So TCG Pocket fans can sweat it outside of the “beginner” mode matches online.

Pokemon Champions

Speaking of sweats, here’s the big announcement, which, as a competitive Pokemon fan, is mind-blowing. For years, VGC (the competitive format for the Pokemon Video Game) players have been asking for a battle simulator like some fan-made solutions such as Pokemon Showdown. Pokemon Champions seems to be just that—a battle simulation. The trailer for Champions started off with a nostalgic shot of kids playing the original Red and Green version of games in Japan, panning through each console generation of Pokemon from then onwards. If you noticed, each player sheds a sweat drop between each shot, like a little nod saying, “This one is for you VGC die-hards out there!”.

All we know at this time is that there will be Pokemon obtainable in Champions, along with any Pokemon you have in your Home account. Megas, Teras, and possibly more gimmick mechanics from each generation will be usable in the game. We also know that it will be on the “Switch family of consoles” and mobile. Pokemon Champions is developed by The Pokemon Works, a new Pokemon development studio as I mentioned in a previous blog here on Wicked Good Gaming. The precedent this game sets is huge, as it could change the way the competitive format for Pokemon video games is played. Imagine a World Championship tournament with Megas, Teras, and more going off on screen!

Pokemon Legends Z-A

We got the gameplay footage everyone wanted to see this Pokemon Day. Mega Evolution is obviously returning to Legends Z-A, and the mechanics from the last Legends game with free roaming and catching Pokemon directly without going into a battle are also making a return. The game seems to take place after the events of X and Y, with the character AZ playing an important role.

Pokemon battles have yet another mix to them this time around. Instead of turn-based battles, you can move around your pokemon and attack in real time. It seems each move has a cooldown, and timing your attacks and movements is key to winning battles.

Another question was answered with this footage, “If we are in a city the whole time, how do we find wild Pokemon to catch?”. Well, there’s reserved wild areas in the city dedicated to providing a place for wild Pokemon to roam freely. Following this theme, the player will be tasked with helping develop a new and improved Lumiose City that will be home to Pokemon and humans alike. At the end of the trailer, a Rotom phone lights up showing a ranking change and a tower. Perhaps this means the addition of a battle tower system where you can take on floor after floor of trainers? Something similar was done in Sword and Shield, so I assume it will be done here.