The new Pokemon TCG set features all of the original 151 Pokemon, including the brand new Kadabra card for the first time since 2002. The brand new Kadabra is only the eighth Pokemon TCG card – a generation of Pokemon.
The evolution between Abra and Alakazam has been absent in the Pokemon TCG for a long time. Back at the turn of the century, when Pokemon was in its infancy, there was a lawsuit between the self-proclaimed psychic Uri Geller and the Pokemon Company over Kadabra’s name and design. Geller believes that Cadabra’s depiction of a bent spoon is an unsubstantiated plagiarism of his own image. The result was that Kadabra was “banned” from the decades-long card game, as strange psychological constraints dragged on. That all ends with the latest TCG suit announcement, though.
The latest Pokemon TCG was recently announced in Japan called Pokemon Card 151. The set will feature new cards for each of the original 151 Pokemon from the first generation TCG and games from Bulbasaur to Mew. A small preview of a new Kadabra card was quietly dropped during the series’ official Japanese announcement, a very humble way of announcing the return of one of the rarest Pokmon in the TCG world.
The Japanese text box in the picture refers to the moves that the Alakazam EX card can use while sitting on the bench, and at first glance this is a pretty powerful Pokemon EX card. Nothing in the promotional image mentions that there is a new Kadabra card, appearing between the Alakazam and Abra cards for the first time in 21 years. This card looks like a pretty standard first evolution, with 80 HP and an action that costs a single psychic energy and does 30 damage. The move also allowed Kadabra to swap with a Pokmon off the bench.
Due to Kadabra’s current scarcity, the usually forgotten intermediate evolution has become even more famous and notable. For reference, most Gen 1 Pokemon have appeared on at least 20+ cards since the first set in the late 90s. Jigglypuff has 28 cards, Dragonite has 31 cards, and Charizard has a whopping 46 cards in Pokemon TCG. There are only eight Kadabras, including this new card, which is surprisingly small compared to its first-generation counterpart, and it would be nice to see the spoon bender get any new cards.