Destined Rivals TCG Set Officially Revealed – Featuring Team Rocket, Misty, Ethan, and More!
- Stew @ PokéPortal
- Mar 25
- 3 min read
Prepare for trouble, trainers! The highly anticipated Destined Rivals set has been officially revealed as the tenth set in the Scarlet & Violet era! This follows Japan’s recent unveiling of The Glory of Team Rocket, from which a significant portion of the English set will be sourced.
Release Details & Product Lineup
Destined Rivals will release on May 30th, with prerelease events occurring from May 17th to May 25th. However, demand is already sky-high, as evidenced by the overwhelming response to the Pokemon Center’s preorders.
Here’s what’s available in the product lineup:
Booster Box (36 packs)
Booster Box (18 packs)
Elite Trainer Box – Featuring a promo of Team Rocket’s Wobbuffet
2-Pack Blister
Premium Checklane Blister
Booster Bundle (6 packs)
Build & Battle Box
Notably, there will be no Enhanced Booster Box for this set.
What’s Inside Destined Rivals?
The set will include:
Over 240 cards
Over 85 Trainer’s Pokémon, including over 45 Team Rocket’s Pokémon
17 Pokémon ex, including 10 Trainer’s Pokémon ex
More than 20 Trainer cards
More than 45 Pokémon and Trainer cards with special illustrations
83 new cards tagged as Team Rocket’s
23 illustration rare Pokémon
11 special illustration rare Pokémon
6 hyper rare gold-etched cards
The prerelease promos include Team Rocket’s Tyranitar and Team Rocket’s Mimikyu.
Interestingly, these are set-stamped cards rather than alternate promos, possibly hinting at changes due to the upcoming Mega Evolution block later this year.
Trainer’s Pokémon Return!
Destined Rivals continues the trend of Trainer’s Pokémon, featuring iconic characters across multiple generations:
Gen 1: Misty, Team Rocket
Gen 2: Ethan
Gen 3: Steven
Gen 4: Cynthia
Gen 8: Marnie
Gen 9: Arven
The set sources its cards from Japan’s The Glory of Team Rocket (releasing April 18th, ~130 cards), Heat Wave Arena (released March 14th, 93 cards), and the Marnie and Steven decks (released February 21st, 18 cards).
Massive Demand for Destined Rivals Products
Shortly after the set’s reveal, Pokemon Center’s website opened preorders for the Elite Trainer Box, which sold out within hours. At peak times, the queue had 1-2 million people waiting.
Following the swift sellout, Pokemon Center updated its FAQ, stating:
“More inventory of [the Destined Rivals Elite Trainer Box] will become available later this year.”
It remains unclear whether this means they held back stock for the official launch or if TPCi is planning additional prints to meet demand. A similar situation occurred in January with Prismatic Evolutions, prompting an official commitment to increased production.
Additionally, Pokemon Center advised that shipping address confirmations for some orders may take up to five days to appear due to high website traffic.
What’s Next After Destined Rivals?
Following Destined Rivals, a special English set will launch on July 18th, drawing from Japan’s Black Bolt & White Flare (June release). This set will celebrate all 156 Unova Pokémon, in a manner similar to the previous Pokémon 151 set.
With the Mega Evolution era beginning in August or September, the Trainer’s Pokémon mechanic is expected to end, making Destined Rivals the final hurrah for this popular feature. Notably, Generation 6 trainers have been absent, likely to keep the upcoming Z-A block fresh.
Final Thoughts
With its impressive lineup of Trainer’s Pokémon, Team Rocket focus, and exciting ex cards, Destined Rivals is shaping up to be a must-have set. Expect demand to remain high—so if you didn’t secure a preorder, stay tuned for restocks later this year!
Will you be picking up Destined Rivals? Let us know in the comments!
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