CGC Cards Grades Elusive Group of Seven Pokémon Promo Cards from the Cancelled 2011 Japanese TCG Qualifiers

CGC Cards™ has recently certified a very special group of cards from the Pokémon TCG: seven Japanese Pokémon World Championships 2011 promos that were never formally released to the public, due to the Japanese Representation Qualifiers being cancelled after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquakes and tsunami.

Every year, Pokémon TCG players battle in local, regional and international tournaments for a chance to compete at the Pokémon TCG World Championships — an annual invitation-only event where TCG players gather to see who’s the best player in the world. To commemorate these events, The Pokémon Company often prepares special cards that act as both event memorabilia and the invitation to the next stage of the tournament. These cards are marked with a special stamp showing what year the card was distributed.

In 2011, The Pokémon Company prepared a special set of Pokémon cards to be distributed to Japanese players who qualified for the 2011 World Tournament in Japan. These cards would have been given to those who triumphed in Japan’s Representation tournaments across the country. The seven cards included in the set are:

• an Emolga Black & White Promo – 025/BW-P graded CGC Pristine 10
• a Druddigon Black & White Promo – 026/BW-P graded CGC Pristine 10
• a Pokémon Catcher Black & White Promo – 027/BW-P graded CGC Pristine 10
• a Grass Energy Black & White Promo – 028/BW-P graded CGC Pristine 10
• a Water Energy Black & White Promo – 029/BW-P graded CGC 9
• a Psychic Energy Black & White Promo – 030/BW-P graded CGC Pristine 10
• a Metal Energy Black & White Promo – 031/BW-P graded CGC Pristine 10

In particular, the Emolga, Druddigon and Pokémon Catcher cards were created as prizes for the Japanese players who qualified for the Pokémon TCG World Tournament, while the Energy cards would have been given to winners of side events that would have taken place during the qualifier tournaments.

Click images to enlarge.

Unfortunately, because of the catastrophic earthquakes and tsunami that ravaged East Japan in 2011, many events and activities across the country were cancelled or postponed. As a result, these seven Pokémon promos never saw the light of day until they were submitted to CGC Cards for certification and encapsulation, over a decade after they were meant to be released.

“It’s incredible that these cards exist and have been preserved well enough to receive CGC Cards' Mint 9 and Pristine 10 grades,” said Matt Quinn, Vice President of CGC Cards. “We’re thrilled to have certified yet more pieces of Pokémon TCG history.”

Click images to enlarge.

Do you have an obscure or special TCG, sports or non-sports card? Submit it to CGC Cards today for expert authentication, grading and encapsulation services. Learn how to submit by clicking here.