Santa Cruz and Pokémon are teaming up again for 2026, bringing original Pokémon Trading Card Game artwork to skateboard decks, apparel, hats, and Mob grip tape. Following their first collaboration in 2023, this new collection puts the TCG at the center of the crossover, just as Pokémon and its trading card game celebrate 30 years. The main event is the Santa Cruz x Pokémon TCG Blind Bag Deck: a sealed, randomly assorted skateboard deck with 33 possible designs, including three rare gold-foil chase variants.
Coming to LB Skate and LA Skate on Saturday, October 17, 2026. Find our online and in-store release times at the end of this guide.
Santa Cruz and Pokémon: two worlds built around recognizable artwork
Santa Cruz brings a California skateboarding identity, bold graphics, and designs that translate from boards to clothing. Its parent company, NHS, was established in Santa Cruz, California, in 1973 by Richard Novak, Doug Haut, and Jay Shuirman. That skate heritage gives this collection a different setting from a traditional Pokémon collectible: the artwork becomes part of a skateboard graphic, not just something kept in a card binder.
Pokémon began in Japan in February 1996 with Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Green Version for Game Boy. The trading card game followed in Japan that October, with the U.S. Base Set arriving in January 1999. The video games, cards, and animation have given different generations their own connection to the same characters. For this collaboration, the connection is specifically the trading card game, from its original illustrations to the Energy types and visual language that make its cards recognizable.
Looking back at the first Santa Cruz x Pokémon collaboration
The first Santa Cruz x Pokémon collection released on September 13, 2023, combining blind-bag skateboard decks with apparel. Each sealed bag contained one randomly assorted 8-inch deck featuring a Pokémon character. The lineup included 15 holo-foil variants printed over silver prismatic rainbow glitter foil with silver metallic paint, plus five special gold-foil variants using black and metallic gold ink over metallic gold foil.
Santa Cruz's official archive now lists that collection as sold out. The blind-bag format gave the release a reveal of its own: instead of choosing a visible deck graphic, buyers opened the packaging to discover their design. That idea returns in 2026, but the creative direction has changed. The new decks draw on original Pokémon TCG card artwork rather than simply repeating the earlier character-focused lineup.
Why 2026 matters: 30 years of Pokémon and the trading card game
October 2026 marks 30 years since the Pokémon Trading Card Game launched in Japan. That makes card artwork an especially fitting focus for this release. For longtime collectors, an illustration can bring back a particular card, collection, or era; for skateboarders, the same illustration becomes the starting point for a full deck graphic.
Santa Cruz describes the 2026 collection as using original Pokémon TCG card art with all-new deck designs that highlight details such as Energy types and themes connected to the Pokémon and cards themselves. Rather than treating the skateboard as a blank surface for a logo, the collaboration uses the cards' visual identity to shape the designs.
How the 2026 collaboration comes together
The documented story is a creative crossover between Santa Cruz's skate graphics and Pokémon's trading card imagery. On the decks, that means original card art adapted into new skateboard designs. Across the apparel and accessories, the Energy Dot and Power Dot graphics reinterpret Santa Cruz's circular logo, while the TCG Hand design shows a blue hand gripping Pokémon cards.
The result connects two familiar experiences: choosing a skateboard graphic that means something to you and discovering an unexpected collectible when you open a sealed package. Santa Cruz has not published a detailed account of the partnership's private negotiations or development timeline, so the focus here is on the confirmed design direction and release details.
The main attraction: the Pokémon TCG Blind Bag Deck
Every sealed blind bag contains one randomly assorted 8.0-inch x 31.6-inch skateboard deck. The regular assortment features artwork from 30 iconic Pokémon TCG cards, with the card artwork scheduled to be revealed upon release. There are also three additional glitter gold foil chase variants, bringing the total to 33 possible deck designs.
- 30 card-art deck designs: original Pokémon TCG illustrations incorporated into new Santa Cruz deck graphics.
- Three glitter gold foil chase variants: multi-card collages featuring global versions of Pokémon TCG cards.
- 500 of each chase variant worldwide: that limit applies to each of the three rare variants, not to the entire collection.
- A limited-edition Pokémon Player's Guide booklet: each randomized deck comes with a guide featuring all 30 designs and three chase variants.
The packaging keeps the design a surprise. Buying a blind bag does not guarantee a particular Pokémon or a gold-foil deck, and the announcement does not provide exact pull odds or the total production quantity for the standard designs. The 2026 assortment is separate from the 2023 collection, so the earlier release's variant counts and foil descriptions should not be applied to this one.
What else is in our Santa Cruz x Pokémon 2026 lineup?
Alongside the blind-bag deck, our collection includes six adult heavyweight tees, four youth midweight tees, four midweight pullover hoodies, two hats, and a graphic Mob grip tape sheet. Here is a look at every product in our release lineup.
Adult heavyweight T-shirts
Energy Dot comes in Black and Harbor Blue, Power Dot in Black and Java, and TCG Hand in Black and White.
 Energy Dot Heavyweight T-Shirt — Black |
 Energy Dot Heavyweight T-Shirt — Harbor Blue |
 Power Dot Heavyweight T-Shirt — Black |
 Power Dot Heavyweight T-Shirt — Java |
 TCG Hand Heavyweight T-Shirt — Black |
 TCG Hand Heavyweight T-Shirt — White |
Youth midweight T-shirts
The youth lineup features Energy Dot in Black and Sand, plus TCG Hand in Black and Red.
 Youth Energy Dot Midweight T-Shirt — Black |
 Youth Energy Dot Midweight T-Shirt — Sand |
 Youth TCG Hand Midweight T-Shirt — Black |
 Youth TCG Hand Midweight T-Shirt — Red |
Midweight pullover hoodies
Energy Dot hoodies come in Black and Charcoal, while Power Dot hoodies come in Black and Forest.
 Energy Dot Pullover Hoodie — Black |
 Energy Dot Pullover Hoodie — Charcoal |
 Power Dot Pullover Hoodie — Black |
 Power Dot Pullover Hoodie — Forest |
TCG Hand hats and Mob grip tape
Complete the collection with the black unstructured snapback, White/Black structured mesh trucker hat, or the 9-inch x 33-inch Mob x Pokémon TCG graphic grip tape sheet.
 TCG Hand Unstructured Snapback — Black |
 TCG Hand Structured Mesh Trucker Hat — White/Black |
Mob x Pokémon TCG Graphic Grip Tape — 9 inches x 33 inches
Quick answers before the release
How many different blind-bag decks are there?
There are 33 possibilities: 30 card-art designs and three additional glitter gold foil chase variants. Each chase variant is limited to 500 worldwide.
Can I choose the deck graphic?
No. The deck is randomly assorted inside sealed blind-bag packaging, so a specific design is not guaranteed.
What is included with the blind-bag deck?
The official announcement describes one 8.0-inch x 31.6-inch deck and a limited-edition Pokémon Player's Guide booklet featuring the full assortment. This is a skateboard collaboration inspired by the TCG, not a trading card expansion.
Will all of the card artwork be shown before launch?
Santa Cruz says the card artwork will be revealed upon release. Until then, the sealed packaging is the main product preview.
Collection background: Santa Cruz's official 2026 Pokémon TCG announcement, the 2023 collaboration archive, The Pokémon Company's history, and NHS company background.
Release details: Saturday, October 17, 2026
Online: Saturday, October 17 at 9 AM Pacific at lbskate.com.
In-store: Saturday, October 17 at 10 AM Pacific.
- LB Skate: 3142 E 7th St, Long Beach, CA
- LA Skate: 5401 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
These are the release times for our stores. Join us online or stop by LB Skate or LA Skate for the Santa Cruz x Pokémon TCG 2026 collection.