Celebrate Pokémon TCG Pocket’s six-month milestone by unlocking a spectacular free full-art Rayquaza ex card-one of the most coveted promos in the game. But beware: this legendary prize isn’t handed out lightly. To claim your own sky-high dragon, you’ll need to conquer 50 battles across any mode by May 29, 2025, proving your mettle as a true Trainer. Ready to soar? Here’s your step-by-step guide to snagging this exclusive Rayquaza ex and dominating the Celestial Guardians update.
Released on Wednesday, the new Celestial Guardians update adds more than 200 new cards to the virtual card-collecting game and in-game events. A new special event celebrating the six-month anniversary of the game will allow you to collect a free full-art Rayquaza ex card. The event is live at time of writing and will run through Thursday, May 29.
This guide will show you how to get the free full-art Rayquaza ex card and complete the special missions in Pokémon TCG Pocket.
How to get a free full-art Rayquaza ex in Pokémon TCG Pocket
To get a free full-art Rayquaza ex card in Pokémon TCG Pocket, players need to participate in the Special Missions 2025 event, which runs until May 29, 2025. The key requirement is to win 50 battles in any game mode or difficulty, including solo challenges, private matches, or random versus battles. After reaching 50 victories, players can claim the full-art Rayquaza ex card from the Special Missions page under the “Special” section. To efficiently accumulate wins, it is recommended to focus on easier beginner-level battles in Solo Mode or combine these with other solo battle challenges to make the grind more enjoyable and rewarding.
It’s a bit confusing at the moment, because there are two Rayquaza-themed events running in TCG Pocket right now: the “Raquaza ex drop event” and “Special Missions 2025.” The Raquaza ex drop event does not give you the full-art Rayquaza – only the Special Missions 2025 event does.
The drop event does not give you the rare full-art version of Rayquaza ex, but the Rayquaza ex card you can earn through it is functionally the same in competitive modes, since it has the same stats and attacks.
You can collect items like pack hourglasses and the adorable “street party” themed playmat for free by completing the special missions in the Special Missions 2025 event. However, getting the full-art Rayquaza ex card might be a bit rough because you will need to win 50 (!) battles within in a single month-long period to get it.
Here are the full directions on how get the full-art Rayquaza ex card:
- Go to the Missions page and tab to the “Special” section.
- Complete the mission that gets you the Rayquaza ex card: “Win 50 battles.”
- Once you win 50 battles (on any mode or difficulty), return to the Special mission page, then complete the mission to get your card.
It really makes it feel like the developers are making us work for this one! It’s up to you to decide if that card is worth the grind. If your heart is dead-set on getting it, here are a few tips to alleviate the grind.
- You can win a battle in any mode of the game and it will count towards the 50 battle win requirement. The easiest way to max out your odds of wracking up wins is by doing the easiest difficulty battle (beginner) on Solo Mode.
- Only doing beginner matches could get tedious, so you can mix it up. We suggest you complete the battles for the Raquaza ex drop event and the other Solo Battle challenges for various expansions to earn wins. That way, you can complete battles that push you towards that 50-win goal, and you can collect additional rewards from completing the solo battle tasks.
What secret strategies can help me win 50 battles faster in Pokémon TCG Pocket
Secret Strategies to Win 50 Battles Faster in Pokémon TCG Pocket
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Use Fossil Trainer Cards as Sacrificial Bench Pokémon: Fossils act like 40 HP Pokémon but are trainer cards, so they don’t get pulled by Pokéball and can be promoted to absorb knockouts from your key Pokémon, protecting your main attackers and preserving your game plan.
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Engage in Private “THANKS” Battles for Quick Wins: Join private battles using the password “THANKS” where players often concede quickly based on a coin flip rule, allowing you to rack up wins rapidly-some players report completing 50 wins in 1-2 hours this way.
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Build Decks Around Supporter Pokémon: Instead of focusing solely on a main Pokémon, build decks centered on powerful supporter cards like Erica or Misy. This strategy creates synergy and powerful combos that can overwhelm opponents efficiently.
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Auto-Battle in Solo Events: Use auto-battle features in solo events repeatedly to farm wins and gain experience quickly, which helps improve your deck and battle skills for PvP matches.
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Focus on Quick Knockouts and Tempo: Use Pokémon and strategies that can knock out opponents’ Pokémon quickly to maintain tempo. For example, loading energy fast on attackers like Rapidash or using cards like Giovanni to disrupt opponents can secure wins faster.
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Practice and Learn Battle Mechanics: Watch tutorials and practice to understand timing, when to promote Pokémon, and how to manipulate your opponent’s moves. Anticipating their plays and planning several turns ahead increases your chances of winning.
Combining these strategies will help you efficiently achieve 50 wins and claim your free full-art Rayquaza ex in Pokémon TCG Pocket.
How do fossils help protect your key Pokémon during battles
Fossil cards in Pokémon TCG Pocket act as Trainer cards that can be played onto your bench as if they were 40 HP Basic Pokémon. Because they are Trainer cards while in your deck, they do not get targeted or removed by cards like Pokéball, which helps you maintain a consistent setup of your key Pokémon. During battles, you can promote a Fossil card to the active spot to absorb attacks, effectively sacrificing it instead of your important Pokémon that you are powering up. This protects your main attackers from being knocked out early, preserving your game plan and increasing your chances of winning. Additionally, Fossils have free retreat cost because you can discard them from play at any time, allowing you to make room for other Pokémon without penalty. This makes Fossils especially valuable in stage 2 decks for shielding key Pokémon against disruptive cards like Sabrina and smoothing your setup process.
