These China-exclusive Pokemon TCG figures have ruined my entire day

I'm feeling sorry for myself, and it's all because of China's exclusive Pokemon TCG figures.

China already has a reputation for getting some very cool Poke-merch, but the latest drop takes the cake. In honor of the 30th Celebration (which is grand enough to feature 27 products as is), the territory has pulled out all the stops for exclusive figurines to go with special Pokemon TCG cards.

While there's been a lot of fuss in the community over 13 adorable Pikachu models that match some of the 30 unique Pika-cards dropping alongside this set, an incredible Charizard commemorative figure based on the original card artwork is just as impressive. Actually, looking at it makes me feel weirdly nostalgic; it's the spitting image of the 1999 card, despite being a 3D model. Due to cleverly-placed linework, it feels like a cartoon come to life.

It's unclear if we'll get any of the above in the US or UK (and if we did, my guess is it'd appear somewhere like Walmart before being snapped up instantly), but I don't feel hopeful. While there's a chance these collectors' items could make the trip across the ocean, I'm not overly hopeful. We've seen figures such as these before, and they've remained China-exclusive. The only exception is in the UK at very select Forbidden Planet stores, which occasionally get Chinese Poke-merch in... but again, it's a small batch so I wouldn't say it's a super reliable method.

Not that they're completely out of reach. These items will launch in China this September 16, and I have no doubt you'll be able to get ahold of the figurines via secondary channels such as eBay… but you'll probably be paying way over the odds for them, not to mention painful shipping costs. Considering how it's already difficult enough to buy Pokemon TCG 30th Celebration, this may be a step too far for many. In other words, these models may stay a daydream for most of us.

Back to feeling sorry for myself I go.

It's a day of ups and downs for card game fans; while it sucks that we probably won't get those cool Pokemon figures here, Palworld TCG dev promises more stock with a 2nd Edition printing.

• See the latest Pokemon cards at Amazon