Doesn't seem to be a lot of fanfare around the 30th anniversary in the app, so thought I'd propose something fun to commemorate the big day beyond just another monthly release of cards. Post your favorite binders here! I'll post my favorite three, from each of the first three generations. Read on if you want to hear me ramble about my choices.

First we have Gen 1. Naturally we have to include all the starters (including your rival's). The Rainbow Moltres is one of my favorite cards from the first set, so I wanted to feature it somehow, and what better way than to make it look like Charmander is looking up at it in the night sky? Machamp and Alakazam are duking it out in an epic battle, so had to show that off.

I love how they played with Snorlax blocking the bridge with three other Pokemon, so we threw that in there. Diglett is off to the left, apparently also peeved by the ruckus Snorlax seems to be making out east. Underneath Diglett you see a whole bunch more Diglett. Underneath THOSE Diglett you see an Onix tunneling around. And underneath that Onix are a few rare stones and fossils, not least of which is an Old Amber. Underneath all that are memories of an ancient Pokemon.

Next we have a whole family of Nido's. We have two sleeping parents with two sleeping babies. I like that both of the Nidoran cards have heart flairs to show what a cohesive family they are. Pikachu seems to be enjoying the same log that Nidoran (F) like to sit on, and exploring the immersive art shows all kinds of friends and family together. Unforunately, all of this makes Cubone very sad, and he cannot help but grieve for his long-lost mother.

Charizard and Gyarados seem to be having an epic battle, and Dragonite may as well show up, too, and round out Lance's team from the Elite Four.

Finally, we have Mewtwo escaping the lab that Team Rocket built to create the perfect Pokemon. Giovanni is pleased to see the birth of his ultimate Pokemon, and is ready to offer Mewtwo a "partnership" for world domination. We of course see Mew, the origin of Mewtwo and possibly the ancestor of all Pokemon. On the other side of Mew is its failed clone. And to round things out, we have not just Meowth, but Italian Meowth; I love that its attack is Giornopaga, which just seems a lot like Giovanni.

NEXT is Gen 2. Again we start with the starters. As you progress through the game, you quickly receive a Togepi egg. You start to get a hint of Team Rocket in Azalea Town, as they cruelly harvest Slowpoke tails. I really wanted to put Miltank here, but Eevee right afterward needed its six slots where they were, and I could not pass up putting Sudowoodo in there.

Upon arriving in Ecruteak City (a model for the major cultural center Kyoto in Japan; see link), we come across the Ecruteak Dance Theater, where you can battle all of Eevee's evolutions. I appreciated that the flowers in Eevee's full art correspond to its different Eeveelutions, so each of the evolutions was placed next to its flower color. There is no Vaporeon EX, so for symmetry purposes neither will I place a Flareon EX.

[https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon\_world\_in\_relation\_to\_the\_real\_world](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_world_in_relation_to_the_real_world)

Continuing in Ecruteak City we come across the Burned Tower. We have the great fortune to see the three legendary beasts take off; however, they owe their thanks to Ho-oh, who revived them. I love the immersive for Ho-oh as well; it feels very Japanese (as someone who is not Japanese).

We have a couple other fun interactions. Jasmine was my favorite gym leader; she cared more about saving the Ampharos in her city than in battling as a gym leader. When you head to Cianwood, though, you find someone was traumatized after your rival stole one of his Pokemon, so he gives you his Shuckle just to make sure he stays safe in good hands. I really like the rainbow art for Shuckle, referencing its capacity to turn a Berry into Berry Juice, but my brother pointed out how disturbing it would be to drink any juice that was pre-digested by a bug Pokemon...

After uncovering an insatiable red Gyarados, probably the most epic moment is teaming up with Lance to take out the radio signal that fueled its red rage. We find that, of course, Team Rocket is responsible. They were just trying to bring Giovanni back, but he is nowhere to be found.

Finally, I have it rounded out with some of my favorite Pokemon. I like Tyranitar and Scizor, but I cut one to pull in Celebi, whose immersive is beautiful, with music that feels like it just fits Johto's vibe. Under the sea in Dragonite's art is the other dragon in Johto, Kingdra. I would have totally rounded it out with immersive Lugia, but its pose is absolutely horrible, and I couldn't include it, even if it seemed like it was underneath Kingdra. So I put in a different Lugia instead; I actually don't have the 2-star Lugia from the set but I think a silver background would actually go better there instead of a gold background (the game's namesake metal/color).

And then the last album is pretty straightforward. My Colosseum album just runs through the events of the game. The opening cutscene is absolutely epic; Gonzap's Skarmory is the only Pokemon besides Wes's partners that we see flying in the desert, which is exactly the landscape we see in the Skarmory art.

Your first battle is against two Zigzagoon, who probably don't know that they have some of the most epic Pokemon music ever playing in their battle. Your next battle is against some thugs who kidnapped Rui; they throw out Whismur to fight. Very interestingly, the battle is set against the fountain in Phenac City, which was modeled after Phoenix, AZ, as it's a thriving city in the middle of the desert. The Whismur card is also crying into a fountain...

After exploring the city a bit more you run into Miror B and you first shadow Pokemon, which you of course rescue from evildoers. As you leave the city, you get to save one of three Johto starters, and you eventually work your way through the underground and confront Miror B. After pushing through Ludicolo hilariously dancing to Miror B's groove, you can finally snag his Shadow Pokemon and rescue Plusle. You are then directed to Rui's grandparents' village, where you find more Cipher thugs. After snagging shadow Hitmontop and rescuing another electric rodent, you find the Relic Stone, where Celebi can restore any Pokemon's heart once it has opened enough.

You then move through the game, defeating the other Cipher Peons and snagging their beasts. After that, you head into the ultimate colosseum and snag four shadow Pokemon (including a Houndoom; just look at that art) as all the world spectates in the fanciest colosseum around. You earn your right to fight the boss (and then HIS boss), and steal their powerful Pokemon, too. After beating everyone, Ho-oh arrives to make sure Cipher faces justice.

Your work isn't over, though, as there are a few more shadow Pokemon to rescue, with the last coming all the way back to Outskirt Stand: Togetic. If you had the bonus disc, you were also able to score yourself a Jirachi (sadly, that was not me).

The battle part of the game also presented a challenge, and the final trainer in both singles and doubles shared having Kyogre, Choice-Banded Slaking (rude surprise for me the first time I saw it), Latias, and always ending with Soul Dew Latios.

Alas, without a full Hoenn set, I opted for Wishiwashi to represent Kyogre, and Dialga is standing in for Metagross.

In commemoration of Pokemon's 30 year anniversary, post your 30-card binders here!