The Pokemon TCG, since its inception, has been on many people's radars and has become one of the most popular trading card games out there. One contributing factor is the focus and care on the card arts specifically.
The Elite Trainer Boxes are possibly the best way to dip your toes into the game, as they contain a lot of content. They include booster packs, sleeves, dice and coin, and anything you need to get started. They also come with fantastic designs on the boxes, which double as a cardholder once you empty them.
10 Sword & Shield Plus
The Sword & Shield Plus Elite Trainer Boxes sport a unique box art. We see a Poke Ball silhouette as a frame in which the cover legendaries, either Zacian or Zamazenta, can be seen outlined in gold.
This box art is simple yet elegant. It doesn't pop quite like other boxes available, but the simplicity and the cool visual of a Poke Ball used as framing makes this one memorable. You also get to choose your cover legendary, just like the main series games, so that's neat.
9 Shining Fates
The Shining Fates booster box came out in 2021, alongside the same name set, mainly focusing on shiny Pokemon. This box is mostly black, with an elegant pattern and some background work to give it gravitas.
Speaking of elegance, the box features the cuddliest of all Pokemon, Gigantamax Eevee. In its fluffy glory, Eevee smiles on this gorgeous box and is surely a worthy piece for any collection. After all, Eevee is the one Pokemon, barring Charizard, that could compete with Pikachu's mascot status.
8 Cosmic Eclipse
Released in 2019, Cosmic Eclipse came out alongside the last main set of the Sun & Moon era. Many players will remember this time by the almost universally used Arceus & Dialga & Palkia GX Tag Team card that wreaked havoc on the meta.
True to form, this box also features the creation trio as colorful silhouettes on a sleek, star-filled grey background. The Pokemon are iconic and look incredible in the monochromatic look with elegant linework. However, it does feel a little crowded on the front, as all three legendaries compete for the spotlight.
7 Vivid Voltage
Ever heard of this forgotten, old Pokemon named Pikachu? If you have not, Vivid Voltage will remind you of it with a ZAP! This box came out in 2020, and it's one of the bolder designs for an elite trainer box.
The box art features Gigantamax Pikachu, AKA chonky Pikachu, waddling around smiling with all its cuteness. The background is a bold red that pops out of the thing, and the Pikachu is drawn beautifully in yellow. This one is an excellent addition to any collection, unless you're sick of the Pikachu overdose.
6 Champions Path
Speaking of overexposure, we have Gigantamax Charizard. Released in 2020, this Elite Trainer Box does look good, despite how predictable it is as a cover Pokemon choice. Game Freak really loves this fire lizard.
The box has a beautiful black background and is textured with several small icons of the TCG symbols of the types. As the centerpiece, a brown/bronze-looking Gigantamax Charizard roars at the skies in all its glory. The box looks cool, for sure. However, the sleeves fail to capture the cool factor with smaller and less textured art.
5 Pokemon Go
While many players of the TCG were hesitant to call the Pokemon Go tie-in of all things fabulous at first, this set has settled into a more respected public opinion over time. The set had cool stuff like the return of Radiant Pokemon cards and Ditto cards, whose top layer could be peeled to reveal the imposter.
The Elite Trainer Box tied to the set also does many things right, featuring the classic Mewtwo as the centerpiece in a gorgeous silver color. The background has subtle patterns and is deep blue, making the Mewtwo pop out exceptionally well. The sleeves are also pretty nice to look at. Pokemon Go did many things wrong, but it did give us one of the cooler Elite Trainer Boxes.
4 Hidden Fates
Here is another Elite Trainer Box that features legendaries from Generation One. Released in 2019, the Hidden Fates Elite Trainer Box features the original legendary trio of Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres. While it shares some similarities in design with the aforementioned Cosmic Eclipse box, this one does it better.
To begin with, this box also has a slick, elegant black background, featuring other iconic Pokemon in small hexagons. Luckily, this doesn't distract from the main attraction. The legendary trio looks gorgeous, with their respective colors popping out of the black background. This is definitely one to showcase if you are a collector.
3 Brilliant Stars
This is the last box on this list that features a legendary front and center, and there is no better way to top it off than putting the God of Pokemon, Arceus, on the cover. This box is somewhat more minimalist than others, but the clean white box, covered in gold lines and a simple design, is just beautiful.
The Pokemon Center exclusive version of this box is just as good-looking. This one features several bright gold rays originating from Arceus and has more color. Regardless of your preference, you really can't go wrong here.
2 Evolving Skies
Evolving Skies, released in 2021, takes the cake for most Elite Trainer Boxes released alongside it. Luckily, none of the four total box designs are short of gorgeous. This box features the iconic Eeveelutions in its cover, and does so beautifully.
There are two different designs for this box: one featuring Leafeon, Umbreon, Jolteon, and Flareon, and the other featuring Sylveon, Espeon, Glaceon, and Vaporeon. All the Eeveelutions are in their respective colors, and look incredible in front of the clean black background. The Pokemon Center exclusive versions are also just as beautiful, with the colors of each Pokemon bleeding into the background.
1 Celebrations 20 & 25
Since the Pokemon Company began releasing Elite Trainer Boxes, the franchise has celebrated its 20th and 25th anniversaries. Let that sink in for a moment; over two decades have passed since the whole thing began... Fortunately, we got special anniversary celebration boxes with fantastic designs to celebrate.
The 20th-anniversary edition has small silhouettes of starters from all the past games, with yellow-shaded ones shaping into a Pikachu face in the middle. Definitely a cute and original design for an Elite Trainer Box. The 25th-anniversary box has a more straightforward, slick design with a drawn Pikachu face. The one that takes the cake, however, is the Pokemon Center edition of the 25th-anniversary box. It's got the iconic face, and the familiar tail shape splits the box into two halves. While simple, it's immediately eye-catching and gorgeous to look at. The sleeves are also just as good-looking.