The Pokemon TCG has been running and printing cards for decades now. New and old Pokemon appear in the newest TCG expansions but some get more love than others. One Pokemon in particular has disappeared altogether and we haven’t seen them in almost 20 years. Many people have noticed Abra’s evolution, Kadabra is no longer on Pokemon cards and rarely shown anywhere else. When was the last Kadabra Card and why don’t we see this particular Pokemon in the TCG anymore?
Why are there no Kadabra cards?
The story starts about 20 years ago with a magician named Uri Geller. This illusionist is known for bending spoons during performances. The Pokemon, Kadabra, is arguably based on this public personality. According to BBC, Geller sued Nintendo in 2000 over the use of their image on a Pokemon card. It seems that because of this lawsuit, Kadabra could not be present on any more Pokemon cards after 2003. The last Kadabra card that was ever printed came out in the Skyridge set from 2003. That makes it 19 years since we’ve seen a new Kadabra card. Uri Geller has since publicly apologized on Twitter for banning Kadabra from appearing on cards and said they have released the ban. Though they have released the ban, it’s up to Nintendo and The Pokemon Company to decide if they want to bring Kadabra back. Will this almost 2 decade streak end soon?
Kadabra will make sure you don't forget your spoon 🥄☺️ pic.twitter.com/2v4G1wppFg
— Pokémon (@Pokemon) April 2, 2022
Is Kadabra Coming Back Soon?
This all began the question, will we see new Kadabra cards in the future or is this Pokemon gone forever? Well, Kadabra has been absent in more than just the Pokemon TCG. In the Pokemon anime series Kadabra also hasn’t appeared in more than 16 years until just last year. They brought back this dearly missed Pokemon and brought it to life in the Pokemon Evolutions anime. The official Pokemon twitter account also recently tweeted a gif of Kadabra, possibly hinting they have more future plans to keep them around. Hopefully we’ll soon see a new Kadrabra Pokemon card in an upcoming Sword and Shield set. If not, it’s very likely we’ll see a Kadrabra card in a Scarlet and Violet expansion.