After 20 years, Kadabra is finally allowed back in the Pokemon TCG

It looks like Kadabra is finally coming back to the Pokemon Trading Card Game after a 20-year absence this July.

Although this hasn't been spelt out explicitly, distributor listings for a new Japanese Pokemon TCG set describe a new set called Pokemon Card 151 - the implication being that all 151 original Pokemon from Red and Blue versions, including Kadabra, would be featured. (Thanks, Pokebeach.com.) 

The Aabra evolution hasn't been seen in the Pokemon Trading Card Game since 2002 due to illusionist Uri Geller suing Nintendo for what he claimed was an unauthorized take on his likeness. However, following a change of heart in 2020 which saw Geller contact Nintendo and say that he was "truly sorry" for his feud about the origins of Kadabra, he released the ban. It seems as if Kadabra will be returning in a few months as a direct result.

Speaking with Pokebeach in the wake of the Pokemon Card 151 discovery, Geller said that he was "pleased" Pokemon fans are excited to see Kadabra return to the card game. 

"Look, I want to thank the Pokemon fans who reached out to me over the last [few] years," he says. "Including the ones from PokeBeach, who kept contacting me nonstop. So basically, it was you and my granddaughters that got me to change my mind. Now we can all see Kadabra reunited with the original Pokemon in the card game this summer. I love you all. And I admit, totally open and honest. I was a fool. It was a devastating mistake for me to sue Pokemon. [Kadabra] was basically a tribute to Uri Geller. But it's back now. Forgive me."

The Pokemon TCG has been a frontrunner as one of the best card games for years, and it's adding to the roster with a Scarlet and Violet set (in which crystalized Tera Pokemon can be found) on March 31. Pokemon Card 151 will presumably be the next in line for release, which is certainly better news than an original, sealed copy of Pokemon Yellow worth almost $10,500 being ruined by US customs.

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