CGC Video Games Certifies Sealed Pokémon White Version: Lucario Variant

In early 2010, a silhouette of a new Pokémon was shown off by Junichi Masuda, longtime director of the Pokémon video game franchise. This new Pokémon was slated to appear in an upcoming film and had never been seen before. Fans immediately started speculating as to its name and type, and it was clear that a new Pokémon game was in the works at Game Freak.

Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version were released simultaneously in North America on March 4, 2011. Game Freak introduced many new game mechanics that pushed the Nintendo DS’s hardware to its limits, including fully animated Pokémon battles, camera movement while in battle, 2.5D city layouts and the introduction of seasonal cycles. The Pokétch from Pokémon Diamond and Pearl was replaced with the C-Gear to facilitate connectivity to other devices. Players who used it could use Infrared connection to battle and trade, video chat and access the Entralink, which was an external feature using the Pokémon Dream World.

Between a rousing story and so many new and exciting features, Pokémon Black and White was a worldwide success. The game received both critical and commercial praise for its ability to challenge the Nintendo DS console, its addictive story and its new ways to connect with other players. Pokémon Black and White sold more than 1.08 million copies on its first day of sale in North America, breaking the previous record held by Diamond and Pearl. As of September 2017, the game’s combined sales reached 15.64 million.

Pokémon Black and White originally came with a code to capture the mythical Pokémon, Victini. However, a limited-edition release of Pokémon Black and White instead came with a code to download a Mystery Gift containing a special Lucario, a Pokémon not normally obtainable until the post-game. From January to April 2012, American players could purchase a specially marked copy of Pokémon Black and White to obtain this Lucario as part of a Global Link promotion. CGC Video Games recently graded a sealed example of this limited-edition copy. It received a grade of CGC 9.4 A+.

Sealed copies of this limited-edition variant are incredibly rare, because most players who purchased one opened the box for the code inside. Do you have one of these elusive copies of Pokémon Black or Pokémon White? Send it in to CGC Video Games for expert authentication, grading and encapsulation today! Learn how to submit by clicking here.