VAULT JOURNAL · NEW SET UPDATE · MARCH 2026

Gem Pack Vol. 5 Announced

The Horizons crew returns - evolved. Four new exclusive arts, four different illustrators, 196 cards. April 24.

THE ANNOUNCEMENT

Ride the Wind, Chase the Dream

Pokemon China officially announced Gem Pack Vol. 5 today, March 20, 2026. The set releases April 24, 2026 - roughly 11 weeks after Vol. 4 hit shelves. That is a tighter turnaround than previous volumes, which typically had three to four months between them.

The official tagline is 乘风破浪，寻梦逐宝 - "ride the wind and break the waves, seek dreams and chase treasures." It is a classic Chinese idiom about bold adventure and forging ahead, paired with a treasure-hunting motif that fits neatly with the set's theme. Where Vol. 4 leaned into Lunar New Year warmth and the Year of the Fire Horse, Vol. 5 circles back to something familiar: the Pokemon Horizons anime.

WHAT WE KNOW

196 Cards, 28 Pokemon, and a Return to Horizons

The official production ratio graphic confirms the same card structure as Vol. 4: 196 total cards broken down into 56 Common, 56 Uncommon, 28 Rare, 28 Double Rare, and 28 Triple Rare. That means 28 Pokemon, each with 7 variations across the rarity tiers and foil treatments. Every Pokemon in the set also receives an art illustration holo card - the same structure that gave us Ponyta's standout Art Rare in Vol. 4.

Price remains at 10 yuan per pack with 4 holo cards per pack. Set code is CBB5C. The standard Gem Pack foil treatments are all present: type-pattern holos, Master Ball pattern holos, and gold-stamped Gem Pack logo cards. Pack count per box is not explicitly stated in this announcement, but 18 packs has held since Vol. 3 and there is no indication of a change.

THE EXCLUSIVE ARTWORK

The Rising Volt Tacklers, Grown Up

This is the headline for collectors. Vol. 5 brings back the same four Pokemon Horizons trainer-and-partner pairings that debuted as exclusives in Vol. 1 - but with completely new artwork and, critically, the evolved forms of the three starter Pokemon. Vol. 1 featured Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly. Vol. 5 features Floragato, Crocalor, and Quaxwell. The partners have grown alongside their trainers through the Horizons anime, and the cards reflect that progression. It is a subtle but deliberate narrative choice.

The four confirmed exclusive art illustration cards, each by a different illustrator:

Captain Pikachu and Friede (Illus. Keita Hagiwara) - standing together on the Brave Asagi, gazing out toward the horizon. The announcement describes them as about to embark on a new journey. Given that the Vol. 1 Captain Pikachu exclusive became one of the most sought-after cards in the entire Gem Pack series, this new version will draw serious attention.

Floragato and Liko (Illus. Lyu YiFei), Crocalor and Roy (Illus. Kouki Yanagihara), and Quaxwell and Dot (Illus. Rei Yamazaki) - each depicted sharing a meal with their trainer. The official description frames these as quiet moments between partners on the road - every second spent together is the most precious memory of the adventure.

Vol. 1's Horizons exclusives were split across three illustrators: Yasuda Shuhei (Sprigatito and Liko), Ito Kyoko (Fuecoco and Roy), and Yamazaki Rei (both Quaxly and Dot, and Captain Pikachu and Friede). Vol. 5 has shuffled the roster - Rei Yamazaki returns for Quaxwell and Dot, following the same pairing through its evolution, but the other three cards go to different artists. Keita Hagiwara takes over Captain Pikachu and Friede, Lyu YiFei picks up Floragato and Liko, and Kouki Yanagihara handles Crocalor and Roy. The continuity on the Quaxly line is a nice touch - same artist, same trainer, evolved partner.

SERIES CONTEXT

Full Circle

Vol. 1 launched the Gem Pack format with a Pokemon Horizons tie-in. Vol. 2 went all-in on Eeveelutions. Vol. 3 shifted to nocturnal aesthetics with Gengar as the anchor. Vol. 4 married the Year of the Fire Horse to a springtime celebration with Ponyta at its centre. Now Vol. 5 brings the series full circle - back to Horizons, back to the Rising Volt Tacklers, but evolved. The partners have grown. The card pool has nearly doubled from 115 to 196. The same trainer-and-partner pairings return with fresh artwork and a new mix of illustrators.

Whether this signals that the Gem Pack series will continue revisiting themes with fresh perspectives or simply that the Horizons anime tie-in proved popular enough to warrant a second wave is an open question. Either way, the format has matured. Vol. 5 matching Vol. 4's 196-card structure suggests the series has settled on its scale, and the consistent release cadence shows a product line running with confidence.

STILL TO COME

What We Are Watching For

The structure is confirmed but the full Pokemon roster is not. We know 28 Pokemon are in the set. Beyond the four Horizons partners, the announcement previews six more art illustration cards: Hisuian Growlithe (#02, Illus. GIDORA), Magneton (#03, Illus. Shinji Kanda), Chimecho (#11, Illus. REND), Spheal (#12, Illus. miki kudo), Vivillon (#18, Illus. REND), and Dondozo (Illus. osare). That gives us 10 of the 28 confirmed so far, with the remaining 18 still to be revealed.

Pull rates are confirmed identical to Vol. 4 - same per-card production ratios, same fixed pack structure. If you want the full breakdown of how the official per-card rates convert to per-pack probabilities, we covered it in detail in our Gem Pack Vol. 4 deep dive. The short version: 69.56% chance of a Rare, 23.20% Double Rare, and 7.24% Triple Rare per pack, with roughly 1.3 Triple Rares per box on average. Set code is confirmed as CBB5C. We will have a full deep dive once the complete Pokemon roster is revealed ahead of the April 24 release.

– SV