What are the Blood Mew Pokémon cards?

Amid the hoopla of the Pokémon Trading Card Game 30th Celebration set is an error card that has become a viral sensation thanks to its darkly serene image. Already a relatively tough to pull card thanks to its designation as a Special Illustration Rare, collectors have found Mew Ex cards (152/128) in packs with a rather macabre finish: it appears that the Mythical Pokémon is either bathing in blood or is about to dive into a pool filled with blood. While the artwork remains unchanged, the calm that Mew exudes as red surrounds them can be slightly unnerving.

What caused the Blood Mew error?

In the production process, rolls of holographic foil are placed onto the cards to give them the special shiny effect. Red tape keeps the rolls together in order to maintain a steady uninterrupted run. The error happens when the tape lands on the printed cards. It’s likely that mishaps like this happen more often than is ever reported, but quality control catches them before they ever make it into packs and boxes and are destroyed. With a set as massive as the 30th anniversary of the Pokémon Trading Card Game, lapses were bound to happen. Red tape errors have even been found on packs from sealed boxes, both in the 30th Celebration and in previous sets.

Blood Mew is not the only error card that has been reported in the 30th Celebration set. Other Mew cards claim to have a similar “blood” finish, while others have miscuts, ghost images, and double prints that make them look like old-school overexposed photos. But none of the other error cards have reached the level of hype as Blood Mew so far.

Why Has Blood Mew Become the Popular Error Card From the Set?

The name Blood Mew, coined by influencer Missnatoshi, played an oversized role in making the card so talked about that it deserved a post on Sole Retriever. It is able to convey the vibes surrounding the card and is an accurate description of the actual error. It really does look like a Mew that has either seen things or is about to experience some things that we only see in anime that skew towards an older demographic.

The other error cards do not have the visual appeal of Blood Mew or a nickname that has caught fire. The proliferation of people making fake error cards to drive hype is also driving people towards errors that, for now, appear to be legitimate goofs at the factory that got out. It’s not unlike what happens when the sneaker community creates a nickname for a new colorway of an upcoming release, and it ends up being better than whatever the brands had in mind.

What Effect has Blood Mew Had on the Market for the 30th Celebration set?

Depending on where you get your information on the internet, the hype for the 30th Celebration set is either crashing down or is still on an upward trajectory. There’s a lot of wishcasting being projected on both sides of the card aisle, as cards that are designated as super rare are being pulled at easier rates than other sets are driving the prices of single cards on reseller platforms down, but prices for boxes are still going for double and triple their retail price.

If Blood Mew continues to be an ongoing concern with more examples showing up or The Pokémon Company actually acknowledges the card’s existence and offers replacements, it could supercharge the market as people try to find their own error variant. It will also contribute to the lore of the set years from now, when people only remember the big picture that will likely include Blood Mew.

Did we Pull a Blood Mew Card When we Opened an Elite Trainer Box at CardVault by Tom Brady’s Century City opening?

No, but it was a fun time had by all.

Juan Martinez

From video game journalism to veteran of the sneaker blog era to podcasting about well, everything, Juan is smiling through it all and can't believe this is his life. His current hot take is that people are really underrating the Psyduck trading card market. Email: juan@soleretriever.com Instagram | Twitter | Bluesky | Threads : @ezyville