While building out our card database to index every single Palworld OCG card released, we hit a wall on two cards that had zero public information online — two soul promos stamped OFFICIAL JUDGE that Bushiroad has never announced. To date as far as I know, we may be the only ones who have discussed these two cards.
Numbered ESOUL-009 and ESOUL-010, the pair shares the same illustration: Depresso working a shift in a lit-up tournament hall, fanning out a hand of cards beneath Palworld OCG event banners with that iconic, deadpan expression we all love. What really caught my eye, though, were the official judge stamps sitting in the bottom-left corner of each card.
What are Bushiroad judge cards?
Bushiroad judge cards aren’t something you can just pull from a standard booster pack or grab off a retail shelf.
They are strictly reserved for certified judges who put in the hours on the floor, earning point-based rewards for officiating — 100 base points a day at a regional event, with Level 2 judges earning a 1.5× multiplier (150 points), which can eventually be cashed in for promo cards, sealed display boxes, and exclusive playmats.
Except the Bushiroad Official Judge Program covers five games right now — Cardfight!! Vanguard, Weiß Schwarz, Shadowverse: Evolve, Godzilla Card Game and hololive OFFICIAL CARD GAME — and Palworld isn’t one of them. Palworld’s own floor rules still require at least one judge at every tournament, and the circuit is already moving: the Grand Challengers Cup in October, then Masters League 26/27.
That strict, event-only distribution bottleneck makes judge promos some of the most elusive, highly sought-after cards in the entire Palworld Trading Card Game. Arguably Depresso is one of the more popular Pals in the Palworld IP so surely this one will matter in the collector space.
Because these cards serve as both a status symbol and tangible compensation for running tournament logistics, their scarcity directly reflects the scale of the events themselves.
When a staple play-card or high-rarity variant gets locked behind the judge program for a signature competitive season, supply stays extremely tight while demand from high-end collectors and competitive players skyrockets. Owning one isn’t just about showing off a rare foil; it’s proof of being on the front lines of the game’s competitive circuit.
Neither ESOUL card has been officially announced
What makes ESOUL-009 and ESOUL-010 particularly interesting right now is that Bushiroad hasn’t officially acknowledged either card’s existence. There’s been no press release, no reveal, and no update on the official Bushiroad Judge Program portal. Both images have simply been sitting on Bushiroad’s own server.
We are essentially looking at an early look at what Bushiroad is possibly prepping behind the scenes for the Palworld OCG competitive circuit. Given that major events like the Grand Challengers Cup in October and the Masters League 26/27 are right around the corner, these Depresso cards are likely the initial wave of high-end incentives designed to recruit and reward certified staff for the upcoming circuit.