The Pokémon Trading Card Game is, once again, going through a bit of a collector’s boom at the moment. In the years since Pokémon card frenzy reached an all-time high in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, hype around new set releases had died down somewhat, meaning it wasn’t all that rare to actually find Pokémon TCG products on store shelves. That started to change with the release of the latest Pokémon TCG set, Surging Sparks last fall, as folks scrambled to pull rare cards like the Special Illustration Rare Pikachu ex or Special Illustration Rare Latias ex.
The intensity with which collectors sought after these cards meant that Surging Sparks was hard to come by at MSRP at local stores, and both sealed product that was scooped up by resellers to sell secondhand and loose cards like the coveted SIR Pikachu ex saw their secondhand prices skyrocket as a result. This fanaticism looks to be carrying forward to the upcoming special, Eevee-focused set, Prismatic Evolutions, as pre-orders are sold out almost everywhere thanks to a higher demand at retailers leading to distributors not having as much product as they normally would. eBay listings for Prismatic Evolutions Elite Trainer Boxes (a special bundle containing several card packs, a promo card, and special materials to play the Pokémon TCG) are selling for as much as $250 per box before they’re even released, when normally they’d be available at retail for $49.99.
This frenzy has a number of Pokémon fans worried that they won’t be able to get their hands on any Prismatic Evolutions product at a reasonable price, though local card shops are doing their best to make sure actual Pokémon fans get a chance to buy product rather than resellers. One of my local stores, for example, will be limiting product to one per customer, and has introduced a policy in which you can have your product opened in front of you at the store if you want to purchase it for MSRP, while those who would rather purchase sealed product to resell or collect will have to pay market price for the product, discouraging resellers from getting their hands on a bunch of product to resell for a higher price.
In a surprising move in the wake of the excitement over Prismatic Evolutions, The Pokémon Company has issued a statement regarding their plans to reprint more Prismatic Evolutions product, as well as a reminder that new Prismatic Evolutions releases will be happening throughout the year.
— Pokémon TCG (@PokemonTCG) January 15, 2025
This is an unprecedented move from The Pokémon Company, as in the past they’ve generally let the frenzy to buy their product pass by without acknowledging it, and as far as I know they’ve never publicly announced their intent to reprint more products in the midst of high demand. This statement feels like a step in the right direction as far as setting expectations for Pokémon TCG product, and it’s a great reminder that special holiday sets like Prismatic Evolutions and 151 are typically released and printed in batches throughout the year. With demand this high it’s yet to be seen if The Pokémon Company’s printing plans can keep up, but I’m feeling more hopeful than I was before this announcement.
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Written by Jaxson Tapp
As a lover of gaming and the written word, Jaxson currently fills his time not only with playing games, but also writing about them. Ready for anything, Jaxson’s passion for puzzle games, JRPGs, tough platformers, and whimsical indies helps him bring a well-rounded opinion to Nintendo Wire’s reporting.
