Allen McCallie ‘26, Business and Ad Manager
It has become harder and harder to get Pokémon-related products at the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) due to scalpers camping out and buying all the products before average consumers can get to them. Scalpers are those who buy all the Pokémon stock and jack up the prices during resales. Recent drops like Ascended Heroes and Phantasmal Flames sets have been very prone to scalping. Elite trainer boxes (ETB) and packs can be seen doubling or even tripling their value recently. Here is a guide to what the next drops are and where to find them:
The most common and reliable method for getting drops at MSRP is to arrive and camp out early at a Pokémon retailer. The best and most reliable stores at which to camp out are Target, Walmart, GameStop, Best Buy, and Barnes & Noble. Though GameStop is known for charging outrageous prices and deviating from the MSRP, you can find ETB’s at $100 when stores like Best Buy have them priced at $50. With these great prices, it is always smart to arrive three to four hours before the store’s opening hour to secure a spot in line, and get the best packs.
Ascended Heroes:
The most recent drop was Ascended Heroes, which was released over two days. On Jan. 30, the Ascended Heroes Tech Sticker collection was released alongside the 30th anniversary blister pack. Later, on Feb. 20, the Ascended Heroes Elite trainer box, tin, and blister packs were released. The items are already going for over double their original price, from $50 or 60 to over $125. You can find Ascended Heroes restocked at stores like Target and Walmart. At Target, restocks happen at random times in the day and are usually gone within two to three hours.
There will still be one more Ascended Heroes release on March 20, the Mega Lucario and Mega Gardevoir premium poster collections at $49.99, and Ascended Heroes first partners deluxe pin edition at $24.99 to $29.99. Alongside the drop of Ascended Heroes, there is going to be the release of the First Partners Illustration Collection Series one. In the collection, there will be two packs and a special illustration pack for $14.99 MSRP. In the special illustration pack, there will be three cards with nine to collect. The cards are special illustration cards from the starter Pokémon from different generations, including iconic Pokémon like Charmander, Piplup, and Litten. After this big release on March 20, you can expect all Ascended Heroes products to go up in value.
Perfect Order:
The Perfect Order official expansion release date is March 27, and it will be a massive drop, including lots of new products. The most important drop on expansion days is always the ETB, and they are anticipated to be as difficult to acquire as Ascended Heroes. In the ETB, there will be eight packs, sleeves, dice, and a playing coin, and the box will likely be priced at $50 to $60. If you do not care about playing dice or having the ETB and just want to rip packs, then you should probably get the Perfect Order Booster box that will include a whopping 36 packs for $160, or on the more common side, the booster bundle with six packs for $24.99 to $29.99. Perfect Order is also going to include a Build & Battle box that includes a pre-made 40-card deck and one of four unique foil cards. This set is perfect for people looking to get into the card game for cheap, being priced at $21.99.
All these unique and fan-catching drops are sure to drive up the after market prices for every drop in the set. The best way to get Pokémon Cards and actually enjoy them without having to sell a kidney is always smart to get them from stores, so consider if it is worth it to you to wake up early in the morning to get Pokémon cards.
Lyon Life 