The release of a new Pokémon Trading Card Game expansion set should, in theory, be an incredibly exciting time for the player base. While this is usually the case, some set announcements and pre-order periods can cause a little chaos in the collector’s community.
The upcoming expansion sets Prismatic Evolutions and Journey Together are some of the most hyped PTCG releases in recent years.
Prismatic Evolutions features the beloved Eeveelutions, being compared to the infamous Evolving Skies, while Journey Together includes the return of the fan-favorite Trainer’s Pokémon card type. Both offer value for collectors and competitive players.
Even though the bulk of Prismatic Evolutions products are not out for another week, and Journey Together will be released on March 28, it’s difficult to find products for either set to pre-order right now.
Pre-orders for Prismatic Evolutions and the first wave of Journey Together items sold out quickly, leaving many disappointed. Many products are already popping up on alternate platforms for vastly higher sums of money.
The lack of available pre-orders and the general hype surrounding the sets have been hot topics in the community ever since Prismatic Evolutions pre-orders went live. A meme on Reddit poked fun at the topic.
The meme pointed the finger (in a literal sense) at a number of different types of Pokémon TCG consumers, bringing everyone from “rip’n’shippers” and influencers to collectors and players in the discussion about stock and speedy pre-order periods.
If you’re unfamiliar with scalping, in this context, it generally refers to consumers who quickly pre-order or buy up lots of stock in one go and then resell it for a profit. This is more common with special sets, like Prismatic Evolutions, or with sets that feature beloved card types, like Journey Together.
Some readers agreed with the initial post’s message, with one person commenting, “You know a meme is factual and fire when you get a bunch of butt hurt people in the comments… If scalpers disappeared tomorrow it wouldn’t matter there still wouldn’t be enough product.”
Another added, “Damn. I was literally saying earlier that all people were doing was finger-pointing in order to find someone to blame for not being able to get their own pre-orders in. Especially since there was a decent window where everything was actually available.”
Not everyone was on board, though. Some players disliked their inclusion in the meme, pointing out that competitive players often avoided buying large products like Elite Trainer Boxes and opted for mostly single cards to deck build with instead.
One noted, “Who the heck is blaming players? They are buying low-rarity singles, not boxes. They don’t even want Secret Rares.” Others were inclined to agree, with the exception of some who pointed out that rare cards could be great for sparkly decks.
A frustrated viewer replied, “Tbf, I don’t judge anyone who actually OPENS THE DAMN THING…” Sealed collections have seemingly risen in popularity over the years but they’re still a hot topic.
While sealed PTCG collections were, ironically, torn into in the replies, with one person comparing them to a “dragon hoarding gold,” other collectors took a middle-of-the-road approach to the debate.
One noted, “Anyone buying product with the intent to simply resell (now or in the future) are the problem. People buying to genuinely enjoy collecting/playing are fine, including sealed products. I don’t see how anyone can think these are remotely the same thing.”
Whether you firmly oppose reselling PTCG products or support consumers’ interacting with the hobby in any way they choose, the fierce debates surrounding the topic are hard to ignore.
Prismatic Evolutions and Journey Together aren’t even out yet, but they’ve made a striking impact. As one reader in the thread put it, “hype is through the roof” when it comes to these two sets, and it’s not showing any sign of settling yet.
