Pokemon TCG’s next major expansion might not land in the hands of genuine collectors and players, even with anti-scalping measures in place.
Destined Rivals, an amalgamation of Japan’s Heat Wave and Glory of Team Rocket sets, releases May 30 in the West and is expected to follow the same trajectory – i.e. scalped to oblivion – as Prismatic Evolutions and Journey Together before it.
Firmly in bull market territory as it is, retail and secondary market prices for Pokemon TCG products have skyrocketed in 2025. With Destined Rivals carrying the weight of Team Rocket – historically a wallet-opener – behind it, the sky’s the limit.
Pokemon TCG shortages continue
On January 16, The Pokemon Company committed to reprinting Prismatic Evolutions to meet demand and has incorporated a queue system on its official merchandise website in an attempt to give more fans a chance to get booster packs.
Confirmation of the former did little to curb prices, with Prismatic Evolution Elite Trainer Boxes still selling daily for much higher than their RRP.
As for the latter, pre-orders for Destined Rivals are expected to go live within the next week. But already, the queue system and website at-large have shown signs that it’s ill-equipped to deal with the situation. Even without scalpers, it seems there’s simply not enough product to go around.
Anticipating that Destined Rivals pre-orders would go live on Friday, March 21, many fans visiting the official Pokemon Center website were placed in a queue.
The only product drop was a Prismatic Evolutions Super Premium Collection. It sold out within minutes, of course, but if a set over two months old causes this much ruckus, what hope do collectors have of securing a brand-new set with absurd hype behind it? Somewhere in the region of zero is the likeliest answer.
On the bright side, stock shortages and scalpers are alien concepts to Pokemon TCG Pocket. With a new set, Shining Revelry, on the horizon, perhaps it’s time to hide out there until things calm down.
Source link
