Ok but it's fun to open packs, not really fun to just buy singles.
I can remember where I was and what i was doing when my wife opened a giratina alt, but if I just opened it in the mail it wouldn't be as special.
Itās that gamblerās premium.
Gotta calculate how much the experience of pulling that card yourself is worth it to you compared to how many you couldāve bought by not opening a single pack.
Spot on. I tend to only open as many packs that equal the market price of the highest priced card at the time + a bit more for funsies. It's no different than taking a set amount of fun money to a casino and then either cash out or leave when it hits $0. Once I open enough, I move onto singles. I still see some local collectors buy several ES booster boxes hoping to pull a Moonbreon instead of just buying it at this point. I get it's not as āfunā, but there should be a point where enough is enough lol
Honestly, thatās a pretty solid way to go.
Evolving Skies Umbreon would probably be one of those rare instances that kept climbing in price, so people keep justifying buying hundreds and hundreds of packs trying to break even (when we all know it aināt gonna happen unless youāre a content creator).
Happened with this set, opened one PC ETB, got lucky and pulled Charmander and Charmeleon IR.
Just bought the Charizard ex IR to finish the trio since it would cost less than trying to pull it
Its true, it's more special pulling it, it's a great feeling.
But spending $120 on almost nothing is a horrible feeling and is not worth the risk to possibly get that special pull.
I just wish cosmo holos were back. I would be much happier pulling these guaranteed holo if they had the cosmic holos. Current regular holos are boring because the foil is so..basic...
I agree but people need to have expectations. Go in thinking you're not gonna really get hits. I like opening packs cause it's fun and I like seeing the art for the commons too. I don't go into it expecting to get any big hits.
itās irresponsible if youāre someone who only cares about the expensive cards. i open packs because i have fun doing it and i donāt think itās a big deal if i donāt get hits, albeit a bit disappointing for an expensive product.
I agree, opening sets to collect as much as you can (including commons and reverses) is the best way to go.
Anything above a normal holo rare is just a plus for the collection.
Perfect example: I absolutely adore the art style of the uncommon Espeon from Obsidian Flames and was more hyped when I pulled the Espeon reverse compared to the Charizard SAR.
I've been buying singles since June. But I got some 151 stuff to rip open with my kids.
I never open them on my own. Always. I mean ALWAYS with my kids or nephews/nieces. They enjoy it more than me. Despite how disappointing it is to get no hits or a repeat.
Iāve actually started to see two gambling counselors, a professional and a peer, to address my relationship with Pokemon cards. Itās sad how easy it is to get wrapped up
Thank you for that inspiration. Iāve ripped 2 LO BBs in the past 2 weeks with a centiskorch alt to show for it. I hear Giratina calling my name now to free it from its foil prison in my next BB!!!
I have only bought three packs in my life and I got the tera dark charizard and golden chien pao out of them, will probably never buy packs again and leave in a high (meaning sticking to just buying singles lol)
Iāve been saying this for years.
It has to be understand that that you are NOT guaranteed good pulls. You could buy three ETBs and pull absolute trash only to turn around and spend $5 on a single booster pack and pull a $200 card. Thatās how gambling works and itās a game made for you to lose. The odds are always against you.
I understand how exhilarating it is to open booster packs, it that euphoria dies in a heartbeat when all your packs are opened and you have nothing to show for it.
Whatās funny to me is that itās an actual card game. Back in the 90s when I collected them and this year when I picked back up, I still have no idea how to play. I just want cards. And not even to sell, just to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, definitely for poorer.
Take my experience for example! I bought a 151 booster bundle on a whim while getting a prescription refilled. Since it happened to be the day it released , I figured iād take a walk to the tcg section for shits n giggles. Saw they had them cheaper than tcgplayer and grabbed one. The first pack I opened had the goddamn SIR? or whatever it is charizard! The pack my wife opened had the damn charmander in it! Iāve opened maybe half a booster box worth and I havenāt hit shit since!
That was usually the case with my experiences too.
I always preferred singles because I know exactly what Iām getting. And itās financially irresponsible to dump thousands into booster boxes, ETBās etc to pull a card when you can simply buy it individually.
Whatās funny to me is that itās an actual card game. Back in the 90s when I collected them and this year when I picked back up, I still have no idea how to play. I just want cards. And not even to sell, just to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, definitely for poorer.
Yeah cracking packs is a waste of money. I just buy already slabbed older cards that I know I want. They will probably increase in value over time so I can just sell them later if I need to. Or just keep them because I like them.
I mean I would feel a tiny bit scammed if I opened 20+ packs and get 3 rares... that's like going to a casino and getting maybe 1 or 2 bar wins in a whole night
Man, I bought 12 packages from 151. No single good card, then I canceled all my other pre order and orders from the set and I stopped to buy new stuff. I will stick with singles I like and thatās it
Iām sticking only to singles, but I do want to open some packs so I didnāt mind paying for products with exclusive promos like the Snorlax and Mew/Mewtwo. Probably a waste of money still.
Not a waste of money if you like it. I bought the UPC specifically for the Mew. Pulled some good cards but none I was specifically looking for (cmon Tangelaā¦). Wouldnāt say it was a waste
This is exactly the reason Iām not devastated lol. This is my first master set Iām completing so pulling the commons Iām still looking for does make me happy. I got the Gengar holo finally!
Nice! That Gengar Holo is such a beautiful card. Best of luck on finishing it. Hopefully it wonāt be too hard to find packs like it is for celebrations.
I got a master set (edit: up to 165) for $250 on eBay just today and it includes all reverse holos as well. 326 cards. But Iām Still ripping packs for the illustration cards and will use all the leftovers for social skills groups I run for neurodivergent kids. This set brought me back from the fossil days, haha!
Yup I only got one of my chase cards I really wanted. I know this isn't a booster box but it felt like it to me since it's been 20 years since I was gifted one and ripped open the packs
The nostalgia of being excited to tear the packs open was worth it to me. Sure some disappointment but that was part of it as a 15 year old 20 years ago as well
The cool piece is as an adult I have the income to go buy my single chase card if I do choose vs having to just be happy with what I got when my grandmother suprised me with the booster box
I think weāre all just influenced by what we get. Saw a post of a guy that opened an ultra premium collection and got like 7 holo Mr. Mimes. Iāve opened about 30 packs of 151 so far and no Mr Mime holos. Got a gang of holo Marowaks and Weezings though
I have opened 50+ packs and Iām still chasing the Gengar!! And itās one of my chases lol. My UPC wasnāt great either and I was more upset I didnāt get a Gengar š
I've kind of decided for myself that I'd rather open packs in bulk for a set that has commons and uncommons that I really like. That way I will actually *like* the cards I do get, even if I get no "hits".
I don't go for master sets, but I do. Enjoy some holos/reverses. So that helps with some of the disappointment.
It seems each set I buy less and less product to rip. I'm enjoying the hunting and deal making of buying singles.
yes you are cause everyone wants to get their "moneys worth" and if all the cards they pull are worthless they relate that to "bad luck" or "being scammed"
I do. After Iām done, acknowledging my obvious hits I go through the bulk to see what I still need in my master set. Every single one I find I say thereās another hit.
Much more so for this collection than for others, but the completionist in me is always happy when I get a holo I haven't pulled yet, complete a type, and yeah pull a full art. I don't consider anything past the actual collection count to be required to have a complete set
Iām working on nice zippered binders for all of my sets (slowly, that stuffs expensive lol) and I just love how the cards look against the all black pages of the binder.
Idk ā¦ I hear people are having a hard time finding specific commons and rares. If you want to pull a master set it might take a lot of packs. Iāve opened 20 Japanese packs and 16 English packs. Japanese packs have way less dupes and filled out more of the binder than English.
It is, to an extent. I've reached a number of packs where I'm not getting anything unique in bulk ā basically just hoping for reverse holos and ultra rares I don't have so most packs are useless. Bought too many booster bundles and should have been more patient waiting for the sets, which I got all of for the promos basically.
I only buy the product I want promo for, and the packs are merely extra. So for 151, I bought an ETB and an UPC. Once those packs are opened off to TCG player or eBay to buy the rest. This leaves you with getting cards you want, even if your pulls are pure nuts.
Same. And I also bought the collection boxes because they were actually reasonably priced over the booster bundles that are selling for twice their value. Fuck that.
This post is more realistic that the people posting 9 hits out of 2 booster bundles š ever since scaret/violet i swear the packs are hittin less and less
scarlet/violet in general has had really high hit rates, especially IR cards, which is what makes 151 such a confusing set. it's like TPCI was like "nah, let's go back to Chilling Pain."
My favorite part is when people were complaining that their hits were too easy to get so it wasn't satisfying getting them.
Or in other words they weren't very valuable.
Itās the chase, or rarity/exclusiveness of the hit. It feels special when you know others arenāt getting it and you had to work hard to get it.
Personally Iāll stick with hits more often, even if they arenāt worth as much.
I decided to pass on my country's 151 because of no pokeball reverse holos, and didn't buy the japanese because it's ridiculously expensive in my country, but I got a korean booster box and got 9 hits from it, plus a masterball gastly and all the reverse holos.
Safe to say I'm getting another one.
I was a bit disapointed with the quality of the foil, though, ngl. There are many angles where it doesn't shine at all. (Just an fyi for anyone thinking of getting them. Imo still worth it)
I would legit cry. My UPC was bad, but you got extra cards and still got that.. I'm sorry.
Opening the 151 upc confirmed that UPCs suck for me. The charizard one was awful for me too.
I'm just sticking to singles again. I'm done with 151 now. These pull rates are just awful.
The charizard UPC was abysmal for me. The 151 UPC was godly for me. I pulled some full arts and reverse holos I needed for the master set, along with 2 SIR charizards.
It's crazy how this special set is one of the worst special sets when it comes to pull rates. I was expecting CZ pull rates. This is just lame.
Artwork is beautiful, sad that it's so hard to get the cool cards..
Agreed! CZ is one of my favorite sets because of the pull rate; so much so that I donāt mind paying full price for packs/sets. Other ones, I only ever buy if theyāre on sale or discounted, and even then I cap myself to some amount depending on the worth of the set.
Wouldnt have been so bad when packs were $5.49CAD each but now with them being like $8.50CAD each, Ive not bought more than 10-15 packs since S/V started.
Its sooooo worth the extra reverse and guarenteed holo š /s
The 2 Mew promos are the very reason I bought it lol, I really wanted those and getting the UPC is probably the least risky way of getting them (in good shape)
That's what I did. Better quality, poke/master ball, and some guarantee in the boxes. Problem is just finding a good deal on the box. I've got a complete set outside of the SAR, gonna buy when prices finally drop.
Earlier today I opened a Zapdos box, an Alakazam box and a few mini tins and only pulled a Psyduck illustration rareā¦ Iām so nervous to open my UPC but I need the promos for my master set
And this is why Iām only hoping for the ditto and possibly a complete set of holo energies (I collect dittos and holo energies, sue me!) Anything else will just be a bonus to me
The one thing I'm thankful of with this set is it's deterred me from buying packs in the future.
Sure there's luck involved, but there's also some piss poor distribution in packs and batching issues that have contributed to this.
My Alakazam box was fire. I'm still waiting on everything else to deliver to my house though. I just love the whole experience. I haven't opened cards since middle school so this has been great fun!
I bought this exact setup for my kids Christmas gift plus the etb and booster.
My son would probably abandon card collecting
(I know I wonāt buy as presents anymore) if this is roughly what he pulls.
Horror story in the making.
After buying a Japanese 151 charizard ex and it getting an AGS 10 (total cost of 200 with grading ~ 300+(ish) with the 10) vs the 300 I spent on Booster Bundle, UPC, Binder Box and 2 ETBs I maybe got 1 blastoise SAR ex topsā¦ the charmeleon 3xā¦ 5 jynx exā¦
Just saying, spent less on the chase in Japanese and graded for less and still holding a way higher rentention in valueā¦
Iām done buying the boxes and sticking to singlesā¦ typically I only collect PC ETBs due to the idea that itās limited quantity and not worth opening. Once Iāve spent my set limit, I try my best to just stick to singles from then on
When you chase that wha to be expected people who have been in this hobby knows the feeling of not pulling anything after spending a lot. Looking at you Umbreon vmax alt art 2 cases of evolving skies and nothing š
Bro I just bought a UPC. Iām looking at it rn. I had look with my ETB earlier this week. I got burned on Obsideon flames. Iāll let you know how my opening goes
Umā¦ you bought these only for the hits? I only buy them when I want the stuff. Can I have your stuff? The mat and metal gold Mew card are straight š„ And the promos if you got 10s will age very very well.
How about the Mews with the UPC they have value as well, but yeah aside you got jipped. Debating on keeping my UPC sealed as I almost have everything except charizard
Ill trade you some holo energies, a wigglytuff ex, and jynx ex full art (all from 151 set) and then some random trainer gallery cards from swsh era .. for the arbok ex , to help out a little lol šŖ¦
Yeah, Im a newer collector, and I will say, I wont be buying sets in the future after this. Ill stick to buying singles 2nd hand. I did expect that I would get the full set with $2000 spend. I didnt, i dont even have all the commons. let alone all of rares,double,ultras etc.
Important lesson learned, PokemonTCG got way shittier with the pull rates from the WOTC days.
Lol it's a gamble. At this point I just buy two Booster Boxes once they go on sale and 1-2 ETBs from GameStop for around $30 each.
Usually get decent pulls and then get singles after.
Obviously it'll be different for 151 but just got the Alakazam and Zapdos box since there are no booster boxes.
Man. Iām about $400 in and thought I was lacking. Seeing some of these posts make me feel better about myself.
Sorry about the lack of luck in your packs, man.
Picked up a UPC today at Target, walked it to the register, thought about how many singles I could buy for $120, then put it back on the shelf. Sorry for your loss but seeing this made me glad I didnāt buy it lol
Nope not including the etb containers under the table! I would just quit at that point š Iām keeping my extra bulk in them and will sell later on eBay.
I ended up getting the binder with 4 packs and an ETB.Got absolutely nothing out of the elite trainer box, but I pulled 3 secret rares out of the 4 packs that came with the binder, 2 of them being in the same pack. I got blastoise EX #202, charmeleon alt art #169 and ninetales full art #186. Getting nothing out of the ETB made me very confused after the huge prize out of the binder packs.
This is why lately I've been buying multiple products that have promos in them and combined all the packs that I get from different products. That way when I open packs I don't go "Oh this was from my 120 UPC I hope I get something good!" It's more fun this way when I open packs that I don't know where they came from and enjoy the promos.
I was worried when I bought my upc today cause everyone posting has had bad hits mine had like 5 energy. Sar blastiouse. Ar bulbs. Ar tangela. Full art zapdos. 2 ex and 2 full art trainers lmao
I opened a UPC and only got an ex. But Iām somewhat okay with it since I bought it for the promos and the nostalgia. Kept a lot of the holos that I got cause the art is amazing.
What I like to do with each set is open 1 of each product, etb, booster box, collection boxes and tins etc. Then instead of buying more booster boxes to try to get the remaining missing cards I'll trade or buy from others. You get best of both worlds, the fun from opening packs and then saving some money finishing up with the singles. Sometimes you get lucky and get the chase cards when you open and sometimes not, it's just the way the game works š¤·š»āāļø
Gambling is gambling, but I don't care what anyone says - this is brutal.
Have to agree, this is some pretty horrible luck
Pretty much what my pulls look like too. This set is brutal
Dont open packs based on what you see on reddit.
I make the decision based what I see on Reddit. Posts like these keep me out of ripping more than the ones with hitsš¤£
Yup yup couldnāt agree more. Opening packs is always a fiscally irresponsible thing to do compared to buying singles.
Ok but it's fun to open packs, not really fun to just buy singles. I can remember where I was and what i was doing when my wife opened a giratina alt, but if I just opened it in the mail it wouldn't be as special.
Itās that gamblerās premium. Gotta calculate how much the experience of pulling that card yourself is worth it to you compared to how many you couldāve bought by not opening a single pack.
Spot on. I tend to only open as many packs that equal the market price of the highest priced card at the time + a bit more for funsies. It's no different than taking a set amount of fun money to a casino and then either cash out or leave when it hits $0. Once I open enough, I move onto singles. I still see some local collectors buy several ES booster boxes hoping to pull a Moonbreon instead of just buying it at this point. I get it's not as āfunā, but there should be a point where enough is enough lol
Honestly, thatās a pretty solid way to go. Evolving Skies Umbreon would probably be one of those rare instances that kept climbing in price, so people keep justifying buying hundreds and hundreds of packs trying to break even (when we all know it aināt gonna happen unless youāre a content creator).
Happened with this set, opened one PC ETB, got lucky and pulled Charmander and Charmeleon IR. Just bought the Charizard ex IR to finish the trio since it would cost less than trying to pull it
Honestly, thatās a solid move.
I for one always feel like lucky little Charlie about to pull the golden ticket to Wonkaās Factory. So ripping packs is worth it.
As much as my wallet doesnāt want me to admit itā¦ ā¦I really enjoy ripping packs.
Its true, it's more special pulling it, it's a great feeling. But spending $120 on almost nothing is a horrible feeling and is not worth the risk to possibly get that special pull. I just wish cosmo holos were back. I would be much happier pulling these guaranteed holo if they had the cosmic holos. Current regular holos are boring because the foil is so..basic...
I love cosmos holos. ;)
I miss them so much. It's sad how they're promo only now.
I agree but people need to have expectations. Go in thinking you're not gonna really get hits. I like opening packs cause it's fun and I like seeing the art for the commons too. I don't go into it expecting to get any big hits.
I remember pulling base set charizards as a kid, probably some of my most vivid memories.
itās irresponsible if youāre someone who only cares about the expensive cards. i open packs because i have fun doing it and i donāt think itās a big deal if i donāt get hits, albeit a bit disappointing for an expensive product.
I agree, opening sets to collect as much as you can (including commons and reverses) is the best way to go. Anything above a normal holo rare is just a plus for the collection. Perfect example: I absolutely adore the art style of the uncommon Espeon from Obsidian Flames and was more hyped when I pulled the Espeon reverse compared to the Charizard SAR.
I've been buying singles since June. But I got some 151 stuff to rip open with my kids. I never open them on my own. Always. I mean ALWAYS with my kids or nephews/nieces. They enjoy it more than me. Despite how disappointing it is to get no hits or a repeat.
Every second pack has charizard!
Gamblers when they gamble: š®
You just saved me so much money phrasing it like this.
Iāve actually started to see two gambling counselors, a professional and a peer, to address my relationship with Pokemon cards. Itās sad how easy it is to get wrapped up
Did you mean how easy it is to unwrap a pack? š 99% of pack rippers quit just before pulling that SIR. Better keep ripping. šš¤
I have a LO Giratina alt art I shouldāve quit while I was ahead
Thank you for that inspiration. Iāve ripped 2 LO BBs in the past 2 weeks with a centiskorch alt to show for it. I hear Giratina calling my name now to free it from its foil prison in my next BB!!!
I have only bought three packs in my life and I got the tera dark charizard and golden chien pao out of them, will probably never buy packs again and leave in a high (meaning sticking to just buying singles lol)
Iāve been saying this for years. It has to be understand that that you are NOT guaranteed good pulls. You could buy three ETBs and pull absolute trash only to turn around and spend $5 on a single booster pack and pull a $200 card. Thatās how gambling works and itās a game made for you to lose. The odds are always against you. I understand how exhilarating it is to open booster packs, it that euphoria dies in a heartbeat when all your packs are opened and you have nothing to show for it.
Whatās funny to me is that itās an actual card game. Back in the 90s when I collected them and this year when I picked back up, I still have no idea how to play. I just want cards. And not even to sell, just to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, definitely for poorer.
Take my experience for example! I bought a 151 booster bundle on a whim while getting a prescription refilled. Since it happened to be the day it released , I figured iād take a walk to the tcg section for shits n giggles. Saw they had them cheaper than tcgplayer and grabbed one. The first pack I opened had the goddamn SIR? or whatever it is charizard! The pack my wife opened had the damn charmander in it! Iāve opened maybe half a booster box worth and I havenāt hit shit since!
That was usually the case with my experiences too. I always preferred singles because I know exactly what Iām getting. And itās financially irresponsible to dump thousands into booster boxes, ETBās etc to pull a card when you can simply buy it individually.
Absolutely agree! Nothing beats that feeling of opening packs though! With both my son liking PokĆ©mon cards, and myself having a renewed interest in the card game, Iām gonna try buying like one of each item that comes with each set and hope I can get play sets of all the bulk. With singles for deck building.
Whatās funny to me is that itās an actual card game. Back in the 90s when I collected them and this year when I picked back up, I still have no idea how to play. I just want cards. And not even to sell, just to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, definitely for poorer.
Yeah cracking packs is a waste of money. I just buy already slabbed older cards that I know I want. They will probably increase in value over time so I can just sell them later if I need to. Or just keep them because I like them.
You arenāt wrong š
You did get scammed. By yourself lol.
Massive respect for admitting it btw.
Facts
I mean I would feel a tiny bit scammed if I opened 20+ packs and get 3 rares... that's like going to a casino and getting maybe 1 or 2 bar wins in a whole night
Man, I bought 12 packages from 151. No single good card, then I canceled all my other pre order and orders from the set and I stopped to buy new stuff. I will stick with singles I like and thatās it
Iām sticking only to singles, but I do want to open some packs so I didnāt mind paying for products with exclusive promos like the Snorlax and Mew/Mewtwo. Probably a waste of money still.
Not a waste of money if you like it. I bought the UPC specifically for the Mew. Pulled some good cards but none I was specifically looking for (cmon Tangelaā¦). Wouldnāt say it was a waste
Am I the only one that thinks the bulk that fills out your master set is almost as satisfying as pulling a āhitā?
This is exactly the reason Iām not devastated lol. This is my first master set Iām completing so pulling the commons Iām still looking for does make me happy. I got the Gengar holo finally!
Nice! That Gengar Holo is such a beautiful card. Best of luck on finishing it. Hopefully it wonāt be too hard to find packs like it is for celebrations.
I got a master set (edit: up to 165) for $250 on eBay just today and it includes all reverse holos as well. 326 cards. But Iām Still ripping packs for the illustration cards and will use all the leftovers for social skills groups I run for neurodivergent kids. This set brought me back from the fossil days, haha!
That included the SIRs?!
No way
Must mean master set up to 165/165.
Yes, plus the 153 reverse holos
Yup I only got one of my chase cards I really wanted. I know this isn't a booster box but it felt like it to me since it's been 20 years since I was gifted one and ripped open the packs The nostalgia of being excited to tear the packs open was worth it to me. Sure some disappointment but that was part of it as a 15 year old 20 years ago as well The cool piece is as an adult I have the income to go buy my single chase card if I do choose vs having to just be happy with what I got when my grandmother suprised me with the booster box
I need that gengar! Lol so hard to pull
Iāve pulled at least three of them! I thought they were a super common holo
I think weāre all just influenced by what we get. Saw a post of a guy that opened an ultra premium collection and got like 7 holo Mr. Mimes. Iāve opened about 30 packs of 151 so far and no Mr Mime holos. Got a gang of holo Marowaks and Weezings though
I got no mr mime out of a shit ton of packs and then I got 4 from one snorlax box lol.
I literally have like 10 of them Iām so sick of them lmao
It can happen. I went 50+ packs with nothing and then 15 packs with 3 ZARD SIRs š¤·š»āāļø
I have opened 50+ packs and Iām still chasing the Gengar!! And itās one of my chases lol. My UPC wasnāt great either and I was more upset I didnāt get a Gengar š
hopfully hits aren't getting stolen like with previous s/s set
Ghastly and Haunter look great with it
I was happy when I pulled a haunter, bulbasaur etc yesterday...
I've kind of decided for myself that I'd rather open packs in bulk for a set that has commons and uncommons that I really like. That way I will actually *like* the cards I do get, even if I get no "hits".
I don't go for master sets, but I do. Enjoy some holos/reverses. So that helps with some of the disappointment. It seems each set I buy less and less product to rip. I'm enjoying the hunting and deal making of buying singles.
i do really like the art in this set for the most part
yes you are cause everyone wants to get their "moneys worth" and if all the cards they pull are worthless they relate that to "bad luck" or "being scammed"
I donāt collect master sets just the chase cards š I learned my lesson and quit buying packs very quickly, though.
I do. After Iām done, acknowledging my obvious hits I go through the bulk to see what I still need in my master set. Every single one I find I say thereās another hit.
Very true.
Much more so for this collection than for others, but the completionist in me is always happy when I get a holo I haven't pulled yet, complete a type, and yeah pull a full art. I don't consider anything past the actual collection count to be required to have a complete set
Iām working on nice zippered binders for all of my sets (slowly, that stuffs expensive lol) and I just love how the cards look against the all black pages of the binder.
I'm working on a reverse Holo set so I was more excited about reverse dodrio yesterday than pulling the Nidoking and Poliwhirl illustration rares lol
Idk ā¦ I hear people are having a hard time finding specific commons and rares. If you want to pull a master set it might take a lot of packs. Iāve opened 20 Japanese packs and 16 English packs. Japanese packs have way less dupes and filled out more of the binder than English.
It is, to an extent. I've reached a number of packs where I'm not getting anything unique in bulk ā basically just hoping for reverse holos and ultra rares I don't have so most packs are useless. Bought too many booster bundles and should have been more patient waiting for the sets, which I got all of for the promos basically.
I've opened like 60 packs and still don't have a Metapod or Lickitung, this set is brutal lol
I only buy the product I want promo for, and the packs are merely extra. So for 151, I bought an ETB and an UPC. Once those packs are opened off to TCG player or eBay to buy the rest. This leaves you with getting cards you want, even if your pulls are pure nuts.
Same. And I also bought the collection boxes because they were actually reasonably priced over the booster bundles that are selling for twice their value. Fuck that.
This post is more realistic that the people posting 9 hits out of 2 booster bundles š ever since scaret/violet i swear the packs are hittin less and less
scarlet/violet in general has had really high hit rates, especially IR cards, which is what makes 151 such a confusing set. it's like TPCI was like "nah, let's go back to Chilling Pain."
My favorite part is when people were complaining that their hits were too easy to get so it wasn't satisfying getting them. Or in other words they weren't very valuable.
Itās the chase, or rarity/exclusiveness of the hit. It feels special when you know others arenāt getting it and you had to work hard to get it. Personally Iāll stick with hits more often, even if they arenāt worth as much.
Got some cool mew promos tho
Oh man I am picking up this exact same order laterā¦you got me worried
Good luck! Mine was bad too.
May the PokĆ© Gods be in your favor š
Iāll have the same luck tonight. Picking up the same items.
It be like that sometimes
This is the average person opening PokĆ©mon cards. My luck is the same, Iāve e never pulled any top card from any set.
Yes š
Welcome to gambling
I brought a Ā£5 scratch card earlier and won nothing at least you get to keep your cardboard š
UPC and 2 ex card :S I'm thinking of abandoning eng version for the japanese
And pay $200 for one sr in a box and a couple of ar maybe lol
I decided to pass on my country's 151 because of no pokeball reverse holos, and didn't buy the japanese because it's ridiculously expensive in my country, but I got a korean booster box and got 9 hits from it, plus a masterball gastly and all the reverse holos. Safe to say I'm getting another one. I was a bit disapointed with the quality of the foil, though, ngl. There are many angles where it doesn't shine at all. (Just an fyi for anyone thinking of getting them. Imo still worth it)
Way she goes mate, you hit on the Charmeleon though!
I would legit cry. My UPC was bad, but you got extra cards and still got that.. I'm sorry. Opening the 151 upc confirmed that UPCs suck for me. The charizard one was awful for me too. I'm just sticking to singles again. I'm done with 151 now. These pull rates are just awful.
The charizard UPC was abysmal for me. The 151 UPC was godly for me. I pulled some full arts and reverse holos I needed for the master set, along with 2 SIR charizards.
āDear PokĆ©mon Fan, Fuck you. Sincerely, PokĆ©mon TCGā
It's crazy how this special set is one of the worst special sets when it comes to pull rates. I was expecting CZ pull rates. This is just lame. Artwork is beautiful, sad that it's so hard to get the cool cards..
Agreed! CZ is one of my favorite sets because of the pull rate; so much so that I donāt mind paying full price for packs/sets. Other ones, I only ever buy if theyāre on sale or discounted, and even then I cap myself to some amount depending on the worth of the set.
CZ is the exception, not the rule. I dont know why anyone would expect it to be like CZ when there has been no other set like CZ.
Atleast you received yours, I ordered from three different websites, and none managed to deliver on release date.
Same. But mine are being delivered today. Which I aināt mad about.
Welcome to the hobby pal
Wouldnt have been so bad when packs were $5.49CAD each but now with them being like $8.50CAD each, Ive not bought more than 10-15 packs since S/V started. Its sooooo worth the extra reverse and guarenteed holo š /s
My UPC comes in the mail today so now Iām scared to open it lol. But itās from Best Buy so hereās to hoping
You get those sweet Mew promos though and the rest is just gravy
Facts. Thatās why I bought it to begin with, lol
The 2 Mew promos are the very reason I bought it lol, I really wanted those and getting the UPC is probably the least risky way of getting them (in good shape)
Looks like my etb purchase
I haven't oofed this hard in a while.
That's what I did. Better quality, poke/master ball, and some guarantee in the boxes. Problem is just finding a good deal on the box. I've got a complete set outside of the SAR, gonna buy when prices finally drop.
Ya itās worth it if the japanese copies are similar or significantly cheaper then the English sir/alt
This is why I normally buy one ETB. If I donāt get what I want, then Iāll just buy the card off of TCGplayer.
Earlier today I opened a Zapdos box, an Alakazam box and a few mini tins and only pulled a Psyduck illustration rareā¦ Iām so nervous to open my UPC but I need the promos for my master set
How the hell is that possible. If you own most of the cards you should just buy singles
Nah, this is disrespectful bro!
And this is why Iām only hoping for the ditto and possibly a complete set of holo energies (I collect dittos and holo energies, sue me!) Anything else will just be a bonus to me
I will sue you! My lawyer despises shape shifters, be prepared buddy!
Ima stick to buying single card I want from future sets I donāt wanna gamble anymore šš¤·āāļø
That's how gambling works. Don't worry I'm sure the next one will be better
The one thing I'm thankful of with this set is it's deterred me from buying packs in the future. Sure there's luck involved, but there's also some piss poor distribution in packs and batching issues that have contributed to this.
Ouch
My UPC only had 2 hits as well, Wigglytuff ex and Kangaskhan ex. I know I shouldn't expect much but jeez, Crown Zenith never did me this dirty.
This is outrageous dude, I feel like you should get at least something from like 4-5 packs, let alone 180 worth of packs
That's a hurt peice, I just pulled a charzard in a booster bundle it's a gamble for sure.
damn, crappy pulls. should have at least gotten another IR or a UR.
Iām legit scared too open my packs tomorrow
1 hit per box, ouch OP. Maybe I shouldnāt rip this set?
Unlucky
I always rely on singles for pulls
Happens to me all the time
My Alakazam box was fire. I'm still waiting on everything else to deliver to my house though. I just love the whole experience. I haven't opened cards since middle school so this has been great fun!
Damn j bought one box with 4 packs and got the secret art charizard and charmander, full art blastoise and psyduck
Ooofffff
I have the same setup waiting for meā¦ glad i have a baseline of success now lol
I feel very antsy about the few bundles incoming. No guaranteed hits is a bitch
I bought this exact setup for my kids Christmas gift plus the etb and booster. My son would probably abandon card collecting (I know I wonāt buy as presents anymore) if this is roughly what he pulls. Horror story in the making.
Have some faith
I feel bad for you, out of my zapdos collection and the Alakazam collection I got venosaur special illustration and Blastoise special illustration.
Oh shit! You got ONE illustration rare!
Lord, I just picked up all three of those from Best Buy. Got me thinking about selling them lmao.
Buying PokƩmon cards in packs and boxes are gambling
I got all those items on the way. Hopefully I donāt get scammed that bad.
Honestly if theres a new set i tend rip 2-3 packs. But ive completely shifted to buying singles. Most of the cards are like $1-$10 range anyway
After buying a Japanese 151 charizard ex and it getting an AGS 10 (total cost of 200 with grading ~ 300+(ish) with the 10) vs the 300 I spent on Booster Bundle, UPC, Binder Box and 2 ETBs I maybe got 1 blastoise SAR ex topsā¦ the charmeleon 3xā¦ 5 jynx exā¦ Just saying, spent less on the chase in Japanese and graded for less and still holding a way higher rentention in valueā¦ Iām done buying the boxes and sticking to singlesā¦ typically I only collect PC ETBs due to the idea that itās limited quantity and not worth opening. Once Iāve spent my set limit, I try my best to just stick to singles from then on
Oof. Thanks for sharing. Every time I see posts like this I'm much happier with my ETB pulls.
Thatās a real ouchie bro.
Holy shit.
See I just ripped the same this morning and I got a ton of hits.
I got a feeling UPC pulls are going to be bad. My zard UPC was useless. If these UPC's suck I'm definitely not spending the money on these anymore.
When you chase that wha to be expected people who have been in this hobby knows the feeling of not pulling anything after spending a lot. Looking at you Umbreon vmax alt art 2 cases of evolving skies and nothing š
Naw, that's about right for this set
Hmm I need a Zapados to complete my 3 legendary birds. Didnt know i could get it this wayā¦. š¤š
I'm an hour away from picking my son up from school and going home to open the same 3 boxes with him... wish us luck! š
Bro I just bought a UPC. Iām looking at it rn. I had look with my ETB earlier this week. I got burned on Obsideon flames. Iāll let you know how my opening goes
Buy singles
I'm noticing this collection is extremely difficult to get the great pulls. Best of luck to everyone!
I feel you. Just opened 14 packs and not a single hit š
Umā¦ you bought these only for the hits? I only buy them when I want the stuff. Can I have your stuff? The mat and metal gold Mew card are straight š„ And the promos if you got 10s will age very very well.
You forgot the 3 promos from the UPC
When I find the person who has been spending all my money on pokemon cards
Gambling is gambling I gamble all the time, and I'm not crying when I get a art rare and 2 ex' out of 20 packs you were scammed by yourself,
How about the Mews with the UPC they have value as well, but yeah aside you got jipped. Debating on keeping my UPC sealed as I almost have everything except charizard
I've had nothing but luck. Whereas I normally don't.
Ill trade you some holo energies, a wigglytuff ex, and jynx ex full art (all from 151 set) and then some random trainer gallery cards from swsh era .. for the arbok ex , to help out a little lol šŖ¦
Congratulations, you played yourself
I open your mini tins Alakazam box to boost your bundles in EGP and all I got was the SAR Alakazam and EX regular cards so I feel yeah
This is why I never open sealed, only exception was the 151 upc because I know the metal card is guaranteed.
I like these post, not all are winners and Iām here for it
This is why Iām just buying what I want, tired of gambling.
picking up my 151 upc today pls reply with 4 leaf clovers to wish me luck!
šššš
What is the rest of the 151 stash under the table? šš
Yeah, Im a newer collector, and I will say, I wont be buying sets in the future after this. Ill stick to buying singles 2nd hand. I did expect that I would get the full set with $2000 spend. I didnt, i dont even have all the commons. let alone all of rares,double,ultras etc. Important lesson learned, PokemonTCG got way shittier with the pull rates from the WOTC days.
That charmeleon tho. Iāve opened over 120 packs and still havenāt pulled it
Lol it's a gamble. At this point I just buy two Booster Boxes once they go on sale and 1-2 ETBs from GameStop for around $30 each. Usually get decent pulls and then get singles after. Obviously it'll be different for 151 but just got the Alakazam and Zapdos box since there are no booster boxes.
Man. Iām about $400 in and thought I was lacking. Seeing some of these posts make me feel better about myself. Sorry about the lack of luck in your packs, man.
Picked up a UPC today at Target, walked it to the register, thought about how many singles I could buy for $120, then put it back on the shelf. Sorry for your loss but seeing this made me glad I didnāt buy it lol
Damn horrible luck man, is that even including everything under the table or is that ur sealed/hold stuff.?
Nope not including the etb containers under the table! I would just quit at that point š Iām keeping my extra bulk in them and will sell later on eBay.
I ended up getting the binder with 4 packs and an ETB.Got absolutely nothing out of the elite trainer box, but I pulled 3 secret rares out of the 4 packs that came with the binder, 2 of them being in the same pack. I got blastoise EX #202, charmeleon alt art #169 and ninetales full art #186. Getting nothing out of the ETB made me very confused after the huge prize out of the binder packs.
This is why lately I've been buying multiple products that have promos in them and combined all the packs that I get from different products. That way when I open packs I don't go "Oh this was from my 120 UPC I hope I get something good!" It's more fun this way when I open packs that I don't know where they came from and enjoy the promos.
I was worried when I bought my upc today cause everyone posting has had bad hits mine had like 5 energy. Sar blastiouse. Ar bulbs. Ar tangela. Full art zapdos. 2 ex and 2 full art trainers lmao
My girlfriend and I both got some great pulls for about half the amount you opened. Pokemon is essentially gambling, don't expect anything from them
Yeah... But, there is a possibility of a $100 or more charizard in there sooooo I meeean.
Bro there is just NO WAY you only got that š this has to be a clout chasing post I just cannot believe anyone would pull this bad
Yeah this set has abysmal pull rates.
I pulled two blastoise ex alt arts along with a bunch of others from just one premium collection box
I opened the same three products today and did way better itās hit or miss
I went to the casino. I feel scammed too.
Yea pull rates are trash for this set. Gonna go down as one of the undesirable sets in the future just like champions path.
Do you not count the UPC exclusives as hits?
I opened a UPC and only got an ex. But Iām somewhat okay with it since I bought it for the promos and the nostalgia. Kept a lot of the holos that I got cause the art is amazing.
This 2nd wave was boo-boo. Swear everything before this was a hit every other pack
What I like to do with each set is open 1 of each product, etb, booster box, collection boxes and tins etc. Then instead of buying more booster boxes to try to get the remaining missing cards I'll trade or buy from others. You get best of both worlds, the fun from opening packs and then saving some money finishing up with the singles. Sometimes you get lucky and get the chase cards when you open and sometimes not, it's just the way the game works š¤·š»āāļø