In the leadup to the release of Pokemon TCG‘s latest Pokemon Cards, fans and retailers have been preparing for the worst. The Scarlet & Violet – Prismatic Evolutions set is bringing many card collecting fans back to the 2020 card shortage days. This set focuses on fan-favorite Eevee and its evolutions, including Umbreon, which seems to consistently fetch high prices whenever it appears on a Pokemon card. That, coupled with fears around card shortages, led many to fear a messy launch. Now, videos from retailers on release day seem to confirm at least some of those worries were well-founded.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Shortly before the release of Prismatic Evolutions, the Pokemon Company put out a statement addressing the likelihood of shortages. The statement assures fans that the company is working to reprint the products to ensure greater availability. It also reminds fans that new products for the Prismatic Evolutions lineup are on the way. While this did slightly impact reseller expectations, it doesn’t seem to have fully deterred fans and resellers alike from trying to get their hands on the sets at launch.
The initial release for Scarlet & Violet – Prismatic Evolutions includes an Elite Trainer Box, Binder Collection, Poster Collection, and Sticker Collection. Each item contains a few booster packs and other promotional items, depending on the set. The promo items include posters, stickers, and special foil cards, all featuring the beloved Eeveelutions in Terastalized form.
Unfortunately, many fans are unlikely to get ahold of the items any time soon thanks to the reported shortages and heavy demand for the products. Earlier today, the Pokemon Center website was down as many scrambled to order sets online. The site is back up now, and three available Prismatic Evolutions items are entirely sold out.
Pokemon Card Buyers Battle IRL Over Prismatic Evolutions Boxes
One user on X headed to their local Costco only to discover a combative scene in the Pokemon Card aisle. They shared video of several customers physically fighting over boxes of Scarlet & Violet – Prismatic Evolutions, until store employees work to break up the battle. The video quickly gained traction as fans saw their fears about this set come to fruition.
As fans watching the video are quick to point out, a lot of the issue with shortages on Pokemon TCG cards and merchandise isn’t a result of pure fan demand. Resellers want to buy up as much of the sets as possible so they can resell them for a higher cost, and if that creates shortages, they can charge even more. One commenter even suggests the would-be card buyers should play each other in a TCG match to decide who takes the cards… only to note that most of the day-one buyers likely don’t even play the game.
The incident at Costco isn’t the only Prismatic Evolutions scuffle making the rounds on social media. Another Pokemon fan shared footage from their local Target, where the card boxes were limited to 1 item per person. Reportedly, an employee escorted the waiting customers to the card area to help prevent running or fights. Indeed, the scene does look much more orderly as a result.
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Though it isn’t clear if Costco followed suit, many retailers are placing limits on the Prismatic Evolutions Elite Trainer Boxes and other collection items. Some have even stated they won’t be selling the line at all to avoid potential violence in stores.
Now that the first wave of products are on shelves (or at least, were briefly on shelves before being bought up), The Pokemon Company has updated the info on the Prismatic Evolutions website. It now includes details for several additional items set to release on February 7th, including a Surprsie Box and Mini Tins. Hopefully these new products and the planned reprints will help reduce the gap between supply and demand, preventing further incidents at the local Costco.
