A new set for the Pokemon Trading Card Game is usually cause for excitement, but there has been a sense of dread setting in ahead of the launch of Scarlet & Violet – Prismatic Evolutions. The new special set will launch on Friday, January 17th, and will put a major focus on Eevee and its various evolutions. Earlier this month, reports began to emerge about potential shortages, and it seems retailers are bracing for high demand and low supply. The Pokemon Company has now addressed the concerns of retailers and the fan community in a new social media post.
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“We understand this inconvenience can be disappointing for fans, and we are actively working to print more of the impacted Pokemon TCG products as quickly as possible and at maximum capacity to acknowledge this. Reprinted products are expected to be available at participating retailers as soon as possible to help ensure more fans receive opportunities to access Scarlet & Violet – Prismatic Evolutions. In addition, more new products from the Scarlet & Violet – Prismatic Evolutions lineup will be launching in the coming months,” the statement reads.
Shortages related to the new Pokemon TCG set seem to be a mix of different factors. As noted by PokeBeach earlier this month, demand among bigger retail chains seems to be much higher than normal, which is leading to problems at specialty card stores. Those stores have reported getting lower product amounts than they’ve requested. The statement from The Pokemon Company does not specifically address how these reprinted cards will be divided out, but hopefully smaller stores will be able to get the products, in addition to larger chains like Target, Best Buy, and Walmart.
The shortages also seem to be a result of resellers obtaining pre-orders for Prismatic Evolutions products and trying to flip them on the secondary market. Pokemon TCG fans saw big problems with this a few years ago, and things got pretty bad, pretty quickly. Some retailers had to take drastic measures with Pokemon TCG items at the time, and it seemed things had calmed down a bit. It’s possible Eevee’s popularity with the Pokemon community could be increasing demand, and resellers are looking to make big money. Today’s statement from The Pokemon Company should make fans think twice before spending inflated amounts on sites like eBay!
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Complicating matters, Prismatic Evolutions is a special set, which means that there won’t be individual booster packs sold at retail. The only way for fans to get booster packs is by purchasing bundles that include additional items. As The Pokemon Company mentions in its statement, some of these products won’t be released on January 17th; Prismatic Evolutions surprise boxes and mini tins aren’t set to arrive until February.
Are you hoping to snag some Scarlet & Violet – Prismatic Evolutions cards? Do you think The Pokemon Company will be able to meet demand? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
