When it comes to collecting Pokemon TCG cards, those hunting through packs want the rarest and most valuable pulls they can get. Unfortunately, in order for cards to remain valuable, they have to stay fairly elusive. If a large influx of good pulls from an expansion hits TCGPlayer or other online websites, the value drops. The next expansion for the TCG, Destined Rivals, puts this dynamic on full display with pull rates so terrible even collectors might be cursing them.
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Typically, the most valuable cards in a Pokemon TCG expansion are the Special Illustration Rare cards. These pulls are typically extremely hard to get, and can be even more difficult to obtain with bigger card lists. Many players likely remember this from the infamous Sword and Shield Evolving Skies expansion, which holds one of the most expensive cards currently in the modern TCG thanks to its large card list and very low pull rates.
So what happens when even collectors can’t pull the rare cards they are looking for? Destined Rivals may put the dramatic irony of the situation in the spotlight more clearly than any other expansion in recent memory.
What Are Pull Rates in The Pokemon TCG?
In the Pokemon TCG, pull rates are the general odds of opening a pack with a rare card.
There are three spots in a pack where a rare card could populate, and the likelihood of getting one of the less common cards is a mixture of luck and how many cards are in a set. For example, if an expansion has a high number of standard cards, it’s more likely that players will pull a pack with a standard holo rare instead of an Illustration Rare or better.
For example, Destined Rivals has 244 cards in its list. The illustration rare cards don’t begin until 183, and the Special Illustration Rares start at 228. This means there are only 17 cards in the bracket of the list that would be considered particularly valuable. This makes the odds of pulling one extremely low.
However, the number of cards isn’t the only factor. Some expansions simply have very low rare pull rates. This could be intentional on the part of The Pokemon Company, or just luck of the draw. When this happens, it can create a situation where even those who preorder and open hundreds of packs struggle to get the more valuable cards from a set. A prime example of this is Prismatic Evolutions, which was loaded with rare Special Illustration Cards and didn’t have a particularly large card list. Despite this, players have struggled to pull anything from their boosters.
How Shortages Impact Collectors
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Pull rates are also affected by the ability to get booster packs. Currently, the Pokemon TCG is experiencing another round of shortages. Both Prismatic Evolutions and Journey Together products have been very difficult to obtain, and Surging Sparks had a bumpy start after launch as well. When products are hard to get, this means players will be opening fewer packs, and those products could be more expensive than usual.
Fewer opened packs mean fewer opportunities to pull rare cards, inevitably injuring a collector’s ability to add valuable additions to their sets.
However, it also means that those who manage to get a rare card in one of their packs will have a treasure worth far more than the typical Special Illustration Rare.
The Dramatic Irony of Bad Pull Rates
In short, low stock and poor pull rates both injure and excite collectors. The harder the rare cards are to get, the more valuable they become. This means that the Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex from Destined Rivals could be worth hundreds of dollars simply because players can’t seem to get hold of it.
This often fuels collectors into a frenzy, as they desperately want to get their hands on one of these coveted, extremely expensive cards. Even if it ends up costing a small fortune to obtain.
It isn’t unusual for collectors to spend more than what the card would cost outright on booster packs just for the hype of opening one for themselves. It also isn’t uncommon for those cards to depreciate in value months down the line, when more of an expansion is printed and shortages ease up.
With how difficult pull rates for Destined Rivals seem to be following our early look at the set, and the fact that product shortages are already impacting pre-orders for the Pokemon TCG set, it is likely this could be a wonderful and generally terrible set for hardcore collectors. However, it is unlikely the difficulty or price of these pulls will deter those hunting for the rarest cards – if anything, the Catch-22 will act as fuel on the raging fire that is Pokemon card collecting.
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