Pokémon’s hit trading card game has just revealed that it will increase booster pack prices and adjust a variety of card aesthetics in a new statement today. Expansion symbols will be removed, in exchange for a code. The borders will be changed from yellow to silver in order to be more cohesive with Japan. Categories on Trainer cards will be repositioned for comfort.
The new series based on Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is expected to rollout early next year. Here’s today’s tweet from the official feed:
The company has cited “global inflation” as the cause for their rising prices, according to today’s full blog post. The only pricing example was for a booster pack, which will increase to $4.49 USD, which is only half a dollar, but that can swiftly add up over time. It will make playing draft more challenging, too. And if this pricing scales, then larger sets will likely become far more expensive.
In order to compensate players for the steeper prices, they intend to “feature three guaranteed foil cards per booster”. Ironically, this is its own inflation that would reduce their value, similar to how recent Pokémon video games have made it somewhat easier to catch shiny forms. Adding one extra booster pack to the Elite Trainer Boxes probably won’t balance out for the upcoming series.
Aside from the position changes, it’s sort of the end of an era, with yellow borders and expansion symbols getting the axe. Both visuals are iconic, and expansion symbols have been a point of pride for collectors, especially for older sets. A piece of code on the bottom of the card just isn’t the same. But it is fair to have silver borders line up with the traditional cards in Japan.
The TCG team plans to update fans on the Standard rotation competitive play soon. Pokémon TCG just rolled out the updated Pokémon TCG Live game online last month. You can read more about the Pokémon franchise by following our news section!
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