The newest Pokémon TCG set, Destined Rivals, has been absolutely unveiled and the primary pre-orders are already underway. If you’ve got been amassing for some time, it won’t shock you that it has been a reasonably chaotic launch window although, with scalpers and retailer points already reportedly plaguing the brand new set.
Fully unveiled on March 24, Scarlet & Violet – Destined Rivals is about to launch beginning on May 30, 2025. Just a few components make this a very sought-after set. First, it marks the return of Trainer’s Pokémon playing cards. Those sufficiently old to recollect vintage Trainer’s Pokémon cards, like Brock’s Sandslash or Rocket’s Mewtwo, ought to take a second to stretch their again and regulate their posture earlier than expressing pleasure for this returning archetype.
They’re well-liked methods of tying beloved Trainers into the precise Pokémon playing cards in cool methods. Additionally, Destined Rivals can also be centered round Team Rocket, the bad-team faction of Pokémon’s first technology. Suffice to say, very like Prismatic Evolutions and its Eevee-lutions earlier this yr, Destined Rivals has the makings of a highly regarded set.
So, when the pre-orders went reside, it needs to be little shock that frustration rapidly ensued. People attempting to get into the Pokémon Center web site to purchase an Elite Trainer Box, a themed field of packs and different niceties that is a standard pick-up for individuals trying to crack right into a set, have been left staring in from the outside.
And, nonetheless unsurprisingly, scalpers instantly hit on-line auctions like eBay with their ETB pre-orders. Listings of a number of hundred {dollars} for the usually $54.99 field have been seen hitting the site. Again, that is for a confirmed pre-order of the Pokémon Center-specific ETB. Serebii’s Joe Merrick summed it up effectively, outlining his own experience ready for hours in queue to get a Destined Rivals ETB.
“I actually hate this,” Merrick wrote. “The method virtually all Pokemon TCG content material has shifted to monetary. The method that individuals simply deal with it as funding. The method individuals simply wish to flip it. It’s disgusting. Shame on all concerned.”
This is, sadly, par for the course. The aforementioned Prismatic Evolutions set had shortages, and the Blooming Waters 151 field additionally got here and went quick. It’s not unusual to see notifications and signal-boosts of units restocking on numerous retailers. Already, TPC has stated in a FAQ on-line (per PokéBeach) that extra stock of the Destined Rivals ETB will develop into accessible later this yr.
Even on prime of scalper points, some purchases are reporting that their ETB orders are being cancelled. Demand and recognition for the Pokémon TCG appear to be via the roof, however sadly, it additionally appears to be marring the precise passion for many attempting to only crack some packs or play some matches.
While Pokémon TCG Pocket gives digital options for the woes of bodily shortage, it is an comprehensible frustration for many who’d like to easily partake within the passion. A stroll down your native retailer’s card aisle will, greater than possible, paint a transparent image of what it is like attempting to select up some packs proper now. It’s doubly irritating when these drops have been thrilling ones to see. Hopefully we see some treatments quickly.
Eric is a contract author for IGN.
