If you are mostly interested in the latest sets, then this is definitely the strategy to go with. But if you want to collect other sets, then these places are great! We have been able to find anything from fusion strike to stellar crown at Dollar General, family dollar, pharmacies, and even grocery store checkout lanes. I want these newer sets but until Pokemon can meet the demand, I'm not planning on placing a lot of focus on them

@@JohtoAdventures Nice finds indeed. I like Stellar Crown. The only new set I'm interested in is Journey Together. In fact I stopped buying anything from Twilight Masquerade to gather money for this set but then... you know what happened. I'm pissed off as hell, so it's also very likely I'm not going to buy Journey Together ever. I feel like I'm starting to be one of this people that will probably quit from Pokemon or will collect only older sets. As for now I made my two steps which is not buying and selling many cards (reducing money put into cards and move it to another investment). I also know a few people that didn't buy anything and some of them started collecting in last few months. Very bad experience for the start. Now they may quit too. I wonder how many per cent of collectors are going to leave the hobby because of this scalpers right now. Thank you for your advices in regards to when find some Pokemon products but I live in Europe, things are much different here. We have much less shops when we can pick up the products, but yeah for people living in US it's a good moment to pick up some products that contain older booster packs but with possible great hits like Fusion Strike etc.

@RigorMortisApprentis In terms of play, both the battle academy and the build and battle stadium are great options for starting off. The battle academy is probably the best for the kids but you need two for them each to have a deck. The battle stadium will have everything they need to each have a deck and a couple packs to open each. But the stadium does require a bit more teaching and deck building to get started but does come with a couple extra packs which is great if you think they would also be interested in the collecting aspect (I think all kids and adults enjoy the thrill of opening packs). If you are solely looking for the most cost saving option, getting them each a battle deck would be another alternative but they are typically less beginner friendly. For collecting, if you are more into sets before scarlet and violet era, I would say a booster box would be the better of the two. Personally, if you are just talking about collecting scarlet and violet, I would probably start with the ETB just because you are guaranteed a great promo card and 9 booster packs. The booster box is almost more of an investment than a place to start collecting. As fsr as sets: from sword and shield, you can't beat the fun that comes from crown zenith. From scarlet and violet, 151 is pure nostalgia but the scarcity makes it more frustrating than it is worth worrying about. I personally have been loving sets like paradox rift and paldea evolved just because they have some great early generation mon that are featured and they are much easier to find. Honestly though, it's all about what cards you want to chase and hunt for. Thanks for watching and best of luck teaching your kids and collecting!

@ Awesome, thanks for all the info!

@@JohtoAdventures also, looks like the 2024 battle academy actually comes with three basic decks to learn with, so I should only need to buy the one box for that!

You are right about the battle academy. For some reason I was thinking of the trainers toolkit and not the battle academy 🤦‍♂️the battle academy is perfect for the kids and I would say that would be the better of all those options!

@catcrapinahat I was not in the hobby during the shining fates hype but I have heard it was a nightmare. If this is worse then I think I might have to just focus on just opening the sets I can actually find!

@JohtoAdventures yea it was nuts, turns out the shining fates ETBs weren't even getting to the stores there was inside people snatching them up so ebay had thousands for sale but you couldn't find them at stores. Thankfully pokemon printed them into oblivion so much that stores started to mark them down to get rid of them. I believe we are guna get hit with a huge reprint like that.

Hahah that's fair! I didn't realize how high I had the angle until after I recorded the entire video! Thanks for the tip

I honestly hope we have stocked shelves by that point! Demand is just so high with prismatic, and I think we will see a similar situation with the Team Rocket set later this year. For now, I'm going to stick with the sets I can get my hands on at these places! Thanks for watching

@aeg9462 The current hype is both good and bad for the community! Great because the excitement brings more people into the hobby which helps to ensure longevity. On the other side, it does create more tension between your casual collectors who just want to open some packs or keep a couple of sealed products for their collection and those looking to scalp products for profit. I see both sides! Thanks for watching!

I would just wait, look at what happened to Shining fates. It started off really difficult to find but got easier over time.

@TheGoorru the set will definitely become more available as time goes on but 2 years is a long time for kids and those that are big fans of the featured pokemon/trainers of this set. I wanted to share this info just to inform others who are just looking to open a couple packs at MSRP when the set is released. FOMO would be recommending people go out and buy the ETBs for x2-3 MSRP even though it will be available at some point this year on the shelves. Thanks for watching!

Good call on getting to Gamestop before they sold out! I missed out on the PC ETB as well! So frustrating! I'm just hoping I am able to secure one for the Rocket set once that gets dropped 🤞

Nice! Congrats on your first pre-order! I think the box art for the ETB is the best of the SV era so far! As far as card shops canceling pre-orders, I have not had it happen to me personally but I have heard of it happening. Most card shops will get a set allocation for products from their distributor and limit their pre-orders based on what thy know they are getting. Sometimes the card shops will get less than expected or they just oversell their pre-orders and have to cancel orders. Hopefully you get yours and don't have to worry about though! Best of luck and thanks for watching!

@@JohtoAdventures yeah i definitely got the ETB for those sleeves and art, so sick looking. supposedly i was the 1st person to pre-order it there, so here's hoping they don't cancel mine, if they do end up having to cancel some

If you were early, I would say you should be good!

No problem! Best of luck on getting some of this set! Thanks for watching!

@ thank you sir! 🫡

No problem! Hopefully you are able to get something pre-ordered before it comes out!

@ChristianJohnson-no5xb 😂 thanks for watching!

@Jay__Rodriguez this one will definitely make it in my personal "greatest hits" album 😆

@taylorjohnson253 this set is pure nostalgia! Gotta love Squirtle, he's just too cool 😎

@@Smj1111 thanks! I can't believe the pulls we got from these boxes! And from DG?! Insane!

Mew ultra rare for sure!!

@Smj1111 nice! I like that one and the mew metal card in this set!

@Spongeemon they are for the Pokemon TCG Live app. Each code gives you a virtual pack to open on the app. The app is for collecting but mostly for doing virtual battles! If you are into competitive play it is a neat way to get involved and test out decks. It's also another way to open a pack, which is never a bad thing 😁 thanks for watching!

Omg thanks usually nobody replies thanks.😁

@Spongeemon no problem! Glad I could help!

@sosparadox89 same! I'm always confused why they do that and wht they are not even promo cards. The one is cosmo holo foil but I would rather it be a cosmo foil of a Surging Sparks card.

@ash_002_ same! I think regardless of hits, it's going to be fun! Stay tuned because we are close! Thanks for watching!

@Smj1111 I have been trying to hold back as best as I can to not open them! So glad to be close to 151 subs so I can finally see what is inside those backs 😅

The venusaur ex I meant

@travismcconnell4593 nice! The holo pattern on the double rares are actually pretty neat! Thanks for watching!

@camilultimeboss5443 Thanks! I love the artwork on both of them! Sadly, the centering on both if them is about as bad as it gets lol

@@Smj1111 Thanks! That Pidgeot might be my favorite card in the set now!

@BarrylyVisible that's awesome! I got back into opening packs for that Lugia in silver tempest! Congrats on the amazing pull! Thanks for watching

@@Smj1111 thanks! Just thought I would share some daily pack openings for the holidays!

@@camilultimeboss5443 I couldn't agree more!

@Smj1111 thanks! We both had a lot of fun with this one!

I mean it’s not like any of that was worth anything

@_The_Traveler_ it's all about the fun! If she had gotten an alt art I would have made sure it was handled with care 🤌 thanks for watching!

@TheGenepotter yes! Next time, I will have her!

@@Smj1111 glad I could help! Thanks for watching!

@@dogzilla1408 I will let her know you said that! She will appreciate the compliment! Thanks for watching!

@AndreAguila-s6t we have been having fun opening sword and shield sets but if you're able to get your hands on Surging Sparks, it is a fun set to open as well! Thanks for watching!

@Smj1111 thanks! She loves it!

@camilultimeboss5443 Absolutely! I'm proud!

2 bracelets.

@@matkiley17 😂 maybe we will have to do a wife reveal in the future!

haha true

@@mr.d.normanmooreii4292 🤣

@ScvryJ thanks! I have no experience editing videos, so I'm still working on my audio 🙃 we actually just found out today how to adjust the volume on individual clips/cuts! I really appreciate the advice, and I will try to keep making adjustments! Thanks for watching!

@FabianStPinoy I wish! He has a hard enough time sniffing out treats 😆 his survival instincts are not the best! That being said, he is incredibly smart, and I love the guy regardless!

@chunkymay0335 hahah my hand gets a bit heavy when I am ripping packs 😅 I think it's the adrenaline lol

@camilultimeboss5443 Thanks! That's awesome! Goldens are the best!

Jax is real, not so sure about wife tho.

@christophergreensides1410 🤣 I assure you she's real. I will have her make an actual appearance on the channel at some point!

@@JohtoAdventures haha I thought you just wore a bracelet and opened a pack with your other hand

Same! Jax is happy he gets to start his own collection now!

@@ubebunny same lol Jax has been eyeballing my collection since I started! He's waited long enough to get his chance at some packs!

@@darklife894 thank you! The hobby is amazing! Thanks for watching!

@Savagethecokecan thanks! With the difficult pull rates of this set, I was pretty stoked to get an SIR on my 4th pack!

@@JohtoAdventures Yes the pull rates are horrible lol