Why Pokemon Cards stopped being Fun

When the bubble finally bursts, who will be left holding the cards?
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The hype for Pokemon Cards reignited in 2020 - largely due to influencers opening Base Set Booster Packs, chasing the Ultra Rare Charizard, Venusaur and Blastoise First Edition Holographic cards - and the momentum well and truly carried into 2021, helping Pokemon cards reach worldwide sales peaks.
But now that all that hype and fun has passed - the fans left collecting Pokemon cards are starting to lose interest. So what exactly changed?
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#pokemon #pokemoncards #pokemon151 #okjluv #japanesepokemoncards #pokemonpackopening #pikachu #paradoxrift

[@themetalguy9693]

The SV era has been amazing for singles buyers imo. The investor bros can't make many plays on singles, so the players/singles buyers can easily afford the cards they want. Hype diminishing due to investor bros losing interest is healthy for the true fans.

[@XingCollectables]

​@ahmadayoub94 L take.. just cause there's no $400 card right off the bat doesn't mean they are worthless. There's still plenty of value in these newer sets. He'll 151 is above $800 for a master and will hold that for a good time. Maybe dip to 700ish then in a few years gradually appreciate. Next predicted boom will be around the 30th anniversary.

[@ViiRaLx713]

@@ahmadayoub94found the investor bro 😂

[@rochendlywouters9113]

Im loving it!! Being able to actually afford to play with a blinged out deck feels sooo good!! Bonus seeing the collectors cry about it!

[@dylanmckeon6897]

I've been a true fan for a long time and seeing scalpers suffer is quite fun to be honest. Some cards from SWSH which are elusive have their prices dropping and the true fans are going mental.

[@CharizardHunter1997]

100% couldn’t have said it any better

[@kigas24]

If it makes singles prices cheaper then I'm all for it

[@PixiemonCards]

Same. I collect for aesthetic instead for flipping personally. Found it more fun

[@zendongtan1712]

OK

[@NovaMaster375]

Fr. "Collecting isn't fun anymore" is the mindset of someone who was just doing it for profit, and not for the actual hobby itself.

[@tde4438]

@@NovaMaster375 Amen to that. If you live by the stocks, eventually you’ll be put in them. I was able to make 3 decks in a few days that, while yes, totaled quite a penny, were at a *fraction* of what they’d be if I tried getting them from packs, or when they were hot options. I shudder to think about the price of Scizor VMAX or Zekrom and Pikachu when they first dropped~

[@3spooky5me14]

151 has been insane. I work in a card store and the amount of new people that I saw come into the hobby for 151 was massive!

[@NovaMaster375]

Nostalgia is one hell of a drug lol

[@easytiger35]

a lot of us got out our childhood collection and the original 151 are the ones we knew as kids. So its like collecting the 1st editions again for us i think. It really is better as a hobby than an investment.

[@andrelima4125]

A lot of people came to my LgS for 151 purchases and learning to play and stayed for loclas

[@dpninja7152]

I’m absolutely loving the new artwork. I don’t collect for value, I collect because I love Pokémon. Adding these beautiful cards to my binders has been a blast. Getting my 5 year old nephew into collecting as well and it’s been a blast seeing his face when he pulls a card that may be worthless to some. Seeing his face light up is priceless to me.

[@potatopack]

this is what collecting is about. talking about it and showing what your collection is about and helping others grow their collection

[@trinketeerrine6674]

I think that most people in the hobby (collectors and players) are happy with the changes overall, more singles are being sold thanks to the better pull rate and affordable prices. The only people these changes annoy are the "investors" who want to pull chase cards just to flip them for money and the content creators who rely on chase cards being rarer and more expensive to generate greater interest for their booster packs/boxes opening videos.

[@persuasivebarrier2419]

Agree. I complain about charryzard just to mock others who have a valid point but are as annoying in the comments as nintendo’s focus on one poke monster as a cash cow 😂. I’m enjoying SV and will continue my single search of older cards.

[@inkleef]

For someone who doesn’t have a huge budget, this has been great and I’ve actually felt like packs are worth opening for once

[@LilicicleOFFICIAL]

Agreed! I literally have never heard anyone say that about modern collecting, some people just don’t have the money to buy 100’s of boxes a week to pull cards they want, and the old singles are pretty highly priced compared to the new stuff. I have had to literally let go, of so many cards to get the then new product. It’s was painful to watch fat old men, or influencers. Mark up the price to turn a profit during the 2020 era, and the thing is half of these people didn’t even care about the subject matter or the game in anyway, it was all about the mooney-eay”(money), and the people who would buy the up charged goods. Zamn people’s perception of modern Pokémon card collecting is painful at minimum, and heartbreaking at maximum.

[@inkleef]

@@LilicicleOFFICIAL As much as I enjoy owning a pricy card, the market made it nearly impossible for casual enjoyers to even have a chance of pulling it without thousands to sink into collecting

[@LilicicleOFFICIAL]

Agreed.

[@Dkgow]

@@inkleef Even if I get lucky and get a pricy card, why would I get rid of it unless I get dups. I am COLLECTING not looking to sell. Let card prices go down. I am game for that. Actually just looked at Walmart is selling Evolution Skies for 59 when it's normally 109 "great deal" since you know most of the trainer boxes go for 59 normally. May get a box or two now.

[@RealBullbear]

At some point it felt like you had to be a lawyer, surgeon or streamer to afford collecting, especially japanese trainers, lmao. I just buy single cards or auctions on ebay of the cards i really want instead of mass openings.

[@gabeasaur210]

I think poketubers played a role in the writing off of s&v. They all collectively said “nah these suck” because they were all still chasing sh/sh. Only recently with paradox rift have the poketuber starting warming up to the new era. S&V has amazing artwork but when the leading figures in the space all collectively say “nah they suck” it’s kinda hard to build hype for the hunt.

[@okJLUV]

🔥 🔥 🔥

[@Trainerredwantstobattle]

Don’t you mean sw/sh

[@FallingStar1080]

The new designs are bad, literally anything can be a pokemon now. It's laziness at its finest

[@gabeasaur210]

@@FallingStar1080 ah yes, because ekans (being snake backwards), seel being a literal seal and ponyta being a pony were so revolutionary.

[@FallingStar1080]

@@gabeasaur210 they were based off normal creatures and looked decent 🤷‍♂️ these new pokemon like alcremie, klefki, chandelure etc. are inanimate objects.... who does pokemon think they are Digimon? It's simple, pokemon is running out of ideas and it shows. Paradox rift is essentially a fusion of 2 different pokemon (Digimon again) and the designs are ugly as hell. There's over a 1000 pokemon to catch now... they can take a break

[@SuicuneDreams]

The real reason is that theres no money to be made anymore, its never been about pokemon. Its only ever been about how much money can I make off a charizard. Buying singles has been great since the release of S/V. Very happy to see those that drove the price up start move on.

[@beet6796]

honestly as someone who collects the cards for the art I cannot be happier with the amount of amazing pulls in the recent sets

[@boss_dan]

I don't think anyone could have summarized the trend of these past couple years better. I'm just a simple collector and I just buy for the artworks, and S/V has been awesome imo, especially Paradox Rift and its multitudes of gen 5 art rares (fave gen).

[@antsoswag]

Lol I took a break for a year and these sets are nuts. Going to get so many singles for my binders lol

[@monkey39128]

I like the look of PR. Nice to "Salamence" get some time in the sun.

[@glizzygobbler195]

Same bro I started getting back into it again because I am able to afford packs and just being able to have a better chance of getting a rare card is better for me than if I were to buy from the older sets and lose money and lose the feeling that I had when I was little

[@nowifate]

Even though it's sad that collecting Pokémon cards isn't as popular anymore, I think it's a win for the real fans or people trying to get into the TCG!

[@Dartwind]

Yup. New folks come in excited, don't realize the market is going to dip substantially, and then the ones of us left can buy singles at a lower price. It's been a relief and honestly I can't wait to see prices drop further!

[@snorenzo1]

Yes hope it crashes, i have a huge collection, i dont care if its worth nothing, i just want more,

[@Dartwind]

@@snorenzo1 Yeah, same here - I'd love the art even if it was not worth a lot

[@theshinru]

With how amazing the sets have been from S&V block and seeing how interest in underappreciated sets like Cosmic Eclipse has been reignited, I'm certain that the "Hunt" will come back for S&V once the boxes become a bit more scarce in the distant future.

[@jamesgraves9858]

Cosmic Eclipse was not reprinted to the extent every set is now lmao. WAYYYY different.

[@theshinru]

@@jamesgraves9858 Guess we will find out in 5 years.

[@Sulordan]

Hearing people complaining that hit rates are too good will never make sense to me. If you’re spending money on sealed product, why would you want less good hits? I was disappointed to see that they’ve pulled back the hit rates for the good cards in paradox rift. It just made those booster boxes feel bad compared to the first 3 sets.

[@ybdap7]

These prices on scarlet and violet are great, very collectable and playable and affordable

[@RahulJha-hn9db]

I personally have been loving collecting in 2023. It’s possible to find deals, singles are affordable, the sets focus on newer Pokémon (I think paldea has some of the best Pokémon of the recent gens), the art is amazing. I like the higher pull rates but I still lean more towards singles bc it sucks buying a generic box and getting no hits. Tho it is nice that every booster box has a gold or sir. Better than the past where alts were in every few boxes

[@tylerwatts7838]

Anyone who complains about these awesome cards being "too easy" to find isn't here for the right reasons. Easy pulls, great artwork, and great prices. What could be better?

[@mandrews93]

As a collector who doesn't have the resources to keep "the hunt" going for older sets, I'm loving S&V - can pull a lot of beautiful cards

[@babysourpatch2202]

As someone who doesn’t really collect, but plays off and on and watches content the past year with sv has been hella fun. I’m actually seeing things that are interesting, and cracking a few packs with my friends every once in a while has been fun too. I feel like for the casual market and players there has never been a better time to get pokemon cards.

[@MountyLive]

Hindsight is always 20/20. I remember opening Dream League when no one cared about it, and I got the chance to enjoy it at a good price. So thats what I’m doing now. Enjoying these sets whilst its possible and still fun (imo) This video was refreshing too, really enjoyed watching this 👌🏼

[@UTgohan]

The fun of collecting should be just that…collecting and enjoying the cards.

[@drummerAVA]

I’m working on condensing my collection down to my relatively few favorite cards, casing them up and making them into a display, and selling the rest to players or new collectors… It’s been a fun year collecting, reliving the golden childhood years in a sense, and it gave me something to do when there hasn’t been much going on… but yeah I’m over it.

[@jakeg6137]

Collecting now with my kids is literally just as fun as the 90s with my brother. We only collect what we like, no worries on trying to get everything. The artwork has never been better than the current sets coming out now.

[@DannyPhantump]

I've listened/watched this video 3 times now. There is a lot to unpack. First of all, this video was produced fantastically. The storytelling, editing, and delivery are all incredible. I can't imagine the amount of time and energy you poured into this video, but you did a phenomenal job and should be incredibly proud. Secondly, and feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but I feel that this video perfectly encapsulates a general feeling amongst many collectors. I believe okJUV, while he may share some of these mindsets, is moreso addressing current issues that we are facing as a community at large. A negative topic does not necessarily indicate a negative attitude. Through watching this video multiple times I am gaining an impression that okJULV is merely communicating and summarizing thoughts and struggles that we are facing as a community, not necessarily feelings of his own. Thirdly, I agree wholeheartedly with the entirety of this video, and the way the issues are being delivered. While there are a ton of collector's and players who are having the time of their life, it is extremely important that we as a community keep a constant pulse on how others are feeling around us. Whether it be fatigue or some other reason, the way the hobby and game continue to move forward is going to not only rely on decisions made by TPCI, but attitudes and opinions of the participants themselves. It is important to remember that the Pokemon space is made up of a ton of different individuals. What unites us is our love of Pokemon, but that is merely the end point. The journey that we experience to obtain that love for Pokemon is going to be vastly different. There are comments and conversations all over the place expressing these opinions, and I think this video does an excellent job summarizing and explaining many of the struggles Pokemon is facing amongst it's Pokemon fans. Finally, while I think this correctly identifies the issues the community faces, I would love a follow up video regarding your thought process on how, and what improvements need to be made. I personally feel that if anyone is experiencing these issues they brought up, and easy solution would be for one to "touch grass." The hobby is made up of tons of different avenues that can be experienced. If someone is experiencing burnout or frustration in part of the hobby, the best option might be to take a step back, and focus on something else for a while. However, I don't think this solution works for everyone, nor do I think it is the easiest option, so I am curious to hear what your thought process is on what one can do, or what TPCI can do moving forward to help grow Pokemon. Thanks so much for the video. I think you did a fantastic job and really appreciate everything about you!

[@okJLUV]

Thanks for watching brah! Glad you were able to identify that just because the topic is negative, that this isn't coming from a negative space - a lot of these thoughts I've had for a while, and the goal of the vid was to express those feelings without being dramatic or aggressive. I wanted to lay it out the way I saw it and see how others felt, rather than rant about it like I might've done in the past hehe. When I wrapped up editing this, I definitely felt like I had more to say - and seeing people respond to this has given me more reason to potentially tackle this topic in greater depth down the line. For sure it's something the hobby/space needs to tackle together, and yeah lmao touching grass is the easiest answer - big reason why I started playing (and got so invested in it) - an excellent release that helped me enjoy the hobby in a whole new light. Cheers as always mate, lookin' forward to where 2024 takes us.

[@dhuntertodd]

I see a path forward in what some content creators have done, in shifting to discussing more about the card game itself. "Cheap" modern packs of penny cards are made very exciting when you pull a trainer you need for a deck you're building. Regular ex cards are very meaningful when they're a cornerstone of the newest meta deck. I appreciate that you, Danny, and J have incorporated more discussion about play and leagues.

[@humourlessjester3584]

As someone who just likes to play the game, I'm kinda thankful for the recent craze of card collecting because I can buy off so many commons for cheap from collectors and build a few decent decks to play with friends. I also do a bit of pack opening for myself for fun but for me it's really in the deck building and casual playing where I get most of my enjoyment from these cards. 😊

[@machomeech]

I know I'm late on this video but I think a key point you didn't mention is that sets come out way too often. You have no time to enjoy one because the next is set to release within a couple weeks of you getting your product at an already scalped price. Hit a blaziken vmax alt? Who cares? The next cool shiny thing drops a couple days later.

[@madh0us3]

As someone who got back into the hobby from childhood with the 25th anniversary set, I can honestly say I'm glad this bubble has burst now we actually have a chance to buy the booster boxes and cards we want without breaking the bank so IMO while it might not make much sense from a business perspective for the Pokemon TCG, I'm glad this has happened the way it has the the inverstbro's, rip and ship and clout chasing pack opening channels have moved on, allowing a chance for true fans to enjoy and eat good finally.

[@BobCCLIV]

The end of this was interesting. When you talked about the people that were passionate about the cards and just love collecting without caring about the money, that to me is the real fun that's intended. Investors could have just as much fun in the stock market with they're enjoyment of seeing values rise and if they love Pokemon they can have that as a hobby unrelated to that. The monetization of the pure form of returning to your childhood interests is something I really dislike about it all. I'm still extremely happy I got back into collecting but I actively have to avoid that side of things or it takes away a lot of the fun.

[@PokeFangOfficial]

Great video, man. I'm loving all the new designs and artworks in S&V. I feel like a kid again learning all these new Pokemon and getting to know their characters in the new games and anime. I guess some nostalgists are looking for something they've already experienced and is familiar, which seems destined to be a short-lived dopamine hit - instead of seeking out and experiencing the same FEELINGS they had as a kid again, which I find far more rewarding with a long-term serotonin boost. I know that's a scientific take.

[@RahulJha-hn9db]

That’s a really great take. How many times can you go after nostalgia before it didn’t hit?

[@MoosGoCow1]

It is absolutely 100% collectors' fault that the market is dropping. So many people played the TCG. A lot of them quit because of scummy collectors raising the prices to unreasonable heights. A lot of these cards are not worth their value. I would even say most are not even collectible. During the COVID pandemic, cards were being bought up so quick, the sword and shield era had scarce players because no one could buy meta cards. It wasn't even that they were rare, just no one could afford over inflated prices. Anything else that happened is just a result of collectors. TPCi has adjusted pull rates, diversity of competitive cards, and amount of production just because of COLLECTORS. They cater primarily to their demographic of actual TCG players since they're the ones that actually attend their tournaments. That is exactly why they reprinted a lot of their older sets, specifically the ones during the pandemic when there were shortages and collectors all bought it all up.

[@lifequality]

Let´s be honest: If you are coming from Yugioh, you will absolutely enjoy an equal distribution among the highest rarity cards. Because short printed secret rares in Yugioh are insanely demoralizing.

[@xdraconicgaming5204]

I'm sorry to hear you feel that way OKJluv. I personally am happy this change has happened. And it's easy to love the hobby still if you simply just ignore the douches in the hobby and don't pay attention to hype. Hit rates for 151 are just fine. People just expect too much. Luck is sometimes good, sometimes bad. Does anyone want the 2020 hype to come back?!? I'm happy that it's only genuine fans left and we can find whatever product we want on a store shelf. If value is why people collect... they collect for the wrong reason. Everything you said in this video is positive if I'm being honest.

[@M1XEDBAG]

That’s my feeling. 151 has “bad pull rates” but that shouldn’t matter if you’re an actual collector. If anything that should make the feeling THAT much better when you finally pull that elusive card you’ve been wanting to find. We just live in a world where people want that instant gratification, and if you don’t get it and then the set isn’t good apparently

[@xdraconicgaming5204]

​@@M1XEDBAGexactly. I've opened over 500 packs of Evolving Skies and I've only pulled 2 alt arts. My luck with that set was trash but it's still the 2nd best set of all time. I think people just get salty when they don't get what they want like you said. I've pulled 4 alakazam SIRs and 1 Erika's Invitation SIR from about 120 packs of 151... that's not bad at all really.

[@DKong1026]

Solid video as always. I knew investors were getting out of it when i was and still am easily able to find 151 on shelves. I had some fire hits in my UPC and ETB. If this means singles prices come down I'm all for it. Now I'm salty that i spent $20-30 on certain SV1 cards that are now like $10 max lol. Oh well.

[@eliasherrera4989]

Nah, I got back into collecting this year after 5 years of investing my money in other stuff, and honestly I'm having a blast with the new Alt arts. I also know a ton of new people joining that have never collected Pokémon cards, that are ripping packs left and right. The demand and attraction is still there especially for newer generation (like its meant to be). Maybe its not "as fun" for people that are weird and want life to always stay the same, but honestly I think Pokémon is doing a pretty good job at adapting to the times.

[@RocSandy]

Wasnt expecting such a banger. Let him cook!

[@RDilux]

I collect only the old cards from the 90's but ngl the SV art rares art are pretty sick

[@therossauger]

I had a teacher in an audio production class once talk go on a side tangent about buying gear. He said "let the rich people buy the new things and then buy it second hand when they give up on it." Kinda feels like that's where Pokemon's at. I've had the same feelings before that it's no fun, but impulse control has to kick in at some point and I will willingly scoop my art rare Ferrothorn for $3 over spending fifteen times that on an ETB on release day with empty hopes.

[@AtrociousJake]

It's such an odd conversation that's so different for every person. I, a casual, just want specific cards so I love how cheap my "chase cards" are as singles lately. But I can understand how a more serious collector can just feel out-of-place. Great video again, bud

[@zing1198]

Tbh i bought my first ever pokemon cards with the 151 release, and i dont regret it 😊 the artwork is just phenomenal

[@poke_fit_art3859]

The SV era is the best start to any era in a very very long time!! Whatever about "the easy" pull rates, the art from SV base to Paradox Rift is far superior than Platinum & Diamond and Pearl Base, HearGold & SoulSilver Base, B&W Base, XY base, S&M base and SWSH base. The hate on this era so far is great for me as I can get the great art chase cards for the price of 2-4 loose packs. In time however people will come back and love to open the set, collect all the chase cards and want binder pages of the SIR Pokemon and Trainers.

[@alexvergara479]

Same, I don't care about the prices not being high. I love the artwork on the cards!

[@dohc16vturbo4g63]

I'm glad I only collect for fun. Don't get me wrong; it's a great feeling to pull a rare, valuable card, but it's more fun to complete a set with just booster packs

[@DogginsFroggins]

Honestly I'm glad they are focusing on players and not collectors, the online game is also generous.

[@JO-iv7tl]

The extra copies of overlapping arts of the same cards have allowed players a chance at getting the hits they need from packs. I understand it drives the price down for collecting. For a player building a deck he has to hit a certain card up to four times. Which is harder. Often multiple different cards from the same set. At any rate pokemon doesn't have the balance down yet to appeal to both collectors and players. Since no one is happy on both sides of the fence.

[@bad_atgames]

just got into collecting again after like 10+ years and ive been having a great time, lot to love about the new sets and ive enjoyed playing the game as well. there are so many good illustration rares its absurd

[@goldyrl5172]

This was a very good video as someone who got into Pokemon card collecting back in 2020 I've definitely seen the shift in the community I used to hunt for the top cards( which I did pull the alt art Blaziken VMAX from chilling pain) but I've now learned to appreciate other special cards regardless of the price and love opening casually now

[@shyguymystic3615]

Loved this style of video, had me hooked through the whole thing and felt your points were really well backed up. ( also loved the music choices!)

[@romanopenscards8457]

Im actually loving the sets that are coming out. The ppl that arent having fun are the investor ppl and the clout chasers

[@PixiemonCards]

At least Japanese booster boxes are going down now to get back to buying em

[@romanopenscards8457]

@@PixiemonCards agreed like opening sub 60$ raging surf was the best

[@PixiemonCards]

@@romanopenscards8457 now just waiting on 151 Japanese to come down 🥲

[@JownesyWOW]

The biggest problem is patience imo. You've got people pulling stuff and immediately checking what value it has then giving a shocked pikachu face when it's not as valuable as something 15-20-25 years old. You shouldn't be collecting new stuff in hopes of it making money today. You should be collecting new stuff in hopes it's worth more in 10+ years.

[@krauraNYC]

Great video, watched it with great interest. Another thing what I find strange is that when they launch a new set, there's likely a video game with the same Pokemon release, but the Pokémon cartoon shows on TV still recycle old material with older generation Pokemon in different areas. Having young kids, they still love those shows and I think that might benefit the general interest of a new era as well.

[@GethinWills]

Some very good points made here. I am at a position where buying packs doesn't make much financial sense for playable cards. But, the draw of pulling multiple hits within one pack is very tempting. Keep up the top content dude 💪💪

[@XingCollectables]

Players don't really ever buy packs unless they also collect heavy. It's never financially smart to rip packs for playing cards.

[@HarryWest19]

Great video, really enjoyed this! Made me reflect on why I collect and why I open packs. Looking forward to more like this

[@gilbertcapulong4302]

I'm all for this. These are games, not investment strategies.

[@ClaytonClays]

Nicely presented okj. Would like to see more of your analysis every year or so what the hobby has adapted. But like any fever, this hobby will only repeat itself through dramatic events. Nevertheless, awesome work and hope you stay for the long run and keeping this hobby updated for fun and enjoyment.

[@christophernguyen7392]

I need help . 3 years ago i bought Japanese Tag team gx all star for like 100 cad. And i pulled a Sightseer... I kept it in pristine condtion sleeved up hidden away for years now and apparently now its worth like 800 cad+. Should I send it to psa to get it graded? I also pulled a bunch of the tag teams but im not sure if they are worth much. Also never sold anything online before so idk the shipping proccess or wtv. (I also have the box and all the opened packs kept nicely too).

[@manonm891]

Funny enough SV has honestly really brought me back into collecting altogether! I stopped right at the start of XY in the past and was intimidated in the 2020 era as card prices were high but now I can collect some of my new (and old) favorite Pokemon for relatively decent prices! I even got into the competitive scene because deck list have become more avalible with stuff like the League Battle Decks and not as much single hype. What a lovely video that made me think about this all again.

[@rakeguy7703]

I lost fun because of Investors poisoning the hobby. Honestly it feels so exausting and even disguisting if it's full of overly rich NFT/crypto/Tehcbros just hussling around every discord and forum. Chasing/INVESTING/talking about these kids toys like it's some sort of a serious buiseness. I left everywhting i was visiting - every discord (the worst places with such people) - left all forums and channels (yours ad that "hey virgin gang" - guy are the only 2 i still watch) and slowly finishing Lost Origin and Silver Tempest master sets without caring about garbage fake hype anymore. I never been so happy collecting cards. Just chilling and doing stuff i like.

[@IBPaintsppp-wt5ou]

I'm getting back into pokemon and really enjoying the SV era. I enjoy the more oldschool feel compared to the last few years. Also the special full art cards I want are often around $20 which is enough to me to feel valuable/special but affordable. And so many new cards look incredible. Important note - I only collect cards that I use in decks, I don't have the desire for cards that sit on shelves, cards need to have more of a purpose for me. And my favorite part of the hobby is deck building and playing.

[@illuminis]

Great video! Summed up everything I was feeling about the hobby, well stated. Loved the DKC music as well

[@Sl4ppyBag]

Sweet video bro. Agree with all your points. Personally for me, I pick and choose what sets to collect and open up. A group of friends and I hang out once every couple months to just open packs together and have fun seeing what kind of cars we all pull. So We are still having heaps of fun hunting and not feeling fatigue with all the sets that are out in the market.

[@GengarCollects]

Great video man! Basically at the end of the day, passionate collectors are thriving while flippers/scalpers are crying. 🙌🏻

[@Davidgon100]

I like collecting the cards because I just like the cards and artwork. The potential of getting a huge ROI is not my priority.

[@RiskyBlunt]

This is cap nothing has stopped being fun about Pokémon it’s still just as fun and just as nostalgic. This is your opinion .

[@okJLUV]

it's good you are still having fun with Pokemon i'm happy for you man, fr

[@tylervivanco7565]

@okjluv I totally agree with you on the new sets, it does feel different. I’ve never opened cards in the gambling sense of trying to make money back by flipping the card right away. I open to collect and have them sorted in binders perfectly (ocd here). The S&V sets don’t have that “hit” feel. I don’t know what it is, but you explained it very well. When I opened the gengar from fusion, moltres & blaziken from chilling and the Charizard from xy. Those hits felt special, my fiancé also rips with me and she doesn’t seem to stoke anymore opening packs. Super bizarre. Anyways always appreciate you and your content. Much love my dude! Let me know if your ever in so cal!

[@Mr_blue_7777]

I hated school and home growing up pokémon for me is a nostalgia thing as it brought me some happiness I loved collecting I stopped collecting for 14 years because I moved overseas I recently started collecting again and will say I love the artwork compared to the first generation the new cards are literally little bits of art the attention of detail is amazing.

[@ShinyVert]

bro i’m only 3 minutes into this vid and had to pause caz this is insane… the amount of work that went into this vid 😳😳 loving it man, excited to finish

[@killerblunt420]

I have always loved opening mystery stuff and is always exciting finding rare pulls from pokemon packs..

[@SlammingWizard420]

If the set has a high pull rate, the cards that are hits usually cost less than a boost pack. No point in opening up a pack in hopes for a card or opening a box for a card if you could just get the card itself

[@UnlistedLeaf]

Absolute BANGER video mate - Had me hooked and thinking the entire time 🙌

[@okJLUV]

cheers big fella!!

[@Mastashredda7]

Same

[@pokemonwonderLLC]

Wow JLuv! Great video quality here. Really stepping things up. Well done my man. Also great recap on the current status of things. I would have loved if you would have given a projection of what is to come to finish. Need to have you on the podcast soon. I’ll be reaching out. Have an awesome rest of your weekend!

[@blueskies666]

I was collecting SV1 and then a few other new ones, but after 151 I am done and I’ve gone back to completing my original sets. Yes it’s expensive but it feels amazing

[@PiannaCh]

Well done video and analysis! I like that you covered a lot of points and I agree with most of them. I collect mainly for the art so I'm quite happy with SV era. I think it's too early to compare SV to SW since the former just started. Evolving skies is also quite an anomaly so almost anything you compare against it will be in its favor. I personally don't want another set like Evolving skies in terms of pull rates and hype. I personally have more fun opening SV to SW. SW may have higher highs, but it also has lower lows aka evolving cries. With the introduction of ARs, there is also a lot more choices for chase cards. In early SW, my chase are mostly the alternate arts. Finally, inflation is likely hitting some collectors that started from SW.

[@srarts123]

The thing is, there isn't much difference in high value cards compaired to middle ground cards. Popular pokemon drive the cost of cards more than anything, and modern sets still have those rare popular pokemon. Yes the rare pull rate is higher, but they still have even rarer cards to find and personally for more casual collectors, ones who don't want to dump thousands into it, it feels better to come out with something than openning 30 packs with maybe 2 ex cards

[@jaxbrampton620]

you put a lot of thought into this one, I'm looking at getting back in after being out since covid

[@EmerDCP]

I have never been more excited to open Pokémon Cards in my life. More cards + better pull rates means I have easier access to cards for my decks and the cards I’m collecting. Finding cards I want is fun.

[@LBiOnline]

Damn, that video was real good! Didn't expect such introspection when clicking on the video, but I should have since you always do a good job, cheers!

[@slavishchicken]

Literally a netflix documentary quality wow

[@FF-7]

Sealed cases to hold many years are the best. Most cards have shit centering and so on, sealed is nice to hold

[@shrevident527]

Sounds like a lot of people are just in it for the money or the value rather than to have cool cards.

[@Anthony_C22]

Such an excellent video dude, well done! The game is very different for even just kids nowadays compared to me back in the 90’s

[@grantkearney6354]

The sky is always falling in Pokemon, but never actually does.

[@bearsbeetsbsg8]

not fun for those ppl, but opening packs and seeing the nice artwork has been really fun for me and that's all that matters

[@loomis8845]

Im back into collecting pokemon after 3yrs of not doing so and i can safely say of the 20yrs I've collected pokemon on and off this is the most fun ive had. Simply because im not "chasing" anything or getting wrapped up in the hype of what everyone else "wants" as someone who is catering their collection behind getting every full art trainer every produced in english and collecting every alt art and new illustration stuff they make it gives me a clear goal an im not stressed about pulling some chase card or something crazy. I just stay with what makes/brings me joy. But to each their own and everyone will feel a way about what they are in the hobby for! Good thing is those who sour from the hobby can always come back, this hobby and franchise has been in my life since i was a young kid and likely will be until I'm old lol.

[@1001History]

Pokemon sets are cyclical. Once they stop printing and are no longer on the shelves, and the style of rare cards are no longer in the new release sets, they boost in price.

[@filipereis4721]

I do t have a huge budget, i can afford spending 150€ per month so I always chose to be a singles buyer it’s impossible to open packs for me, since last year my collection expanded a lot thanks to lower prices and art rares/ trainer gallery cards, so for me this is the best era, i can finally have a binder with lots of different special cards and have alt arts displayed on my room without wasting hundreds on a single card

[@GrumbleGamer18]

I think the biggest misconception people have is when discerning the difference between a collector, and a reseller. SV is a collectors dream right now, because scalpers can’t really do much with it. There’s a healthy amount of it in the market, and that’s made it easy for us to purchase singles. That said, all of us are still feeling a bit… sore… from fusion syke and evolving cries, and although I can’t personally see myself buying packs of either again, especially anything over MSRP, I know a lot of people that still really REALLY want to chase the dragon and pull, well, the dragon 😂 or moonbreon of course. Which makes a clear opportunity for resellers/scalpers to watch the market and wait for Pokémon centre drops and restocks at stores, then resell them at a higher price. Also, I gotta envy your willingness/ability to take PC’s statement at face value 😅

[@GrumbleGamer18]

All in all JLUV, great video :) always enjoy hearing others opinions! You really put a lot of work into this one

[@TheLMBLucas]

When I was a kid, I didn't have the money to buy all the packs I wanted and they were everywhere. Now that I'm an adult and have the money, packs are nowhere to be found in my country or have obscene prices lol

[@yubz1496]

151 will go up alot within 3 years I been buying and selling for 15 years

[@BlowUpDaChr0n]

there is a sole reason .. the internet ruins everything .. want to play a new game .. no sense by the time its released your after watching everything that you can do in it .. can't wait to see all the new cards in the next set .. dont worry it will be leaked months before release

[@OmegaVideoGameGod]

This is why I love collecting the cheap ones

[@rochendlywouters9113]

I love all of this! All of it anything to make the “investors” cry HAHAHAH

[@justua1992]

oh wow this video needs to be a public service announcement for all pokemon enthusiasts very well detailed and full of accurate information layed out so perfectly. the way you can summarize these chaotic times was astounding ❤ a easy thumbs up 👍

[@tina_marie12]

I really enjoyed this video! I have changed my collecting goals a few times, but i continue to collect my fave artist cards like Komiya, Shinji Khanda, SowSow, Sui, Morii, shibizuh and more! And collecting my favourite pokemon like Mimikyu, Kangaskhan, Vulpix, Eevee and a bunch more! And ideally would like to collect all the alt arts, character cards etc! I love the artworks in the new sets! So much to look at and see! Lately i’ve been only buying a few sealed things to open and then buying the singles or trading to get the cards i want! It’s too pricey like you said when most cards are affordable to buy 😊

[@Elmosama]

Really appreciate and enjoy your analysis! Also, I love the persona 5 ost used 😂 it was such a pleasant surprise and goes so well with the video

[@blashhtoise]

Fantastic video Jluv!! All your points are bang on. I'm glad the scalpers are fleeting the hobby and singles are decent prices. I'm glad that rainbow rares got the boot and were replaced with AR/SARs because the art has never been better. I think there's a major issue with english 151 and batching because I've opened up just over 100 packs from multiple sources and have pulled doubles of a couple full arts and ARs and then 2 Venusaur, 2 Blastoise, and 2 Charizards SARs but I still don't have a regular ass Kabutops holo from the main set...it's bizarre.

[@NawiPokemon]

Absolutely a cooked video here. Can tell a lot of thought and effort went into making this. This year has definitely been the best year for a while when it comes to the artwork of Pokemon cards. With new artists coming in that instantly grab your attention, to the old classics, there is something for everyone who actually enjoys the collecting side of the hobby. With prices coming down, hopefully the people who were bought out of the hobby can return and start enjoying it again at what some people will say its peak, or even start playing the game, which has sparked the interest in the hobby for many people again, including myself. Prices won't ever be the exact same as what they were at the start of 2020, but we can hope to get close to it again.

[@PsychoMantisss]

Get me a time machine and some money and I can get base set cards incredibly easily. My next door neighbors used to buy booster boxes to sell to the neighborhood kids for cheap. Since I was best friends with the kids I only had to pay like a dollar or two per pack from the parents as our families were pretty close.

[@AdamPOpens]

Great video and great points made! Only thing I’ll say is that I’ve managed to make back more money on 151 than any other set through SV and SwSh. Had my 1 biggest day of sales on my store ever with 151 singles. People are seemingly desperate to complete the set and strangely the IRs, Full Arts and SARs have gained significant value (some IRs hitting $50-$60), at least here in Australia. It’s definitely seems to be an anomaly though as things are back to standard with Paradox and $10 IRs again. I find myself torn - as a master set collector I enjoy not spending as much money, but a part of me does miss the Hunt. End of the day though I think I’ll take the cheaper option.

[@jakewheeler8767]

Coming from just an ordinary collector I don't flip or make videos just collect complete sets because I'm a completionist and love to look at all the artworks because I'm a huge fan of Pokemon. The real problem is KZbinrs and Scalpers. They make the prices of the packs too expensive to buy and too hard to find because they get greedy and horde not just booster boxes but collection boxes and the like as well and they make single prices too low to make profit off of for flippers (personally fine by me makes my life easier) by opening all these packs for views but causes the problem of them sitting on their stock. Tldr greedy youtubers and scalpers have ruined pokemon cards for the most part, honestly I can't wait for all the prices to tank maybe then I can finally get a piece of nostalgia and open a base set i find it pretty sad that its reseved mostly for the more well off and then having to worry about resealers and scammers on top of that is ridiculous

[@codieashby4585]

And also, Team Up was the 1st Pokémon set to have Alternate Arts. Cosmic Eclipse was the last of 4 total sets to have Alt Arts that finished the Sun&Moon generation.

[@Sleepingsnorelax72]

love the video! you've put a lot of how I've been feeling in to words. I love the hobby and I will still collect, but I think a lot of people have been feeling a disconnect because there has been a lot of change. and yeah, there are people who aren't down with scarlet and violet Pokemon.