There is some harsh news for fans and players of the paper Pokémon Trading Card Game. You may not get the new cards slated to be released on January 17th of this year.
The newest expansion set, Prismatic Evolutions, is experiencing shortages that will affect allocation to local game stores across various regions of North America. As such, this leads many game stores to make announcements erring towards caution, both for employee and consumer safety.
Retro Emporium’s Statement
One such game store, Retro Emporium in Kent, WA, released a statement on Instagram and Twitter earlier on Tuesday, January 7th:
We struggled with this decision, but at the end of the day, we will NOT sacrifice our safety for… cardboard.
The overly aggressive (and entitled) behavior coming from collectors/resellers has reached a whole new level, so, we’re OUT on this one. Sorry to those who are not part of the problem…we have tried to be fair and keep everything accessible, but we just can’t this time.
What Is Going On With Pokémon TCG Supply?
According to PokéBeach, a reputable Pokémon-based website, Prismatic Evolutions is being allocated to local game stores at a reduced rate of 85-90% of the normal amount. As a result, demand is skyrocketing for the set and the supply simply won’t satisfy that demand. This even affects online sellers, such as the official Pokémon Center website.
In May of 2021, Target put a moratorium on the sales of trading cards for a good long while. Walmart soon thereafter followed suit. Some of these big-box stores still exercise caution when displaying their TCG wares. There is, therefore, a non-zero chance that these stores will put another hold on such sales. This is especially true if card aficionados display the kind of “entitlement” shown in 2021 or as alluded to by Retro Emporium.
However, according to PokéBeach, “From what we know, it appears Target, Walmart, and Best Buy will receive their typical allotment of Prismatic Evolutions.” The supply issues of the Pokémon TCG set create a lucrative buying ground for swift scalpers, no matter how much supply arrives at the big-box stores. Therefore, if you’re on the hunt for Prismatic Evolutions, it’s advisable to be cautious, but still act swiftly, to purchase these cards.
In the end, future print runs are likely forthcoming for this set. After all, it’s another standard-issue Pokémon TCG release, as scarce as the product is at the moment. We will provide further updates as they come.
