Pokémon TCG: Destined Rivals Launch Ran Into the Same Old Issues, With Scalpers, Shortages, and Outages

The latest Pokémon TCG set, Destined Rivals, has been afloat unveiled and the archetypal pre-orders are already underway. If you've been collecting for a while, it mightiness not astonishment you that it's been a reasonably chaotic motorboat model though, with scalpers and store issues already reportedly plaguing the caller set.

Fully unveiled connected March 24, Scarlet & Violet - Destined Rivals is acceptable to motorboat starting connected May 30, 2025. A fewer factors marque this a peculiarly sought-after set. First, it marks the instrumentality of Trainer's Pokémon cards. Those aged capable to retrieve vintage Trainer's Pokémon cards, similar Brock's Sandslash oregon Rocket's Mewtwo, should instrumentality a infinitesimal to agelong their backmost and set their posture earlier expressing excitement for this returning archetype.

They're fashionable ways of tying beloved Trainers into the existent Pokémon cards successful chill ways. Additionally, Destined Rivals is besides centered astir Team Rocket, the bad-team faction of Pokémon's archetypal generation. Suffice to say, overmuch similar Prismatic Evolutions and its Eevee-lutions earlier this year, Destined Rivals has the makings of a precise fashionable set.

So, erstwhile the pre-orders went live, it should beryllium small astonishment that vexation rapidly ensued. People trying to get into the Pokémon Center website to bargain an Elite Trainer Box, a themed container of packs and different niceties that's a communal pick-up for radical looking to ace into a set, were near staring successful from the outside.

And, inactive unsurprisingly, scalpers instantly deed online auctions similar eBay with their ETB pre-orders. Listings of respective 100 dollars for the typically $54.99 container were seen hitting the site. Again, this is for a confirmed pre-order of the Pokémon Center-specific ETB. Serebii's Joe Merrick summed it up well, outlining his ain acquisition waiting for hours successful queue to get a Destined Rivals ETB.

"I genuinely hatred this," Merrick wrote. "The mode astir each Pokemon TCG contented has shifted to financial. The mode that radical conscionable dainty it arsenic investment. The mode radical conscionable privation to flip it. It's disgusting. Shame connected each involved."

This is, sadly, par for the course. The aforementioned Prismatic Evolutions acceptable had shortages, and the Blooming Waters 151 container besides came and went fast. It's not uncommon to spot notifications and signal-boosts of sets restocking connected assorted retailers. Already, TPC has said successful a FAQ online (per PokéBeach) that much inventory of the Destined Rivals ETB volition go disposable aboriginal this year.

Even connected apical of scalper issues, immoderate purchases are reporting that their ETB orders are being cancelled. Demand and popularity for the Pokémon TCG look to beryllium done the roof, but sadly, it besides seems to beryllium marring the existent hobby for astir trying to conscionable ace immoderate packs oregon play immoderate matches.

While Pokémon TCG Pocket offers virtual solutions for the woes of carnal scarcity, it's an understandable vexation for those who'd similar to simply partake successful the hobby. A stroll down your section store's paper aisle will, much than likely, overgarment a wide representation of what it's similar trying to prime up immoderate packs close now. It's doubly frustrating erstwhile these drops person been breathtaking ones to see. Hopefully we spot immoderate remedies soon.

Eric is simply a freelance writer for IGN.