If you’re studying this, you’ve most likely additionally instructed your self this is able to be the month you don’t purchase more Pokémon cards. Same. And but right here we’re, staring down one other lineup of Elite Trainer Boxes and tins like they’re life selections we already remorse however will certainly make again.
Scarlet & Violet units hold dropping bangers, each visually and competitively, and sadly for our wallets, some of these bins are literally price ripping open.
Pokémon TCG: Azure Legends Tin – 5 Packs
This one’s weirdly stable. You get 5 booster packs from a actually good combine of units — Surging Sparks, Stellar Crown, Temporal Forces, and Obsidian Flames — and one promo that includes both Kyogre, Dialga, or Xerneas. It’s mainly Pokémon’s model of a loot field, and yeah, I purchased two. Between the chase playing cards throughout the included units (Pikachu ex, Terapagos, Raging Bolt, take your choose), the chances of hitting one thing enjoyable are literally first rate. I don’t even like tins, and I’d nonetheless grab one other one.
Pokémon TCG: Stacking Tin (Q1 2025) – 3 Packs, Stickers (Random Design)
I wasn’t anticipating a lot. I purchased it for the sticker sheets and the obscure promise of a Surging Sparks pack. And it delivered. Three packs, one of which could cough up one thing like Pikachu ex or Latias ex, and a tin I now use to carry precisely nothing. I can’t even be mad. There’s a tiny likelihood you’ll pull a Milotic ex or Ceruledge ex when you get fortunate with the packs, and when you don’t? Well, you paid twenty bucks to roll the cube and obtained some vaguely helpful storage in return. That’s more than I can say about half the cereal I’ve purchased this 12 months.
Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet: Paradox Rift: Elite Trainer Box – Roaring Moon
I obtained this one for the sleeves and stayed as a result of Roaring Moon ex is mainly what occurs when a Pokémon decides it’s finished enjoying honest. If your goal is to finish video games in a single violent swing and look great doing it, that is your man. Paradox Rift doesn’t have as many chase playing cards, however the ones it does have— like Iron Valiant ex and Groudon— really feel like they have been drawn by somebody who is aware of we’ll all stare at these like cave work in 30 years.
Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet: Temporal Forces: Elite Trainer Box: Walking Wake
The Walking Wake Elite Trainer Box comes with a full-art Flutter Mane and 9 more Temporal Forces packs to roll the cube again on the perfect artwork of the Scarlet & Violet period. This model leans into the traditional facet of issues, and I picked it up largely to increase my odds of pulling Walking Wake ex. Is it playable? Debatable. But it seems prefer it wandered out of a dream I had after consuming an excessive amount of sushi. With vibrant blues and prehistoric drama, the vibe alone was well worth the price. Also, the sleeves are clear, and I fake I care about these.
Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet: Temporal Forces: Elite Trainer Box: Iron Leaves
Iron Leaves ex pulls off the uncommon combo of being each playable and superbly drawn. It seems prefer it’s mid-leap out of a sci-fi anime, which is strictly the sort of power I need from my pulls. The different heavy hitters — like Iron Crown ex and Gouging Fire ex — both hit like a truck or seem like they’re about to. Raging Bolt ex steals the show, although. It’s loud, dramatic, and completely balanced between “meta staple” and “thunder god cosplayer.”
Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet Shrouded Fable Elite Trainer Box
Shrouded Fable can quietly slip in playing cards like Houndoom (the sort of illustration that makes you decrease your voice in reverence) and Persian, which seems prefer it’s plotting one thing appropriately cinematic. The promos and sleeves are good, however I actually wished this field for the Illustration Rares that don’t simply look cool — they inform a story. Fezandipiti ex, for instance, is the Swiss Army knife of help attackers, and Cassiopeia is straight-up character drama in a foil rectangle. The artwork path on this set is borderline pretentious, and I imply that as a praise.
Christian Wait is a contributing freelancer for IGN masking every little thing collectable and offers. Christian has over 7 years of expertise within the Gaming and Tech industry with bylines at Mashable and Pocket-Tactics. Christian additionally makes hand-painted collectibles for Saber Miniatures. Christian can be the creator of "Pokemon Ultimate Unofficial Gaming Guide by GamesWarrior". Find Christian on X @ChrisReggieWait.