Collecting Pokémon Cards Again
One year after the release of Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet—151, I reflect on my time collecting Pokémon cards again, and my opinions on the set.
When Pokémon first launched in the UK in 1999, I was about to enter my teens. Like many kids from that era, I was hooked by Pokémania and wanted to get my hands on everything connected to the series. The Trading Card Game (TCG) was something that especially interested me. My friends would give me some of their spare Base and Jungle set cards because I couldn’t convince my parents to buy them for me. By the time the Fossil set was released, I was earning some pocket money each week, so I bought as many booster packs as I could, fully intending to collect all sixty-two cards available in the set. Sadly, I was six cards short of completing Fossil, but nearly twenty years later in 2019, after pulling out my cards from the bottom of the wardrobe and sorting through them, I decided it was time to achieve my long-forgotten goal and purchased the final few cards from eBay. It was certainly a momentous occasion when I placed that final card into the folder and completed my first set of Pokémon cards!
But it didn’t end with the Fossil set. I continued to buy cards through Neo Genesis, Neo Discovery, Neo Revelation, and finally, Neo Destiny in 2002. I can’t recall exactly why I stopped after that set, but I assume it had something to do with the cost of the hobby and my general interest in it declining. I didn’t purchase any brand-new expansions until twenty-one years later, when I decided it would be fun to start collecting again.
In 2023, The Pokémon Company released a trading card set called “Scarlet & Violet—151”, which I had been following since its announcement in Japan earlier that year. At first, I assumed it would be a reprint of the original Base, Jungle, and Fossil sets, with a few extras thrown in. I was surprised to discover that it contained cards with brand-new artwork, which looked beautiful, and made me want to complete the set even more. I was already quite excited by the idea of collecting something focused on the original era of Pokémon, so I took the plunge and committed myself to buying the many products required to give myself the best chance of completing the set.
Scarlet & Violet—151 was released on September 22nd, 2023. One year later, I reflect on what it was like to collect Pokémon cards again.
A potential obstacle to this plan was the COVID-19 pandemic. I had been following the news of product shortages across the globe, due to the increased interest during that period, fully aware that it could impact my ability to obtain product before I even started. A few months previously, I had approached the owner of my local game store, explaining to him that I had an interest in the set, but was concerned about availability. The owner was not able to reserve any cards for me, I was told it would be first come, first served on the day of release, but they assured me that there would be plenty of product available. It was disappointing to hear, but expected. With the exception of one store in Japan I had read about, I saw no evidence of retailers placing limits on products, and didn’t feel I could count on the set being available by the time I travelled there on release day. So, along with my initial plan to support a local, independent specialist store, I also secured pre-orders with Amazon and the Pokémon Center website as a precaution.
On the day of release, I received an Elite Trainer Box, Booster Bundle, and Binder Collection in the mail, which totalled nineteen booster packs! When I was a kid, the most I would ever buy at a time was three booster packs due to my strict spending limits, so before I even opened a packet, there was a brief moment where I started to regret spending so much money. I reassured myself, knowing that I had saved some cash for this, and that I could comfortably afford it, so I went ahead and opened them on a Twitch stream with Johto Times readers.
The excitement of opening several booster packs was something I hadn’t felt in a long time. It was wonderful to see cards from the 151 set up close and in greater detail, slowly opening them with anticipation to see if I was going to be lucky and pull one of the [rare] chase cards from the set. As I mentioned earlier, I was taken by the beautiful artwork for 151, and seeing it up close for myself did not disappoint. I especially liked the holo energy cards from this set, which reminded me of the "Energize Your Game Cycle" cards that Wizards of the Coast released in Pokémon Leagues in 2002, shortly before they lost the licence.
It wasn’t just the artwork that surprised me - I love the improvements and differences the newer cards have compared to the original Wizards of the Coast-era products I collected growing up. I was particularly fond of the Secret Illustration Rare (SIR) and Full Art cards, with artwork that covers the entire card, rather than being restricted to a small window in its top half. Some of them are very pretty, such as Dragonair, which I am still hunting for at the time of writing. Holographic cards even have a texture, which can be felt when you run your finger across them. I will acknowledge that they are a much higher-quality product by comparison.
I think my favourite card from the set was the Full Art Poliwhirl, who is looking down into a puddle of water, staring at its reflection. It’s so charming, and it was one of the cards I wanted the most. I was over the moon when I managed to pull it out of a booster pack for myself! Sadly, I wasn’t able to share the moment with my audience on Twitch.
It was also fantastic to see Kadabra back in the Pokémon TCG, after twenty years of absence due to a legal dispute! I found it quite ironic that this Pokémon in particular had been away from the TCG almost as long as I had been! Due to the significance of this return, it was important that I was able to pull the card, which I did with ease.
While I didn’t manage to get anything of extreme (monetary) value during my initial purchase of 151, I was very happy with some of the cards I pulled, especially the Caterpie Full Art card, and two Alakazam ex and Venusaur ex Full Arts. However, since I was strict on the amount of money I wanted to put into this collection, I knew that if I wanted to have a better chance at completing the set, I would have to trade cards with others in order to complete it.
I later purchased the Alakazam ex and Zapdos ex collections, the Ultra Premium Collection, and another Booster Bundle. This allowed me to obtain all the promotional cards at the time and add further cards to the collection. In total, I spent around £300 during the first few months on sale.
Prior to the release of 151, I had spoken with several of my close friends who had also taken an interest in collecting the set. For some of them, they hadn’t collected Pokémon cards in a very long time either and appreciated how nostalgic and pretty the art in the set was. We agreed that we would trade our spare cards to help one another complete 151 as fully as possible. Unfortunately, in the end the deal fell through as some of them chose to sell their cards instead.
It wasn’t all disappointment though. On New Year’s Eve, one friend and I met up in a coffee shop to celebrate the end of the year, and he surprised me with several rare cards that I needed, which included the Illustration Rare Alakazam and Omanyte, along with some other less valuable cards and reverse holos. I was able to help him out by giving him some of my cards, too. It definitely helped both of us get closer to completing the set, and I was thankful for his generosity.
Just before this feature was due to be published, I was able to obtain a 151 Booster Bundle in a surprise restock at the Pokémon Center online store. While I didn’t go in expecting any huge surprises, I pulled a Mr. Mime Full Art that I didn’t have, a second Mew ex, and another Secret Illustration Rare Alakazam ex. I also managed to add a couple of reverse holos to the collection! It was probably the most luck I have had with the set. In the future, I plan to trade the Alakazam ex, along with some of the more common cards, with friends so that we can fill some gaps in the collection.
This feature was published on September 26th, 2024, a year after I first started collecting the set. Despite the restock, I have slowed down on collecting this set, picking up the odd card here and there from hobby shops in the local area. As expected, it’s likely I will have to trade and buy single cards if I am to achieve my goal. There are also some huge cards that may require me to dig deep for, especially the Charizard Secret Illustration Rare card.
To summarise my feelings on collecting Pokémon cards again, it was a mixed bag. Once again, I am blown away by how beautiful the artwork on the cards is, and I am quite satisfied with what I managed to pull. My favourite products from the set were the 151 Binder, which will hold the vast majority of the cards from the set, and the Poster Collection, which I felt was great value. However, while I feel I was strict with my purchases, I still found myself spending more than I originally wanted to. The set had terrible drop rates [the chance of getting a decent card], far lower than I expected they would be, and I was disappointed by how few of the Full Art and Secret Illustration Rare cards I was able to obtain on my own by opening packs. I only noticed two small restocks of the set within a year, which definitely didn’t help the situation. The Pokémon Company has already released several new sets since 151, so I think it is unlikely to see much more in the way of English reprints. Seriously, I have no idea how Pokémon TCG collectors and players these days can possibly keep up!
At the time of writing, I have 175 of the 207 cards in my folder, which I am proud of. I am confident that in time, I will eventually obtain every card from the set, just like I have managed to complete some of my childhood sets after almost twenty years.
While I can’t say for certain that I won’t buy any new sets in the future, I don’t believe it’s a sustainable hobby for me. I’m horrified by the amount of cash people are willing to spend on Pokémon cards, seeing just how much money a friend has been prepared to invest to ensure he can complete the sets he wants. It has definitely given me pause, and I would advise anyone who may be struggling financially to avoid developing a fear of missing out. Obtaining these final cards should be a journey, one that takes time and patience.
Scarlet & Violet—151 took me back to a time during childhood that I had forgotten, and thanks to it, I am reminded of the fun I had opening booster packs. Collecting brand-new cards, and sharing that hobby with my friends through trading and gifting again, was a real treat.
I just got back into the cards recently and have completed my base set finally after twenty-five years.