After two years with theScarlet & Violetexpansion, thePokemon Trading Card Gameis starting anew with Mega Evolution coming out later this year. This set ties the newest card collection to the return of Mega Evolution in the mainlinePokemongames with the release ofPokemon Legends: Z-A.Legends: Z-Ais planned to reach players in October, and thePokemon TCGwill allow players to experience Mega Evolution a month in advance.
Unfortunately, scalpers are still at the forefront of fans' minds when newPokemoncards are announced. They’ve been particularly rampant around the critter-based franchise to where even the tie-in Oreos were scalped at one point. Still, scalpers aren’t solely an issue with thePokemon TCGasMagic: The Gatheringplayers felt the sting withthe Sonic Secret Lair Superdropthat was just released. Mega Evolution may fall in a similar pattern to the Sonic Superdrop.
Pokemon TCG’s Distrubution Isn’t Dissimilar To Magic: The Gathering’s Sonic Secret Lair Availability
How Magic: The Gathering Managed Its Sonic Secret Lair Superdrop
At 9 AM PT, all theSonicproducts went live on Secret Lair’s website. Once fans picked out what they wanted, hitting the checkout button would put them into a queue. This queue let a majority of users get their order after an hour or more, while some got lucky andsecured theirSonic the Hedgehogcardswithin six or so minutes. Each product type had a limit of two items per customer. As of this writing, the full set of theSoniccreature cards are still up for sale, but in low stock.
Many Secret Lair drops are exclusively through the website and online ordering, but theSonicSuperdrop was said to be hitting WPN stores on August 21. While the WPN copies will be non-foil only, this gives players a second chance to pick up the cards if they didn’t want to deal with the initial rush or change their minds later on.Pokemon TCGfans may already be aware that this just gives scaplers a second chance to steal stock from loyal customers as limits differ from store to store. As a result, many players are already dreading trying to pick up Mega Evolution boxes and packs.
WPN stores are Wizard of the Coast’s official network of local stores that host exclusive events and products. ForPokemon TCGfans, this system is similar to the Play! Pokemon store program.
How Pokemon Has Navigated Its Supply and Demand in Recent Years
Typically, the Pokemon Center website sends out an email notifying fans of new stock roughly 30 minutes before they go live. From there, it’s a matter of waiting for the set to go live, and then waiting in Pokemon Center’s queue. While some people will get to the end after some time, it can take as long as an hour with some chances of being kicked out of the queue due to site errorson the Pokemon Center’s end. The Pokemon Center’s Mega Evolution preorders have already made their way through and sold out.
It does need to be addressed that, by their very nature,Pokemoncards are more widely distributed than Secret Lairs. Secret Lairs are designed to be a limited run from the get-go, so the availability of the sets is vastly different. However, how the cards are ordered and sold on a case-by-case basis is very similar as even the wide range of stores sellingPokemoncards differ in their approach to limiting product and avoiding scalpers.
At the very least, it seems many of theMagic: The GatheringplayersandSonicfans who were willing to wait managed to secure their cards even if some scaplers got a hold of a few sets. ThePokemon TCGcommunity has made sure to raise awareness of good customer service in person when it occurs, and these types of success stories seem to be on the rise. While these systems and stock limits still have their flaws, it seems that the tide is slowly shifting to give players a chance against ordering bots and marked-up scalper prices. HopefullyPokemon TCG’s Mega Evolution set will find its way to loyal fans in September, andMagic: The Gatheringfans can secure a set of theSonicSecret Lair without any further stress.
