We’ve seen prices rise again in modern when TPC rehashes its tried and true formulas in the Pikachu and Eeveelutions sets. It feels there isn’t much interest in giving unfamiliar or newer Pokémon a chance if it doesn’t already sit in the comfort zone of nostalgic popularity. So what is the play for TPC to expand interests in collecting? Should the main chase cards in sets only be of popular Pokémon?
koala no interest is already expanded enough, we’ve got brawls in costco now, don’t give them any more ideas 
Jokes aside, popular Pokemon sets are only interesting so long as they’re unique. Each generation’s second or third set has been a Charizard set since XY. Now they’re kind of boring. Who wants Darkness Ablaze or Obsidian Flames? Even Flashfire has been stagnant in price. Hidden Fates and Shining Fates were the greatest sets ever until people realized we now get a “Fates” set every generation and they’re also kinda boring when compared to the special arts.
Eeeveelution and Pikachu sets are cool, but if we keep getting a special art Eeveelution set every generation then I think they will quickly start getting less interesting and people will shift to whatever new gimmick Pokemon has. Maybe they go back to gold stars or Trainer’s Pokemon get hot. Either way, I don’t think Pokemon will have any trouble with cultivating interest. In fact, it’s likely in their best interest to not keep going back to the popular Pokemon well and instead branch out with new ideas.
Follow up: Does a set NEED a popular chase card to be a good set?
(will the mainstream media ever push EX Sandstorm???)
not if theres a lillie in the set
Remember when Pokemon thought Miriam could be a set’s main chase card? Gross
Call me old fashioned, but a Pokemon should always be the chase card of a set!
There are so many great pokemon that haven’t had an appearance as a big chase card in a while:
Gyarados
Arcanine
Dragonite
Scizor
Ho-Oh
Flygon
Metagross
All 3 Regi’s
Lucario
Weavile
Gliscor
Cresselia
Darkrai
So much potential
The list goes on and on
Evolving Skies but yeah that was 2021 so I guess it’s time.
I’m hoping team rocket set has an awesome full art dragonite in it <3
The people decide the chase card. Thats why noivern v (superior alt art) is $40 while umbreon (inferior alt art) is $1000
I meant to phrase it in context of the most desired rarity tier right now, special art V/VMAX/VSTAR for Sword & Shield and then officially Special Art Rare for Scarlet & Violet; but yes people ultimately decide the chase (IR Magikarp)
I will push EX Sandstorm until the day that I die. 
From a business perspective, TPC/TPCi needs to sell sets. The best way to sell sets is by including chase cards of desirable Pokemon. When sets do not have desirable Pokemon at the helm, they underperform, and that’s not great for longevity when their consumers have fickle attention.
Personally, I do not care whether popular Pokemon are the main chase cards, but I can see why it’s necessary from a fiscal and marketing view.
I think at some point Pokémon should take a step back and realize you don’t have to continually dump a new set of creatures every 3-4 years. The process of creating Pokemon and then over saturating them the first few years of a new era gets boring. Especially if they are not popular. Sometimes I find it to lack inspiration and originality. It’s ok to go back to a previous era and give the spotlight on others you didn’t give an opportunity to and enhance it whereas they may not have gotten the opportunity since you created yet another generation. They have plenty to work with.
Too much of a good thing in my opinion doesn’t make sense with sets when you think of the vast amount of options you have as artists to expand your imagination. The possibilities are endless.
This is interesting because if we use Battle Partners as an example, only 2 of the 18 special art cards are of gen 9 Pokémon. 10 of them are of Pokémon both popular and unpopular that never received a special art before, and yet there is still dissatisfaction. Are expectations for modern too specific? Are Pokémon from gen 5, 6, 7, 8 also not considered older gen? Or has the collecting base for Pokémon grown so big that a set cannot simply please everyone?
I think this is the answer. The Pokemon collecting sphere is made up of many cohorts of people. Each generation has a cohort of consumers who has nostalgia or fondness for it because they grew up with the games, or collected the TCG, or watched the anime during that period of time. Different cohorts of collectors will prefer different Pokemon, which makes pleasing everyone impossible.
Some Pokemon that have been handpicked by TPC (e.g., Pikachu, Eevee, etc.) have crossed generations and will be appreciated by many cohorts of consumers. Its these cross-cutting Pokemon that are often the best for main chase cards, because they evoke wide appeal.
the real question is, what makes a card a “chase” card? In obsidian Flames, Charizard ex and Revavroom ex both have a SIR rarity. Both are gorgeous art. That doesn’t mean anyone is hunting revavroom ex. I’d be happier getting the ninetails Illustration Rare than the Artazon Hyper Rare card, and the difference in rarity is massive. Yet Nintetails is going to always exceed artazon in price.
I get what you mean though. We all know what pokemon company tries to do, they want to bait people into buying cards in any way possible. “giving unfamiliar or newer pokemon a chance” has really nothing to do with it. If people want it, they want it, if they don’t they don’t. It depends. There are lots of cogs moving things. Sometimes my interests align with the masses, sometimes they don’t. I guess they could try to force something on us. But that might not really work.
@fourthstartcg I think made a great observation
And I think the best example of pokemon company overdoing something that was seen as interesting is probably rainbow rares. They definately overdid it. And now, they are gone. Hubris I say. We shall see how many times they will do this with the masterball/pokeball reverse holo gimmick and if it will remain or be rejected.
No.
In fact, I think there should be at least two sets in a row without any top-25 popular Pokémon as chase cards imho. (If TPC(i) is afraid they might loose money on that kind of set, they’re delusional and don’t know how their own product works in the market. Also, they can just print the popular previous sets a few more times and let the wars at Costco continue for those. 
)
Greetz,
Quuador
I would love to see something similar as well, like a set where every AR, SIR and UR is only of the statistically least popular Pokémons. But like you said I think TPC won’t ever do that because it wouldn’t make them as much money as another set with Pikachu, Charizard, the Eeveelutions in it etc.
Voted no, simply 'cos some of my childhood favourites like Steelix and Ninetales have had great ARs in Sv4m and Sv3, but I’d also love for them to get the SAR textured card treatment. Not to mention Arcanine, Scizor, Dragonite, and Gyarados like mrtz said. Imagine what the likes of Egawa, Kanda and Kusube could do with them.
I’m still surprised we haven’t had gyarados yet
