I once decided to start an Umbreon collection, but then hit a solid brick wall realising I might never be able to afford some of the most desirable Umbreon cards
So this leads me to one question, not just for me but for the community, which Pokémon are the most achievable and affordable to collect as individuals, hopefully some of the listed Pokémon are on your wish list.
Of course everyone’s idea of a complete collection is different, but if you were to just collect the Eng/Jpn variants, I imagine Weedle might be up there on that list but then again it may feature on a super expensive promo I’ve not yet seen,
And also if you do collect an Individual Pokémon who and why?
Piplup is a great Pokemon to colllect. Most of the cards are quite affordable with only one being over 50 bucks. There are a few cool variants/ Promos and some intresting japanese exclusive cards like the one from the random movie pack.
Salamence and Sudowoodo have both a few higher priced cards which could act as chase without being stupidly expensive.
I currently collecting all Altaria cards which is great as almost all cards are cheap with the exception of two. On top of that a lot of the cards are the shiny version which is definitely a plus for me.
I don’t think using achievability or affordability as collection criteria is best way to go about it. As others have pointed out, there are certain Pokemon with two cards printed ever or some that get a fifty plus every year. Like you found with Umbreon, certain Pokemon have cards that can cost into the 4,5, or 6 figures.
Regardless of all that, I think the aspect that will bring the most joy is to collect the Pokemon that you like because you like them. Obstacles like what you listed above are most often gated only by time and can be incredibly satisfying to overcome.
I collect Flareon because I like it, idc about anything else.
I am collecting 9 species (Eeveelutions). I know I will never own the Umbreon PLAY card, but that doesn’t keep me from getting to 99% conplete.
If Umbreon is your favorite, get the master list and collect the ones you like the most, and the cheaper ones. Then go from there
The hope here is that by listing some of the more affordable Pokémon, one or two might be on someone’s wish list, not necessarily just mine, we can also ask the question here to “This is my favourite Pokémon what are the chase cards”
But your right in the end it does come down to time and it’s much more rewarding to finally get that chase card
I started collecting Pikachu, Wobbuffet, and Snorlax from all over the world and also came to the same conclusion. But hey: I will probably never own all the Trophy Pikachu, and this is smpratte territory anyway so why bother? Collect what you like and hunt for that Chinese or Indonesian Umbreon promo that is flying under the radar.
I have a complete Girafarig collection for English/Japanese (aside from the Tropical Mega Battle Will’s Girafarig in English $$$), simply because I really love Girafarig. As @lamplamp so wisely stated, people are species collectors simply because they really like a certain species.
As for why I collect Girafarig, there are a few reasons. One is precisely that it has a great mix of easy to obtain, all the way up to near impossible to obtain cards. So the chase is always there. There is a very rare alt art variant of the Mysterious Treasures Girafarig, done by the same artist, Midori Harada. This variant can ONLY be found in the Bastiodon the Defender half deck, exclusive to Japan. I LOVE chase cards like this and it was so fun tracking these cards down, even though it took forever. The unlimited alt art was especially hard to get a hold of. I still search ebay and Mercari all the time for the alt art. Let’s not even discuss the TMB English VS Girafarig, which can easily run into the 5-figure mark. I love talking about this stuff!! Here are some pics:
[Mysterious Treasures variant]
[Bastiodon the Defender variant]
[TMB English Will’s Girafarig]
In addition, Girafarig is just an incredible design. It’s a great mix of cute and sinister, it’s typing is unique and interesting at Normal/Psychic, and it’s a nostalgic Gen 2 mon. Overall and again, as lamp said, I do this ish cause I like it haha.
It really depends on the Pokemon, there are some really limited cards for very popular mons that make the feasibility of completing a set near impossible. As mentioned above there are also Pokemon with essentially a single card which would be super easy.
You really need to just figure out what you want to do. My Greninja collection will never be complete due to the Lottery Ash-Greninja promo that I will never get my hands on. Only 100 were given out. But I also have an English only, binder collection for Incineroar that I also enjoy.
That’s awesome @kromaticlanturn, It’s so much more personal collecting this way, reading your post brings that to light, thanks for sharing and good luck finding those elusive Girafarig.
And of course their is always the chance of cards like this being printed in the future, unobtainable cards for what might seem now an obtainable Pokémon, your right it’s about nailing down that Pokémon I think mine is actually Gyarados
Seeing a wild Houndour in the Pokemon Crystal Edition at night somehow burned into my memories as a child. It became one of my favourite pokemon and so I’am collecting him and his evolution.
Not having super expensive/exclusive cards is a plus - even if there were any, I personally wouldn’t mind and enjoy the collection I’d have so far. Pricey cards may also serve as long term motivation
I agree with @lamplamp’s conclusion that time is often the biggest barrier to purchasing specific cards. However, I find that a psychological barrier is even stronger for me.
I am largely a species collector, and I will refuse to purchase specific cards because of the price. Sometimes I do not agree with the market value and other times I cannot rationalize tying up specific amounts of capital in a single collectible. Perhaps I am too risk-averse .
