I have recently started taking an interest in collecting Pokemon again. I haven’t collected since I was a kid. I would like to start purchasing packs for my nephews and I to open together. What I loved most about collecting was the feeling of pulling a rare card! I am looking for suggestions on some newer packs to start buying. I know vintage can get expensive so I want to hold off on that for now. If anyone could recommend some good newer sets or some target cards to seek. Also maybe even a good guide that could have the type of information I am looking for. Thank you to all who take time to read and respond! I look forward to any replies!
Head to your nearest Target or Walmart and grab whatever packs they have. Your nephews will have fun and you can gauge what you like best by the pulls:) good luck.
Hey Austin, as with most that are re-entering the hobby. XY Evolutions at the time was great set to bring it back. Some of the newer sets i’ve enjoyed are: Ultra Shiny GX (Japanese Version)/Hidden Fates (English Version) and Shining Legends (though they do not sell booster boxes of this set).
I also say Hidden Fates. Also off topic but you should consider buying singles tcgplayer has great prices and you won’t have tons of bulk and doubles or eBay or list what you want here. You could even get old cards like this. 1st edition holo’s etc
Tbh if you start from 0 you can buy whatever is cheapest since everything is new to you.
The pulls are pretty even across newer sets besides some special sets like shining legends or hidden fates where pulls are better but packs are more expensive.
There are lots of sources where you can see which cards you can pull like pokellector. I usually just buy boxes of sets that contain cards I like. Just for the thrill of opening packs now and then.
Here’s a few sets that I have opened and had fun with. I agree with Gary’s suggestion to open some stuff and see if you like it or not.
English Sets
Shining Legends - The shining cards looks really good. Not super hard to pull but decent challenge. I found this set to be an overall satisfying one to open.
Burning Shadows - Hyper rare Charizard. Hard to pull so offers a fun chase. Downside is cost is 100 or so per box. The set as a whole is just ok imo.
Hidden Fates - Decent challenge with lots of fun shiny pulls. Set is massive, good and bad. Potential for big $$$$$$ black label Charizard. kidding…and sort of not!? Idk
Japanese Sets
If collecting Japanese sets doesn’t tun you off the big pro here is they are really affordable! I bought these boxes for $30 - $40. May still be able to buy at that price from Japanese businesses like Enndall Games. I would recommend trying to find them from Japanese sellers. Downside is takes a little work tracking down for good price. They all have really nice Arita Tag Team Art. Good option if on a tight budget. The ones I enjoy are.
Sky Legend - Stained glass card rarer than the English that was used as a promo.
Double Blaze -
Remix Bout -
The links will show you every main english set ever printed and what it’s Japanese counterpart is. You can click a set and it will show you every card you can possibly pull.
Some sets you can still buy pretty much anywhere pretty cheaply I would recommend are Shining legends, Hidden Fates, Evolutions, Cosmic eclipse, and possibly detective pikachu. I would also recommend Tag All stars Japanese set.
Select a set from the drop-down menu and sort on Market Price. The higher the price, the higher the desirability of the card (either for collecting or playing purposes).
Not all modern sets are created equal, but I personally find enjoyable cards (both rare and common) in every single set.
Personally i would suggest going with sword and shield base set its the newest set and you could start with that and continue it as new sets come out. Its how all the vintage collectors started with WOTC back in the day. Zacian could be your nephews equivalent to charizard in terms of being the center piece of your collection. The Best thing about pokemon is thats theres a card/set for everybody! Hope you find something that you enjoy!
Hello @pokenostalgia , I would recommend Shining Legends, with the famous “Shiny” pokemons ! If you want nostalgie from Base set Era, I believe XY Evolutions is the best set to start with on your end. For your nephews, Hidden fates or whatever new is good
Sorry I am delayed on my reply but I just wanted to say thank you all who responded with suggestions. Everything was great ideas. I really love the XY Evolution set because I could share with them the cards I used to collect. Sadly I sold most of my collection from back in the day when I stopped collecting. I was young and didn’t realize the value of keeping it. I still have some I just need to find it in my storage. I really liked the suggestions for Hidden Fates and Shinning Legends. Although I am having difficulty finding Hidden Fates. Hopefully more inventory will come out if not I might have to pay a little extra for it online. We have 1-2 days a week that we go buy and open some cards. Although lately I just order stuff online obviously because we are all stuck inside. They are enjoying it quite a bit. They are brothers very close in age so it is a competition to see who can get the best pulls. One of them pulled a full art Cynthia & Caitlin. He brags about it all the time lol
Hidden Fates reprint is the beginning of May I believe if nothing gets delayed. Id suggest either clearing the Walmart isle of hidden fates or ordering a case online from a regular distributor. We paid $20 a piece for these so even with reprint max i think stores will charge is $25 but they will sell out quickly and people reselling on eBay will be charging more plus you figure they pay or charge shipping which isn’t a factor when at the store or usually free with a big purchase online
Thanks for the information and suggestions. Now we got Rebel Clash and Hidden Fates to look forward to. I am going to focus on buying Hidden Fates since everyone seems to buy it up quick
Ya definitely Rebel Clash will be around much longer without price increases. I also sent a pm about hidden fates bulk and promos if your interested no biggie.
