Security Concerns Over Pokémon TCG Prismatic Evolutions Prove Valid As Fights Break Out In Stores Over New Set
Pokémon Trading Card Game has released the Prismatic Evolutions set today, but the launch isn't going well as low supply from scalpers have lead to at least one physical fight breaking out in store. Prismatic Evolutions is the latest expansion of the popular 30-year-old card game, and its focus on gorgeous, vibrant art and Pokémon from both Gen 1 and the latest generation have made it popular among both collectors and TCG players. Unfortunately, the hype over the set has led to some behavior that many fans call out as simply bring "gross."
A video of adults physically fighting over scarce boxes of the Prismatic Evolutions set was uploaded by Reddit user TheINTL to the Thatsinsane subreddit. The chaotic scene joined many other uploads across Reddit and other social media showing people lining up outside stores, with some fans like Michelle689 arriving at GameStop a full five hours before the store's opening time for a chance to get a hold of the highly desirable cards.
Scalpers And Scarcity Drive Pokémon TCG Prismatic Evolutions Prices To Skyrocket
Some Stores Refuse To Stock The Set Due To Safety Concerns
The scarcity of the sets is in part caused by a large influx of scalpers buying the card boxes in bulk and reselling them at a huge markup. One video shared to Reddit by Thick_Acanthisitta60 with the title "This is disgusting," shows one of these scalpers hoarding literal walls of the new set's Elite Trainer boxes, which they planned to resell for $160 each (the boxes are retailing for 59.99). At the time of this writing, boxes are available to buy on eBay and similar resale sites for around anywhere between $250 and $400.
Anticipation of this level of demand from fans has caused many retail stores to set strict limits on the number of boxes that can be purchased at once, and even led to several smaller stores outright refusing to stock the cards out of concerns for their safety. The scenes from Costco show that they may have been right to do so.
Our Take: Fans Should Wait For The Pokémon TCG Prismatic Evolutions Restock
The Pokémon Company Has Promised To Print More Cards
The Pokémon Company has tried to maintain a good outward appearance, even uploading a video to the official YouTube channel announcing that the set is "available now." Comments are largely negative, many of which are a variation on claiming it should say "sold out now," instead. YouTube user jacobdalambo writes sadly, "Remember when collecting cards was just fun?", echoing the sentiment of many others in the comments section who simply want to enjoy the game or the art without having to fight for it or pay exorbitant prices for it.
For its part, the Pokémon Company has issued a statement regarding the Prismatic Evolutions set, acknowledging that they were aware of the issues and promising to print more cards for restock in the coming months, aiming to do so quickly and at "maximum capacity." Although many fans are turning to the company to do something, fans will also have to do their part to make the experience less stressful for everyone. Many community members urge each other to be patient and wait for an official restock, to punish scalpers by not buying from them, and to remember that at the end of the day, the Pokémon Trading Card Gameis just that — a game.
Source: TheINTL/Reddit, Michelle689/Reddit, Thick_Acanthisitta60/Reddit, Pokémon/YouTube, jacobdalambo/YouTube
