"While the Pokémon TCG has been in dire straits when it comes to availability for well over a year now, this has primarily been a result of a massively inflated resale market driving scalpers to scoop up all new releases and making it close to impossible for regular customers to buy online or in stores. But with the first new set of 2026, Ascended Heroes, the problem seems to be The Pokémon Company itself."
"Pokémon card sets come in two types: there are the "main series expansions" that release with 36-pack booster boxes (usually bought by retail and sold individually) alongside Elite Trainer Boxes and various other bundles, with the majority of the product made available on day one. Then there are so-called "special expansions" that have no booster boxes or individually sold packs, but rather just the ETB and a broader range of other types of bundles."
"The set is super-attractive to collectors because it will see the return of both Trainer Pokémon, but more importantly, the Mega Pokémon cards emblazoned with the Japanese for their special attacks-something not seen since 2015's XY Primal Clash. For reasons undeclared, this will not launch as expected, with the usual ETBs (that tend to contain nine to 11 packs, along with a special card, a set of dice, counters and dividers) already not showing up for three weeks, set to appear on February 20t"
Pokémon TCG availability has been constrained for over a year, driven largely by an inflated resale market and scalpers buying new releases, preventing regular customers from purchasing online or in stores. Pokémon card sets are released as main series expansions with 36-pack booster boxes and broad day-one availability, or as special expansions that skip booster boxes and rely on Elite Trainer Boxes and staggered bundle drops. Ascended Heroes is a special expansion notable for returning Trainer Pokémon and Mega Pokémon with Japanese attack text. Scheduled ETBs failed to appear on release and were delayed into later February, worsening scarcity.
Read at Kotaku
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