If you’re reading this, you’ve probably also told yourself this would be the month you don’t buy more Pokémon cards. Same here. Yet, here we are, eyeing another lineup of Elite Trainer Boxes and tins, feeling that familiar mix of excitement and buyer's remorse.
Pokémon TCG: Azure Legends Tin - 5 Packs
0$29.99 at Amazon
Pokémon TCG: Stacking Tin (Q1 2025) - 3 Packs, Stickers (Random Design)
0$19.99 at Amazon
Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet: Paradox Rift: Elite Trainer Box - Roaring Moon
0$56.77 at Amazon
Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet: Temporal Forces: Elite Trainer Box: Walking Wake
0$53.64 at Amazon
Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet: Temporal Forces: Elite Trainer Box: Iron Leaves
0$55.24 at Amazon
Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet Shrouded Fable Elite Trainer Box
0$57.98 at Amazon
The Scarlet & Violet sets keep dropping bangers, both visually and competitively, and unfortunately for our wallets, some of these boxes are actually worth ripping open.
Pokémon TCG: Azure Legends Tin - 5 Packs
Pokémon TCG: Azure Legends Tin - 5 Packs
0Contains 2 x Surging Spark Boosters
$29.99 at Amazon
This tin is surprisingly solid. You get five booster packs from a great mix of sets — Surging Sparks, Stellar Crown, Temporal Forces, and Obsidian Flames — plus one promo featuring either Kyogre, Dialga, or Xerneas. It’s essentially Pokémon’s version of a loot box, and yes, I bought two. With chase cards across the included sets like Pikachu ex, Terapagos, and Raging Bolt, the odds of hitting something fun are actually pretty good. I’m not usually a fan of tins, but I’d still grab another one.
Pikachu ex - 238/191
0$399.99 at TCG Player
Milotic ex - 237/191
0$140.00 at TCG Player
Pikachu ex - 247/191
0$95.97 at TCG Player
Hydreigon ex - 240/191
0$79.99 at TCG Player
Alolan Exeggutor ex - 242/191
0$55.99 at TCG Player
Pokémon TCG: Stacking Tin (Q1 2025) - 3 Packs, Stickers (Random Design)
Pokémon TCG: Stacking Tin (Q1 2025) - 3 Packs, Stickers (Random Design)
0Contains 1 x Surging Sparks Booster
$19.99 at Amazon
I didn’t expect much from this tin, but I bought it for the sticker sheets and the promise of a Surging Sparks pack. And it delivered. Three packs, one of which might yield something like Pikachu ex or Latias ex, plus a tin that now holds nothing. I can’t even be mad. There’s a small chance you’ll pull a Milotic ex or Ceruledge ex if you’re lucky with the packs, and if you don’t? Well, you paid twenty bucks to roll the dice and got some useful storage in return. That’s more than I can say for half the cereal I’ve bought this year.
Alolan Exeggutor ex - 242/191
0$55.99 at TCG Player
Lisia's Appeal - 246/191
0$54.99 at TCG Player
Jasmine's Gaze - 245/191
0$54.94 at TCG Player
Latios - 203/191
0$36.79 at TCG Player
Archaludon ex - 241/191
0$34.99 at TCG Player
Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet: Paradox Rift: Elite Trainer Box - Roaring Moon
Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet: Paradox Rift: Elite Trainer Box - Roaring Moon
0$56.77 at Amazon
I got this box for the sleeves and stayed because Roaring Moon ex is what happens when a Pokémon decides it’s done playing fair. If your goal is to end games in one violent swing and look great doing it, this is your go-to. Paradox Rift might not have as many chase cards, but the ones it does have—like Iron Valiant ex and Groudon—feel like they were drawn by someone who knows we’ll all be staring at these like cave paintings in 30 years.
Groudon - 199/182
0See it at TCG Player
Altaria ex - 253/182
0$65.99 at TCG Player
Roaring Moon ex - 251/182
0$59.99 at TCG Player
Garchomp ex - 245/182
0$39.49 at TCG Player
Steelix - 208/182
0$34.99 at TCG Player
Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet: Temporal Forces: Elite Trainer Box: Walking Wake
Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet: Temporal Forces: Elite Trainer Box: Walking Wake
0$53.64 at Amazon
The Walking Wake Elite Trainer Box comes with a full-art Flutter Mane and nine more Temporal Forces packs to try your luck again on the best art of the Scarlet & Violet era. This version leans into the ancient side of things, and I picked it up to increase my odds of pulling Walking Wake ex. Is it playable? Debatable. But it looks like it wandered out of a dream I had after eating too much sushi. With vibrant blues and prehistoric drama, the vibe alone was worth the price. Also, the sleeves are clean, and I pretend I care about those.
Raging Bolt ex - 208/162
0$112.94 at TCG Player
Iron Crown ex - 206/162
0$65.11 at TCG Player
Walking Wake ex - 205/162
0$149.95 at TCG Player
Gouging Fire ex - 204/162
0$56.88 at TCG Player
Gastly - 177/162
0$50.36 at TCG Player
Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet: Temporal Forces: Elite Trainer Box: Iron Leaves
Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet: Temporal Forces: Elite Trainer Box: Iron Leaves
0$55.24 at Amazon
Iron Leaves ex pulls off the rare combo of being both playable and beautifully drawn. It looks like it’s mid-leap out of a sci-fi anime, which is exactly the kind of energy I want from my pulls. The other heavy hitters — like Iron Crown ex and Gouging Fire ex — either hit like a truck or look like they’re about to. Raging Bolt ex steals the show, though. It’s loud, dramatic, and perfectly balanced between “meta staple” and “thunder god cosplayer.”
Morty's Conviction - 211/162
0$69.99 at TCG Player
Iron Leaves ex - 203/162
0$38.01 at TCG Player
Bianca's Devotion - 209/162
0$35.87 at TCG Player
Sawsbuck - 166/162
0$32.07 at TCG Player
Metagross - 178/162
0$29.95 at TCG Player
Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet Shrouded Fable Elite Trainer Box
Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet Shrouded Fable Elite Trainer Box
0$57.98 at Amazon
Shrouded Fable can quietly slip in cards like Houndoom (the kind of illustration that makes you lower your voice in reverence) and Persian, which looks like it’s plotting something appropriately cinematic. The promos and sleeves are nice, but I really wanted this box for the Illustration Rares that don’t just look cool — they tell a story. Fezandipiti ex, for example, is the Swiss Army knife of support attackers, and Cassiopeia is straight-up character drama in a foil rectangle. The art direction in this set is borderline pretentious, and I mean that as a compliment.
Persian - 078/064 - SV: Shrouded Fable
1$67.61 at TCGPlayer
Cassiopeia - 094/064 - SV: Shrouded Fable
0$59.98 at TCGPlayer
Fezandipiti ex - 092/064 - SV: Shrouded Fable
0See it at TCGPlayer
Houndoom - 066/064 - SV: Shrouded Fable
2$49.99 at TCGPlayer
Duskull - 068/064 - SV: Shrouded Fable
0$49.88 at TCGPlayer
