Pokemon TCG players growing frustrated with skyrocketing prices

Olivia Richman Published 21/01/2021

Despite a lack of regionals and locals, the prices of many Pokemon cards on the market have become astronomical. And players aren’t happy about it.

Throughout 2020 and at the start of 2021, Pokemon TCG players, collectors, and sellers have noticed that a certain type of Pokemon card has become such a hot commodity that it’s almost broken the TCG market: full art support cards. These are the rarest and most detailed versions of support cards, aside from rainbow rare variations.

While these cards have always been pricey compared to their common counterparts, some of the prices they’ve reached have been unheard of. Some of the cards aren’t even playable in the current format and yet are finding themselves as among the priciest cards on the marketplace.

Pokemon TCG players are blaming the YouTube community for the shocking prices.

“I could be wrong, but I really think the surge in popularity with collecting stemmed from YouTube influencers opening retro boxes. I think any other explanation overcomplicates it,” Pokemon TCG head judge Will Post said.

Logan Paul and other YouTube personalities spent part of 2020 opening Pokemon cards and spreading false card values to an audience that often had no prior knowledge of the Pokemon TCG scene. The large price tags content creators are shouting are often seen as “clickbait,” since the market prices were often much lower than the video claims if collectors just head over to sites like TrollAndToad.

But a lot of newcomers are unaware of these price inflations and truly believe them. This has led many scheming sellers to raise their prices on these websites, preying on new collectors who don’t know any better. These new Pokemon fans are willing to pay high prices because they believe it’s the actual value based on the YouTubers they watch.

This has led to the Pokemon TCG marketplace becoming a disaster, especially when it comes to full art supports. Most of the full art support cards that have seen price increases are female characters. The Pokemon TCG community often jokes that collectors are paying a “waifu tax” on these cards, since they are often valued much higher due to the art and card subject rather than its playability.

But these full arts have now reached an all-time high.

Pokemon TCG marketplace busted due to full art support mayhem

Let’s take a closer look at some of the full art cards that have seen insane skyrocketing prices for no good reason.

Misty’s Favor

The first is Misty’s Favor. This card allows players to search their deck for three support cards, reveal them, and place them in their hand. It had only seen real play in the Slowpoke & Psyduck Tag Team deck a few metas ago.

Despite being almost completely useless in competitive play, Misty’s Favor went from $40 to a whopping $130 on various Pokemon TCG websites. With a winking face and hearts, the reason for this drastic jump is most likely nothing to do with wanting to revive one of these subpar decks.

Misty's Favor Pokemon TCG

Lillie

Another shocking card is Lillie. There are two full art variations for Lillie. One of them features the Sun and Moon character in a white school girl outfit, including a short pleated skirt. This full art card used to be a staple in most decks, allowing players to draw cards until they have six in their hand. On their first turn, they could draw up to eight. But even in its prime, this card was priced no higher than $80. Now, Lillie is listed on most websites for $240.

Lillie Pokemon TCG

Rosa

Rosa is actually a pretty good card that has seen a bit of competitive play here and there. It allows players to search their deck for a Pokemon, trainer card, and basic energy card if their opponent knocked out a Pokemon last turn.

While a good card, the current pricing is still undeserved. The card has jumped from $70 up to $170. That’s a $100 difference, and it’s difficult to support the purchase now.

Rosa Pokemon TCG

Red’s Challenge

Here’s something a bit different readers might have not expected to see, as it’s actually a male character. Red’s Challenge features the protagonist of the first generation holding out a PokeBall. The card allows players to search their deck for a card and put it into their hand if they discard two other cards from their hand. The card was $15 previously. Now it has jumped up to $90.

Red's Challenge Pokemon TCG

These cards are just the beginning of the Pokemon TCG marketplace insanity. Cynthia was $40 and is now up to $90. Mallow was $7 and is now $40. Mallow & Lana was $25 and is now up to $90. Brigette is $30 despite being only $8 before. Channeler, once $3, is now $30. Brock’s Grit has jumped from $7 to $30.

Full art supports are definitely seeing a shocking price jump despite some of the cards being unplayable in most viable decks. For now, hold off on buying full art support cards until the prices drop again. These prices don’t reflect the card’s actual value and they may fall in the near future.

But if you have some of these lying around, it might be a good time to sell. There aren’t any in-person tournaments in most states at the moment and some of these cards could bring in hundreds of dollars meanwhile.

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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