This year has been huge for the Pokemon TCG and people have been buying up every Pokemon pack and box they can get their hands on. This is something I’ve also taken a part in this year, buying packs and elite trainer boxes from every Sword and Shield set that gets released. This time around, the plan was to buy a booster box and an elite trainer box so I could open 36 packs and still have a sealed collectable to have on my shelf. I opened the 36 packs that come in the booster box and got some decent, exciting pulls such as Celebi VMAX, Galarian Articuno V, and Galarian Moltres V.
All amazing looking cards but nothing too crazy from 36 packs. After opening the booster box, I was happy with what I drew but still not fully satisfied. Booster boxes aren’t a small investment by any means, usually costing ~$120 on release, so I usually look for any secret rare cards I can get. This and the fact that I just needed a Galarian Zapdos V to complete my legendary bird collection made me want to open more. Who doesn’t want to open more Pokemon packs? Already having bought the elite trainer box, I decided to open that as well and I’m glad I did!
After just a few packs into the box, I ended up pulling the Secret Rare Blaziken VMAX with alternate art. When a new set comes out I try not to look at all of the secret rares until I’ve already opened packs so at the time, I didn’t even know this card existed. Not only does this card look amazing, I immediately knew this wasn’t like any other secret rare pull because this was the first Blaziken card I’ve ever owned. I immediately put it in a sleeve and looked up more information about the card. With a market value of ~$150, this is the most valuable and arguably the rarest card in the Chilling Reign set.
If you have sealed Pokemon packs and elite trainer boxes lying around, there’s always a chance that the rarest cards you can find are hiding in there. Having multiple sealed Pokemon products myself, I find myself always wanting to know what’s in them. Sometimes you have to fight that urge and remind yourself the odds of that happening are slim, but I’ve proven to myself that it’s definitely possible.