Pokemon Set Rotation

By: Brian Hsieh

During the span a card is legally able to be played in the TCG game, its price goes up depending on how good the card is. Many have featured a heavy rise in price from Uxie Lv X to Luxray GL Lv X. In this new format, Yanmega Primes have topped the price lists of most card gaming web stores. What has become of the deck cards that once created such a spark in prices?

Luxray GL Lv X has gone down a third of its price. The rotation out hurt its price due to the fact that it isn’t a more favorable card than the likes of Charizard and it won’t be sought out by players anymore due to the fact that it can’t be played anymore. Uxie takes the same hit, dropping its price dramatically as everyone just wanted to get rid of their “useless” cards. Leafeon Lv X is still going strong, only dropping in price slightly due to its Eeveelution line popularity.

How do some cards like Wailord ex, Lugia ex, and Charizard ex gain popularity and price raises? Well, once a set is rotated out, there’s no reason to print that set anymore. That’s where collectors come in. It’s easier to collect a set that was just rotated out, as many players just get rid of them. This causes stores to be fully stocked with that card, allowing the price to drop and collectors will end up flocking to purchase those cards. Once the stock dries up, the card’s price begins to rise a bit more. Lugia and Charizard have faced this situation before, but since they are very popular among the Pokemon fanbase, everyone wants one. Ultra Rare Charizards have always been expensive, with none dropping below double digits.

Collectors end up prizing the ultra rare cards for their rarity and also because they are out of print. Maybe Luxray GL Lv X will grow in price as the years go by, or, like some Pokemon that are unpopular, fall into the extremely cheap range. I’ve also noticed that mint ultra rare deck cards will be harder to find once rotated out, as players tend to care little of their cards value after rotation. They rarely treat the card with care that a collector would; only using the card to strengthen their deck and tossing it aside for future builds. This is quite frustrating if you’re both a collector and a player.

I have mentioned Luxray GL Lv X quite a few times due to the fact that it was featured in Rising Rivals. As a player and collector, I kept sets from Platinum on as I believed that was where they would stop the rotation. Little did I know, the whole Platinum set all the way to Arceus was rotated out. This left many players, who were holding on to Luxray for something good in the future, without any real trade bait. I was one of those players, holding on to countless Broken Time Space cards while waiting for a good chance to sell them off when they were pricey. I’ve missed my opportunity and am now left with over ten cards that aren’t worth anything until reprinted in the future. Uxie was a different story though, as it was so close to the end of its rotation that players saw it coming, trading big for cards in return. I’ve realized this pattern, and since I don’t run a Yanmega deck, might as well trade or sell my Yanmega Prime while it’s still a hot card. Once it gets rotated out, I’ll be able to pick it up for a much cheaper price. I suggest the same for any other collector willing to part with their Yanmega at the moment.

 

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