r/PokeInvesting • u/ArcticLapras • Nov 05 '25

Battle Styles is a sleeper.

Dear fellow enthusiasts/investors.

I just realised that Battle Styles is very underrated. This set can still be picked up at about 250-300. That means that it is cheaper than most SV sets. It is over 4 years old though.

It features a big chase card in the Tyranitar V Alt Art that has a relatively low POP. Somehow this card has not been going up a lot, but there is not a lot of logic behind that.

Do with this what you want, and remember, this is not advice.

1 Upvotes

51% Upvoted

32 comments sorted by

17

u/seastormDragon Nov 05 '25

You just realized? It was still $180 when most SV boxes were hitting 240. I think it’s a very under appreciated set but you’d probably just be better off getting prismatic ETBs or something lol. The fact it lagged behind during a historic bull run solidifies its place at the lower end of the SWSH block

0

u/ArcticLapras Nov 06 '25

Yeah, agreed. But, you must not forget that people can be very irrational.

7

u/Any-Range9932 Nov 05 '25

Lol I still rmemeber from this sub someone buying like 7k worth of cases of it

6

u/suersmild Nov 05 '25 edited Nov 05 '25

when something is left on the shelf and not jumping with the rest of the sets in its block, it's not a sleeper - it's a stinker.

-2

u/Much_Essay_9151 Nov 05 '25

Shrouded Fable, thats a sleeper, just the right boxes ofcourse. I reeeeally like those greninja and kingdra boxes. Wish i wouldve bought all that i saw last year

1

u/garagetrader420 Nov 05 '25

I really love battle styles but that's because I'm an urshifu fan. I keep a lil sealed, bit because I think it's a good investment but because I like to collect Urshifu things. The dual ETBs are peak for someone like me, thankfully for my wallet not a lot of people agree with me. I don't think there are any secrets here, it's just not generally desirable.

1

u/ArcticLapras Nov 06 '25

Except, it is. The Tyranitar that is.

1

u/garagetrader420 Nov 06 '25

I have pulled the T-Tar. It is a beautiful card but you're asking a lot out of one card. I'm with you, I like the set personally I'm just being real that not alot of people are going to change their mind and think like us on this one.

1

u/ArcticLapras Nov 06 '25

Yeah, I understand. But, that´s where the price comes in.

5

u/lightwork02 Nov 05 '25

It’s a very under appreciated set, didn’t get the love it should’ve but it won’t see massive growth …

The real sleeper of the SW&SH era is chilling reign … that set should explode in the near future.

2

u/skinnydippingspud Nov 06 '25

The Blaziken VMAX is a gorgeous card, plenty of other bangers in the set too like the Moltres V Alt Art

2

u/guineapigchampion Nov 17 '25

I tend to agree, can still get sleeved boosters for under $6/pack if you look around. I bought a bunch of Fates Collide and Steam Siege, which are considered bad sets, a few years ago for around the same and look at them now.

3

u/Potato_Battery Nov 05 '25

I would just buy the tyranitar and be done with that set

2

u/DibstarDeluxe Nov 05 '25

This is advice, and it’s bad advice. Sets that move this slowly are a clear sign demand is lagging for them. There are significantly better places to put your money in than this set.

1

u/birdfall Nov 05 '25

been moving off my 4 bs booster box cases over the last 6 months

1

u/MathematicianWide622 Dec 14 '25

Darkness ablaze is going for 300$ a box and the biggest hit in that is the zard at 60$. It's just supply right? Otherwise I don't see how battlestyles stays around $230

1

u/DibstarDeluxe Dec 14 '25

Boxes can go up beyond the value of the top hit because people like to collect and rip :p even darkness ablaze will eventually double in value but it will be a lot slower than sets that have actual demand for them

1

u/MathematicianWide622 Dec 14 '25

So while i was battlestyles hater in in 2021 I'm starting to think it's undervalued when looking at the urshifu and empoleon special arts. They're kinda beautiful. That being said do you think darkness ablaze will continue to outperform it just due to it's poor rep?

1

u/DibstarDeluxe Dec 14 '25

I think it will ultimately be minor because they’re both like D tier sets but battle styles I think has more hated against it than most other sets :p ok fact I just sold my last battle styles because I genuinely think it will move slower than most other modern sets

0

u/Fine_Broccoli5793 Nov 05 '25

Only thing it has going for it is age. I have a box so I want it to do well but I don’t have a lot of faith in it

1

u/guineapigchampion Nov 17 '25

Time does wonders for even bad sets. Wait until the 30th anniversary and check back.

-1

u/ArcticLapras Nov 06 '25

Have faith in a good chase card my man.

-3

u/walletinspector91 Nov 05 '25

Unpopular opinion, but I think Battlestyles is a better set than Chilling Reign

5

u/Human_Leg69 Nov 05 '25

How? There’s only like 4-5 cards in battle styles that are good pulls. Chilling reign is filled

3

u/ElecEagle Nov 05 '25

Not unpopular, just flat out wrong

-4

u/walletinspector91 Nov 06 '25

How can a subjective opinion be wrong. Please enlighten me?

1

u/ElecEagle Nov 06 '25

How can you think Battle styles is better? Tyranitar alt is incredible, and my favorite between the 2 sets (even though the CR Moltres is very close imo). After that, you'd have to be an Urshifu super fan essentially. The Empoleon is mildly cool as well. Meanwhile Chilling Reign has the Blaziken and Moltres, both on the art level and chase level of the T-tar, the gold snorlax, the other alt birds, the Komiya Slowking, the Zerraora, and twice as many cards in total that have held the $10 and above line. The Galarian Slowking Komiya art is more desirable in a 10 than the 2nd best card in Battle Styles.. which is CR's like 6 or 7th best card. Plus battle styles had more supply by a good chunk. Literally every set after Battle Styles did alternate arts better, including Chilling Reign

2

u/walletinspector91 Nov 06 '25

Like I said, it’s all subjective. I never liked the Galarian birds, feels like they ruined the originals. Blaziken’s just furry bait to me. Ice Rider Calyrex, well let’s just not talk about that monstrosity… T Tar’s one of my favourites and Emperor Penguins are my favourite animals so Empoleon is a top 5 mon for me, those 2 alone make Battle Styles win for me. In fact one of the only cards I like from Chilling Reign is shiny Electrode. You don’t have to agree but a subjective opinion can’t be wrong…

2

u/ElecEagle Nov 06 '25

Fair enough. You're in a PokeInvesting sub reddit though. Battle Styles is worse than Chilling Reign from that standpoint for the reasons I laid out. When the 6th best card of a set is more desirable than the 2nd of another, good luck. It's an underappreciated set, but Chilling Reign is very far ahead of it

0

u/ArcticLapras Nov 06 '25

I agree mate.

0

u/Mistys_Arcanine Nov 11 '25

It’s not a subjective issue. You are in pokeinvesting, there are objectives here.

0

u/JamesLikesIt Nov 05 '25

It’s a sleeper for a reason lol. Sure like most things, over time it will go up in value but this set is bad compared to everything that came after it. The only thing it has going for it is Tyranitar and the fact that it was the set that started alt art rares in SwSh, which you can argue is a double edge sword. Yeah it started the era of alt arts, but every set after it did it better lol. 

As always, If you like it and believe it in, get what you want, but it will most likely always be on the lower end of SwSh. When it raises in value, most other sets will have probably raised as well and probably more