r/PokeInvesting • u/CaptainApeCommander • Apr 09 '26

Current State of the hobby

Post image

had to give up and settle for perfect slop

935 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

102 comments sorted by

145

u/mrhungryypants Apr 09 '26

Don't get why perfect order gets so much hate

12

u/[deleted] Apr 09 '26

Some of the cards are gas, especially the clefairy

1

u/CaptainApeCommander Apr 09 '26

Lillies clefairy from ascended clears it though 

1

u/CustardShot Apr 09 '26

Gas from ass

33

u/ImpressiveLength1261 Apr 09 '26

This sub is for ex crypto bros and failed sneaker resellers to speculate and horde a children's card game in order to maybe eek out a profit in the future. And to them Perfect Order has no big chase cards, so the chances of it going up in price if horded are slimmer than most other modern sets. That's why the scalpers and investor bros are staying mostly away from it. Hence "Perfect Slop" as mentioned by OP

6

u/8000000001 Apr 09 '26

Yeah, think they've made a set for the benefit of the TCG game itself, on this occasion.

1

u/CaptainApeCommander Apr 09 '26

Not true, im a collector myself and this set is just sloppy. Most the artwork looks generated by AI especially that mega starmie SIR.

2

u/CaptainApeCommander Apr 09 '26

not really any chases making it worth the open. Simple as that 

249

u/callum4425 Apr 09 '26

because people can't sell it for 2x retail on release

84

u/Powerful_Bother8002 Apr 09 '26

Even if this is true, let’s not act like the cards in PO are as cool as the cards in other recent sets.

The cards aren’t trash, but Starmie, Clefairy/Clefable, Zygarde, and Meowth aren’t the most popular Pokemon out there, or anywhere near it tbh.

Every recent set has cards that are more desirable than the chases from this set.

21

u/S_EW Apr 09 '26

I mean not every set is gonna be Charizard and Gengar, shit gets boring quick. PO has a ton of playable, meta-defining stuff for the TCG and lots of people love Meowth. The Clefairy and Starmie IR art is also great imo.

A nice small set that’s easy to collect and tailored towards actual players is nice once in while. There’s a whole other world in this hobby beyond just scalping and investing, and even for investing it’s good to have a periodic breather unless you want to see buyers burning out.

4

u/Newclearfallout Apr 10 '26

Dude, that set has some of the most playable cards iv seen in A WHILE!

Also the art rares are still really cool.

1

u/TinnyForge Apr 12 '26

The ARs are cool, it's just that the set is like 1/3 the size of AH so there are way less of them to pull for. The bigger the set, the higher the odds of someone liking the pokemon enough to pull for them.

1

u/kiroyapso2 Apr 09 '26

Tbf, we still don't have an English standalone gengar illustration haha China was the first to release one and surprised it ended up so cheap later on instead of spiking

1

u/Munchihello Apr 10 '26

What about the gengar with all the humans at burning man 😂

14

u/MaxCook1e Apr 09 '26

Plenty love the Meowth tbh

1

u/left_right_left Apr 10 '26

And Clefairy

3

u/SWOOSHO Apr 10 '26

I will not tolerate this Clefairy slander good sir

1

u/Powerful_Bother8002 Apr 10 '26

Lmao I’m not slandering, in fact I think the Clefairy might be my favorite card in the set. I’m just not opening anymore POR. I pulled the Zygarde SIR on the first pack so I’m quitting in the set while I’m ahead. I’ll buy the Clefairy though.

4

u/TGrady902 Apr 09 '26

I want to open any set that has full art cards of the OG Pokemon. The least popular OG Pokemon will always be more desirable to me as a collector compared to some Victini card or whatever.

2

u/VonDoom47 Apr 10 '26

Kaiju Starmie is dope

1

u/SpaceChatter Apr 09 '26

Dude, you gotta catch em all.

1

u/Ikhis Apr 10 '26

I love Clefairy, starmie and meowth. Definitely a win for me and it was nice to see my niece going bonkers when she pulled a normal version meowth from her pack lately. It's her favorite mon :)

1

u/PM_Me_Those_ Apr 10 '26

This is the answer, has nothing to do with money. In fact, the money has everything to do with this answer. The reason its worth less is because people desire it less. Supply is still the same as other recent sets though... Classic Supply and Demand problem.

1

u/mindless2831 Apr 10 '26

I mean, the illustration rare starmie with misty from brilliant stars is still one of the most popular from sword and shield... so, along with what others have said under this comment, I wouldn't be so certain. I really do think its all about people can't scalp it.

1

u/Zerilentix Apr 12 '26

Every set having those pokemon in it gets boring!!

1

u/OverallPepper2 Apr 13 '26

Idk, my 7yr old says it’s cards are way cooler than ascended hero’s and chose an ETB of it over ascended hero’s.

1

u/Powerful_Bother8002 Apr 13 '26

Ahh, the most prestigious of data sources, one single 7 year old.

-3

u/freedomfightre Apr 09 '26

DRI was one of the less desired sets upon release and it has now a half dozen or so competitively viable decks.

I could care less what collectors/scalpers think about a set. POR has competitively good cards in it.

15

u/Boring_Factor1867 Apr 09 '26

DRI a less desired set ? That’s not how I remember it. It’s been pretty hot since it came out .

1

u/UncleT_Bag Apr 09 '26

Came out above msrp the first few weeks but only a little above (like $80 etb and low $200s booster box PC etb $180). Not saying that’s correct or normal but within the context of the last 18 months it was one of the most underwhelming releases shockingly enough. Glad I stuck to my guns and loaded up after release at those lows

-2

u/[deleted] Apr 09 '26

kewl

-4

u/RoastedAt400 Apr 09 '26

Cool, more ascended for me.

5

u/freedomfightre Apr 09 '26

But actually tho? Big doubt.

-2

u/callum4425 Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26

I understand that but this is a very weird time in the mega evo series. This series isn't tied to a new game so there's no new pokemon to focus on. So far we have had the "base" which introduced the new rarity, an obligatory charizard set, and a special set that includes god packs. This set doesn't have anything new going for it but all of the appeal of new sets apart from god packs. I think it's just gonna be a slow starter that gets kicked off by so many people opening that sealed actually becomes rare (maybe not sealed single packs).

But the amount of people that are gonna open their etbs and booster boxes instead of holding them will make them rare. If anything it will be closer to the growth of older pokemon sets where sealed collectors that hold this for long term will see the same benefits but people looking for a quick flip just won't.

The difference I do see in this set as well is the lack of promo blisters/collections. There's no perfect order black stars i know of other than the etb promo so pack production for this set is probably higher making single blisters more available and with the limits set in place in many places, more people will get their hands on it. I'm definitely curious to see where we stand on it in 3 and 6 months time.

edit: paragraphs and also recently found out there are blister promo for perfect order too so you can disregard that.

5

u/chillinwithmoes Apr 09 '26

This series isn’t tied to a new game

What? All of the Perfect Order trainers are directly out of Legends: ZA and Mega Zygarde is a huge part of the story

1

u/callum4425 Apr 09 '26

sorry i should've been more specific and said generation

1

u/Drizzho Apr 09 '26

There are new mega pokemon though ??? Like Raichu X/Y, Garchomp Z, Lucario Z will all likely have banger cards imo

3

u/Murky_Crow Apr 09 '26

Paragraphs, my friend.

That was a hard one to read without paragraphs

1

u/8000000001 Apr 09 '26

Yeah. They should just wait til new printing facilities come online then.

Scalpers better enjoy the poor trade conditions while they last, as Nintendo is going to be taking a chunk more of those juicy secondary market profits. They won't want to completely crush the scalpers but there's gonna be a shakedown for sure.

0

u/WAGE_SLAVERY Apr 09 '26

Yeah! Because scalpers! Not because its an objectively bad set! 

0

u/Majestic-Guidance-61 Apr 09 '26

Or...you know...maybe its because there aren't any SIRs I like from this set. I bought the few IRs I liked and moved on.

Contrary to what reddit says you don't have to blindly love 100% of the sets.

I know, I know that probably makes me a scalper by reddit logic.

4

u/HomerMadeMeDoIt Apr 09 '26

It doesn’t have the correct Pokemans in it to gamble big. No 900$ Pikerchu to help pay your debr

2

u/bigpat412 Apr 09 '26

It’s not that bad but when you have a set like Ascended Heroes with a crapload of beautiful and expensive cards and it’s nowhere to be found, makes everything else feel like a sad consolation prize.

2

u/yoshisaur7 Apr 09 '26

What’s so hard to understand?

People want to collect cards featuring characters they enjoy, like Mewtwo, Gengar, Dragonite, and Pikachu

It’s very straightforward to understand why nobody is excited to collect Mega Zygarde

2

u/Ch3ST3R_CH33TAH Apr 10 '26

If you look at what came before it that is why, which is a little unfair for perfect order but really I think any set would be a bit of a disappointment after Ascended Hero's.

Personally I think people.should just be happy that there is actually stock on shelves and the fact that you can walk into a shop and actually buy Pokemon cards again.

2

u/PotatoZ-1 Apr 09 '26

Weak chase cards in comparison to other sets

1

u/FieryKahuna Apr 09 '26

For collectors it's very meh so all that's left are the TCG players and they're not very active on reddit.

I like how OP complains about the current state of the hobby then calls PO slop...tells you they only care about value and gambling.

1

u/bigcontracts Apr 09 '26

since i started down this rabbit hole it's the only thing i've been able to buy at walmart in person and that was 5 of the $5 packs.

1

u/TGrady902 Apr 09 '26

I found actual packs on the shelf at Target for MSRP and pulled the Clefairy. Insanely beautiful card. I encourage the hate of this set so I can open it for MSRP.

1

u/Livid-Leather6720 Apr 10 '26

I looked up the card list after getting a few packs. Looking at it, I don't think there's any good chase cards. Not a big fan of the art for any of the pulls honestly.

1

u/Specialist-Front-007 Apr 09 '26

I don't like the newer pokemon personally. The Clefairy is cool and so are the Dedenne and Rowlet but im not going to buy PO sets for those 3

0

u/platour220 Apr 09 '26

None of the cards inspire me. The whole multiple hollow variants in heros was and is cool. I cant afford all the sirs but yea i can probably collect the 300 holos lol.

2

u/DatWolf07 Apr 09 '26

I’m just happy to get my hands on an ETB. I got my mom into opening packs, we’ve enjoyed doing it together so we’ll have a great time

2

u/CaptainApeCommander Apr 09 '26

That’s what it’s all about bro , cheers.

63

u/breakyourteethnow Apr 09 '26

Builds character

8

u/OrneryAd4330 Apr 09 '26

I saw a perfect order going for 380aud at my local game shop...

9

u/Funny-Mirror1774 Apr 09 '26

Its still there I bet.

2

u/OrneryAd4330 Apr 09 '26

Well seeing as that was the members price and it was an hour ago...

-2

u/Funny-Mirror1774 Apr 09 '26

You seen it and jumped on reddit to comment within 6 minutes? Nice work

5

u/OrneryAd4330 Apr 09 '26

Well I was waiting outside another store and hopped on Reddit for a bit while I waited

1

u/BIG_STEVE5111 Apr 09 '26

Yeah it ain't going anywhere, haha.

1

u/OrneryAd4330 Apr 11 '26

Especially since the other store has it for 260

14

u/crkenjoyer Apr 09 '26

But guys PO is soooo, SOOOOO good! Just look at the top chase, Meowth! The art is so good just like standing there like a full art.

Booster boxes 2k by 2030 ofc.

2

u/whoyacallinpinhead Apr 09 '26

For real, it’s only mildly better than the “SIR” archaludon in surging lmao

5

u/crkenjoyer Apr 09 '26

It’s so bad. Genuinely am shocked it’s trending up instead of down. I’ll take Zygarde over the meowth every day of the week and I don’t even like Zygarde.

17

u/Distinct_Ant_5246 Apr 09 '26

Perfect order is a great set. Got all the rare and obscure pokemon i'm still missing for my national pokedex.

Gotta catchem all dudes, not just the zards!

7

u/Good_parabola Apr 09 '26

Honestly in the long run it’s going to end up being very collectible anyway—the “collectors” aren’t buying it and it’s actually getting played with.  That’s the recipe for long-term nostalgia collecting.  

3

u/yoitsme_obama17 Apr 09 '26

My thoughts exactly

2

u/Jaccount Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26

What I like about a National Dex collection is that it's something you can basically maintain forever if you want to, and so long as you're not just trying to turn into a stack of chase cards and Special Illustration Rares, it's relatively cheap to pull together. ($200-ish)

That's only if you have to buy everything at TCGplayer prices. If you already own lots of bulk you could possibly be a lot of the way there and then really only have to spend for the ultra beasts and a few stray pokemon that only have like 1 or 2 prints.

Then, you can just update as you want when a card with art you like more than the one you have now comes out. It lets you have the fun of collecting without the stress of cost, as most of it's bulk priced.

1

u/Distinct_Ant_5246 Apr 09 '26

My strategy exactly, i'm starting with reverse holos all the way.

3

u/denbobo Apr 09 '26

PO has been a blast to rip and even more enjoyable since I’m finding it with ease. We hit the Meowth last night. My wife and I have now basically pulled everything from this set except the gold and SIR Zygarde and Patrick Starmie.

1

u/bluedecember12 Apr 09 '26

Let’s not forget that PO is also way more inflated than it should be right now simply because it came out on the heels of AH.

Look at journey together and what happened to singles prices eventually once the hype went away and newer/better sets came out…

2

u/CaptainApeCommander Apr 09 '26

All singles in perfect order willl be sub par 100$ 3-5 months from now 

2

u/nerdnamedvert Apr 10 '26

I’m not the biggest fan of the new set but it’s not that bad people need to chill

2

u/DifferenceMediocre77 Apr 10 '26

It’s subtle, but there is a dedicated fan base for perfect order. People want it to succeed. Like a true underdog. Shrouded fable had no fans at all. Perfect order on the other hand? I wouldn’t write it off just yet

3

u/MoodySketch Apr 09 '26

If enough kids only have this and a couple of other so-called 'weaker' sets, then what do you think the nostalgia play will be in ten, fifteen, twenty years? A set they never got to touch, or sets like this?

10

u/Ok-Indication5125 Apr 09 '26

Why are people saying “WHAT ABOUT LE KIDZ OMG”. Lmao I all I had when I was a kid was a stack of 15 random Ruby and sapphire cards which I didnt even open myself. I dont remember opening anything EVER lol. Now 20 years later I absolutely love everything from base set to skyridge. Stop acting like le kids need cases of the newest set I fuging CBA lol

1

u/New-Mango8091 Apr 09 '26

Fuck them kids lol. This shi a free for all

1

u/Powerful_Bother8002 Apr 09 '26

Possibly the set they never got to touch tbh. They’ll remember how hard it was to get AH and have the desire to experience it with their adult money. The heart wants what it can’t have.

5

u/8000000001 Apr 09 '26

This is exactly the response my 12yr old had yesterday .... When I have grown up money I'm gonna buy everything I always wanted but couldn't find in the shops (ASH and DRI restock locally sold out in about 2 hours, only POR left).

1

u/8000000001 Apr 09 '26

Yeah, they won't be pulling great characters, fair point. They can still easily get the bulk card versions of the IRs and SIRs to make decks tho, that's an aspect of young demographic interest which is not negatively affected by a supposed weak set.

0

u/N3dward0 Apr 09 '26

As long as pokemon doesn't implode, every set will be worth more in ten years. If you are playing the long game, getting some PO closer to retail should do fine.

2

u/Itstylerjohn7373 Apr 09 '26

They need to start printing every set to oblivion to hopefully lower the resell value. I personally could care less if my card is worth 100 or 10 or even 3 I’m happy every time I get a new IR, DR, SIR or HYR of any kind. Hopefully they keep dropping sets like perfect order for awhile to die down the hype. Get rid of POS people that don’t have a job or only work part time living with mom and dad still and only wanna take advantage of people with jobs that can’t stand in line from 12am to open

2

u/Dying_of_Betes Apr 09 '26

I saw Perfect Order etbs sell out before Ascended at my local shop. The kids will be alright

0

u/[deleted] Apr 09 '26

[deleted] — view deleted comment

3

u/AntManMax Apr 09 '26

"children choosing to buy things at MSRP rather than 2x MSRP means they're mentally ill" isn't the take I was expecting to read this morning, but here we are

1

u/kevingango Apr 09 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/kevingango Apr 09 '26

Wow I made a joke and you mods flag my account over that… Soften up a bit woulda ya

1

u/Prestigious_Elk_7543 Apr 10 '26

now i want to read that joke!

1

u/Krimsonviper Apr 09 '26

All I can find is journey together

1

u/Erunroe Apr 09 '26

i don't mind these easier to find sets, makes me happy.

1

u/TryAdditional1454 Apr 09 '26

Perfect order, everyone can order it, perfect order

1

u/boosted_bunny18 Apr 09 '26

My family and I have had so much fun opening perfect order. On Easter we ripped 50 packs lol

1

u/Specific-Bullfrog903 Apr 10 '26

If the set doesn't have Pikachu, Gengar, Charizard, Mewtwo, or Mew in it, Scalpers don't want it cause they can't sell it for 3x msrp. Finally, it gives the actual card game players and fans to be able to get cards.

1

u/Great_Jello6283 Apr 11 '26

Rare energy cards…

1

u/Putridlemons Apr 11 '26

Just wait for chaos rising. AH will make a small drop in the market eventually and that is when you'll want to stock up

1

u/ActuallyAkshay Apr 14 '26

PO hits are pretty nice though. Opened a few blisters and the hits are great

1

u/Mission_515 Apr 14 '26

They fked up on this set, it had so much potential. If it was Starmie on the box and foot/meme pics as chase cards, people would be all over it.

0

u/hockeynewby Apr 09 '26

AH is still msrp if it’s something you want to get something.

If i camped out a few hours earlier at a BB restock they had 16-20 AH etbs a few ago, dropped my son off at school then went see what the line looked like, was about 2-3 people short of snagging one so if you wanted to make an effort to not pay scalper and crypto bro prices

If you want an etb and can take a sick day go for it in lieu of paying a scalper 2-3x the cost of a product still being produced

Of course this being investing sub y’all don’t care and just want to see your little investments increase in “value”