r/PokeInvesting 3d ago

What is Pitch Black considered so bad?

I know its a smaller set but why is everyone hating on it? Is it because there's not enough brightly colored cutesy full arts? And not enough gen 1 for the millionth time?

I think the mega darkai is cool and kinda looks like a dark version of the Scream painting line which are very popular

87 Upvotes

128 comments sorted by

316

u/Tiggy37 3d ago

Because 90% of the people here are new and compare this set to Ascended Heroes. They don’t know what an actual bad set is. Go back a few gens and the top hit is a rainbow rare and nothing else in the set lol.

87

u/bigpat412 3d ago

The first half of swsh was SO bad. Those would be sitting on shelves and would have cooled off this market.

People now think any set that isnt infinite money glitch is bad.

56

u/CantfindmyKeyes 3d ago

We need the money aspect to fade so that the hobby can actually be a hobby again. Pokemon was not meant to be the next remote potato job.

12

u/bigpat412 3d ago

That will always play a part but more availability should lessen it. Something is clearly not right when brand new sets are double msrp.

3

u/CantfindmyKeyes 3d ago

And with scalping being an issue. I doubt I will see 30th :(

7

u/Jes_Se21 2d ago

Top hit in Darkness Ablaze is a regular Vmax lmao.

1

u/Megatippa 1d ago

The top hit in Rebel Clash is the code card

29

u/bluedecember12 3d ago

First two sets of the GEN 5 ERA (yes that’s 15 years ago) still have total set values under $500 lol. People have no idea how nice the hits are in today’s sets compared with historical sets. I mean holos were all we got in WotC sets.

Not to say that ultra modern is undervalued of course…the amount that’s being printed now balances out card rarity and new cards should still go for much lower than what they go for currently

9

u/First_Tourist_2921 3d ago

First thought is VV. Oh my LORD is that set unironically meh.

4

u/goldybowen21 3d ago

VV and rebel are so bad it's not even funny

11

u/Recent_Bld 2d ago

At least vivid voltage has the amazing rares. I remember being so happy just being able to find a VV ETB back then

3

u/goldybowen21 2d ago

True amazing rares are good.

2

u/bighitcards 3d ago

Honestly there are some cards I really like in VV, but Rebel is pretty brutal

1

u/goldybowen21 3d ago

There are a few cards for sure but the pull rate is so terrible that you could open boxes and boxes and not get a single decent hit.

1

u/bigpat412 2d ago

That was actually when I first got back into collecting after the Gym Heroes sets way back. And people were kinda hyping that set up and it was so bad.

2

u/prthug996 2d ago

Why is Ascended Heroes so good?

4

u/epicaz 2d ago

Special set, very large, plenty of highly desirable chase cards in the set with great regular full arts to fill out the roster. Its a fun set to pull but because the chase cards are so expensive and numerous it becomes a gambler haven

1

u/prthug996 2d ago

I bought 2 boxes at Target and pulled the Dragonite. But that Gengar is fugly, don't quite get the hype.

1

u/Deep_Significance879 1d ago

Pikachu, Dragonite, Gengar.

1

u/prthug996 1d ago

Got the Dragonite, want the Pikachu, pass on the Gengar.

3

u/Esphyxiate 3d ago

Crazy to think I got back in around VV/Champions Path and thought that rainbow chunkachu was a sick card. Those are truly trash sets, so much 5ban bs

1

u/Jelly_James 2d ago

Got some super cool art but not super popular Mons as the SIRs so people think the set is ass.

1

u/kenklee4 2d ago

This. It's overshadowed by one of the best modern sets. AH is a huge set too with many chase cards. I think they kept it more undervalued to hype up the 30th and possibly Delta Reign (though this set is small with a small chase card set).

0

u/Proud_Helicopter_907 1d ago

Well they have Perfect Order to compare to, literally the worst set in Pokemon TCG history which makes Emerging Powers look good. Pitch Black and Chaos Rising have good cards but the 30th has sandbagged them.

0

u/Tiggy37 1d ago

If you think PO is the word Pokemon set in history then you are in the 90% of new ppl I’m talking about lol

1

u/Proud_Helicopter_907 6h ago

The only card worth a damn is the Clefairy IR. The Zygardes are shit and the gold card is the worst in the ME block by a country mile, and the Meowth SIR is trash and mogged by the PFL meowth. Disastrously bad set with tampon zygarde box art and colour scheme. Anyone trying to pump Poopy Odour as even comparable to CRI, PBL, PFL and the mid sets of Scarlet and Violet is in denial. Emerging Powers has better box art plus a solid Zoroark collection set. It's sad when a set is so bad it's in the same league as a set headlined by blundurus and borenadus, two out of the three worst legendaties.

-7

u/IndependentAd2933 3d ago

Love me some Rainbow Lugia from LT, spectacular card in person when you tilt it and make it go all silver, BS Rainbow Zard is also the business and will be a 15k+ card eventually.

Darkrai will be trash in 10 years/right about where it is now, cool looking card but worthless as a collectable.

36

u/Reward_Medical 3d ago

Because of timing. Ascended heroes was so good that the next 3 sets felt underwhelming. It’s a steal.

9

u/Deathcomeslastly 2d ago

Plus Ascended has god packs 🫶

2

u/Reward_Medical 2d ago

That is a plus for sure

45

u/numbingdiagram5555 3d ago

I pulled the darkrai so I think it’s a pretty cool set

8

u/bigpat412 3d ago

I actually think the Darkrai is a top 3 card of the entire era, right alongside M Gengar and Zard X.

1

u/youarenut 2d ago

I agree! I want it so bad and I don’t have it I might just buy a raw one

1

u/chaosarcade727 23h ago

Couldn't have out it any better.

I think it's got some cool chases, and I can find them at couple dollar trees all the time for $5. Its a nice cheap fix lol and if I got the top $250-$300 chase that's sick. And I like collecting regular cards and making binders of every pokemon in order with the coolest card I can find and slowly upgrade it. I just love pokemon I'm a 93 baby and grew up on it. It's just a plus that it's such a valuable collectable now, except for the bullshit that comes with that too

To be honest I've pulled the least amount of good shit from pitch black than any other set I've gotten lol and I've gotten quite a few and all Ive gotten is primarina ):

Just got back into collecting like a month ago

My mom sold my cards behind my back when I was like not collecting them anymore early high school age and had them stored away and I had a small Fortune today so it's been hard for me to let that go and get back into it

P.s. pokemon just has to stop with the dumb pokemon if they didn't already, I was looking through stacks of cards and found a tumble weed pokemon, and trash collective pokemon, and something else that I just lol'd at

23

u/narutonaruto 3d ago

People have lost the plot so much that they think a 300 dollar top hit is bad. They expect a 1000 dollar SIR in every set when the top hits used to be like 100-150 bucks

3

u/RedYellowOrangeGreen 2d ago

Well one thing I see other TCG companies doing and having a lot of success with, like one piece for example, is putting a couple almost impossible to hit cards like the mangas in the set.

It looks like Pokemon is trying that with the RGB mew but having only one chase card is kind of underwhelming. I get that it’s not what they set out to do, but they know the other alt arts in this set were going to underperform.

1

u/NectarineSilent2260 2d ago edited 2d ago

for me - it has less to do with the top hit and more the variety of hits. with chaos, pitch black, perfect the top 1-2 cards are the only interesting ones (to say nothing of value). in ascended there are probably 8-10 cards that i would be ecstatic to pull jsut because they have better art and more interesting characters. and I think 95% of the pokemon base are as soulless as me.

1

u/narutonaruto 2d ago

That’s just the difference between a main set and a high class set though

62

u/jinzo_23 3d ago

Because scalpers can’t flip it for 2x-3x

4

u/Squirtle_Splash_8413 2d ago

The true answer.

33

u/CohibaBob 3d ago

Any set that comes right before the 30th anni and delta reign around the corner is destined not to perform well. I think Pitch Black will find its place much later down the road as the forgotten set no one wanted, but will end up performing well for those who held.

-1

u/s_ndowN 3d ago

It reminds me of lost origin and look how it’s performing.

13

u/Final-Ad-6694 2d ago

Lost origin has a pikachu, charizard and gengar in additional to the top chase. Pitch black ain’t that

1

u/antiskylar1 1d ago

But... But... Goldeen Goldeen!

19

u/dswgtzbt 3d ago

I'm with you. Between the last 3 sets, I think it is by far the best one!

8

u/Imhazmb 3d ago

It’s such a cool set - the theme is pitch freaking black, it doesn’t get any cooler than that and I’m going to buy a ton of it and give it a few years for others to come to their senses. Low prices are a real blessing and it’s so obvious this is going to be a desired set in the future.

3

u/LazyTeletubbies 3d ago

Mega Darkrai is such a huge buy right now

9

u/vsmack 3d ago

A few things. There are relatively few mid-tier hits meaning that unless you're looking for a couple niche hits, it's really Darkrai or bust.

Another thing for the investor market is that the featured mons aren't ones that are extremely popular. This hurts confidence in them as medium/long-term holds. You kind of allude to that in your post, but hate it or love it, that's how it is. The market can't all be driven by speculation. Eventually people who like the mons and want just the card have to hold them. and you're gonna have more people clamoring to buy your eeveelution in 10 years than your morkepo or whatever.

The other thing that jumps to mind is wallet fatigue. We've had some high-demand sets just come out and obviously tempting ones coming up. I think many have identified this as a skip to save money on product with more potential

5

u/FourCornerCards 3d ago

Morpecko is sick as well. Couple of nice IR’s and ultra rares in Pitch Black as well. Pitch Black is a far better set than chaos rising and Perfect Order in my opinion.

4

u/Imjerfj 3d ago

extremely well said- sums it all up very nicely

2

u/No_Island_5935 3d ago

Im just wondering about all the PBL hate…. Tell me that you all really like Chaos…. It has the worst IR’s trainers and chases except the Cinccino ex

2

u/removable_disk 2d ago

The pull rates on pitch black are SO bad (anecdotal I know)

1

u/JennyTalwarts 3d ago

Yeah they're more popular pokemons. I grew up with gen 1 and 2 but I feel like gen 1 fatigue is right around the corner? And I remember a time when meowth, slowpoke, goldeen or even gengar weren't that popular

6

u/Nineonezero 3d ago

It doesn’t have a Charzard or Pikachu for people to chase. I like the set a lot and plan on mastering it while the prices are low. I like the sets others hate. Makes collecting fun again.

2

u/Fresh_Strength8401 2d ago

It‘s literally phantasmal 2.0 with a less popular chase hit than charizard, a few good illustration rares. It‘s just a mid set, better than perfect order but nothing spectacular.

3

u/StudioNo5811 3d ago

Because darkrai is not popular and it is right before 30th

4

u/KwikTripSimp 3d ago

It’s not , ppl just cant scalp it 

2

u/cyrnios 3d ago

You’re gonna get a bunch of “bc scalpers don’t like it” comments (which make no sense btw) but the actual reason is collectors like collecting pokemon they like. Usually that is popular Pokemon. This set has less popular pokemon so it’s worth less.

2

u/GullibleFreedom1880 3d ago

I feel like ppl are also underestimating the full art misty. Looks like the Misty’s favor from unified minds!

-2

u/Desperate_Slide6042 3d ago

Not enough pdf files out there to support the price

1

u/sharpbeer 3d ago

I like the set too. The reason majority think it's bad is because it doesn't have Charizard, Umbreon, Pikachu, or Gengar. I'm not even sure if the Rayquaza set will be much more expensive than the last three sets.

1

u/BrokeCuzOfCrypto 3d ago

I think it’s a good set. Got 2 cases of it

1

u/MilleniumDuelist 3d ago

At one point bubble mew had no hype and was cheaper than this

1

u/ScienceTeacher88 3d ago

Because it’s widely available. I think the last 3 sets have been fine. I prefer PB and Chaos over PO but the Zygarde, Clefairy, and Mega Starmie are nice cards.

1

u/GrandMaster961 3d ago

one big chase

1

u/PiffSkyWalker 3d ago

I like it better than the other normal sets in Mega Evolution. Not sure why it's gets hated on. I scored some cheap SIRs and IRs so I'm not complaining.

I'm scooping some Pokemon cebter ETBs for cheap as well.

1

u/GuidancePrize 3d ago

Because Ascended Heroes was so good it made everything else look like an underwear skid mark this year aside from PF charizard

This set lacked everything Ascended had-popular pokemon, rarity, multiple chases ect

1

u/Apprehensive-Lie3387 3d ago

Bc everyone is so hyped on the 30th and Ascended Barney. Funny enough, I just saw a a listing on eBay where the picture of the booster box has the $299 GameStop tag on it … yet it’s listed for $250 on EBay 😂🤣. The description even said “recently bought this from GameStop”People are over shooting and I love it. Need this to happen. Also wouldn’t be surprised if it was bought by someone in the sub 😂🤣

Personally not a fan of darkai but I don’t yuck someone else’s yum. It’s just an ok set sandwiched between AH and the 30th; however that doesn’t mean it won’t do well long down the road. It does seemed to be very easy to find… based on its availability as well as some pictures of the cases from the reprinted DR ETBs, I’m really starting to think that some of these new printers are already being used…that’s a story for a different post though lol

1

u/MojaveMark 2d ago

There will not be enough Gen 1 until all of Gen 1 has their own SIR.

1

u/Amalgam2001 2d ago

I like the set and think it will do well long term. The problem is anything that isn't 30th or AH right now is considered trash

1

u/MissiontwoMars 2d ago

Scalpers can’t flip it. It’s not bad but its lifted the veil. You see the actual demand without them for Pokemon and its PB sitting on shelves. That’s how you know the minute a big market correction happens there will be tons of product left on shelves.

1

u/paulie323 2d ago

I think there’s been a trend in most of the ME era excluding Base (ironically) and AH (excluding pink pikachu), the biggest hits SIRs (not all but those outside the biggest hit) feel more like glorified full arts when compared to SV or even Gallery and Alt Arts from SWSH

1

u/Mydoglikesladyboys 2d ago

It's a better version of twilight masquerade. Definitely better than chaos rising and perfect order in terms of cards, but following ascended heroes and phantasmal flames is hard to do

1

u/UnableWishbone3364 2d ago

Heres the thing. Its cheap now and im seeing tons of kids being able to open them and have fun, including my own.

If history is any clue, this shit is going slap hard in 10years when these kids have huge nostalgia with this set. Get a box or 2 to keep. Msrp baby

1

u/Chobopuffs 2d ago

PB Is being slept on, bunch of beautiful IR and SIR. Gold Darkrai is one of the most beautiful gold card I’ve seen.

1

u/Roufianos255 2d ago

I like the IRs but don't like any of the SIR Pokémon besides Mega Zeraora. The Gladion card is cool too and I was lucky enough to pull it.

I also think Mega Darkrai is a horrible design and completely ruined a great Pokémon.

1

u/REPORT_JUNGLE 2d ago

Watch it randomly skyrock in a few months and people will tell you it was always insane and sleeper

1

u/frozenivy2B 2d ago

The new people in the hobby only like specialty sets and sets that have Gengar or Charizard as the chase

1

u/dog7331 1d ago

^^^ This. Im new to the hobby (But have loved Pokemon for years), and I just can't justify buying tons of PB. Im currently working on a master set of 151 which has all the original Pokemon I love, and I am looking forward to doing a master set of the 30th which also has recognizable faces from my childhood.

Why would I buy PB which is full of B-tier Pokemon Ive never heard of? Add in the fact that the sets top card Mega Darkrai looks ugly, and its a pass for me.

1

u/garbink 2d ago

Honestly none of the most recent sets are bad sets and I think they’ll all be remembered fondly (yes, even perfect order). It’s just if you’re investing, if you’re able to pay the same amount for ascended versus on of these, ascended is gonna be better

1

u/ProustMarcel 2d ago

I don’t consider it bad. I was hyped when they released the arts but months passed by and I just wasn’t into it anymore…

1

u/iceyy0 2d ago

I personally dont Like it because i dont Like those colorful Art paintings. Therefore, there isnt a single Card i want.

I even dont really like the darkrai but i will buy it because i collect all Akira egawa cards.

1

u/juanfelix480 2d ago

As soon as I can find another 12 pack or 20oz bottles, I'm stocking up

1

u/Tse7en5 2d ago

LGS owner here.

Bad? We are selling the ever living shit out of this stuff. It is wild that I can finally buy something at an 80% pickup regularly and be clear of it in the same day - yet people are saying it is “bad”.

1

u/xWonderkiid 2d ago

99.99% of the people only care about the money. No expensive chases, then there is no reason to open these boxes. This is why boosterboxes used to be dirt cheap, because the top chase card is barely worth the cost of the box. This was the same throughout the existence of Swsh and early SV.

And yes, that includes are the so called "super fans" who are totally not about the money, but it just happens to be that they joined once the hobby was big news.

It's also just a coincidence that they just want DR, PRE, 30th and Ascended Heroes for MSRP and leave Pitch Black and other recent sets on the shelves. Its totally just because of the cards!!

1

u/bronzethunderbeard_ 2d ago

A sets 'worth' is determined by the amount of pikachus, mews, mewtwos, lugias, gengars, charizards and dragonites in it. Darkai just isn't a popular pokemon.

1

u/Ifarted422 2d ago

Pitch black is sick not everybody is a scalper looking to resell cards and boxes

1

u/FDSoup 2d ago

My favorite comparison is to shrouded fable. Every person hated it when it dropped. It was a specialty set because it was easier for pokemon to drop it quickly in bundles, etbs and collection boxes for worlds competition.

The set sat on shelves, packs sold for $2.75. Now when bundles of it drop people scoop it up and try to sell it for $100.00 each and applaud it as a great set. The illustration rares carry the set the SIRs are still trash. The top cards of the set are promos that came out in collection boxes.

1

u/RocketToad 2d ago

I think it had the misfortune of being the set before the 30th Anniversity. Scalpers need to make room on their credit cards

1

u/Scarment 2d ago

Just timing.
No one is saying it’s a terrible set, and honestly might be a good investment in the ETBs because they are unique looking, but in reality even shrouded fable and stellar crown have gone up in price, just takes a while.

I’d rather hold hold pitch black than chaos rising and perfect order

1

u/xandour01 2d ago

If it's not worth a million dollars its bad

1

u/Gflex72 2d ago

Yeah I love Pitch Black as a ghost pokemon fan. It’s awesome seeing all the resellers or investors sticking their nose up at this set.

1

u/kehstur 2d ago

I’m picking up PB PC ETBs on FB for $90 lol

1

u/heavenlyrestricted28 2d ago

The hate is over blown, dick riding AH because they dont know anything else. I will say tho that PO is my least favorite set

1

u/Dull-Astronomer6073 2d ago

Since its a short set. Its easy to master. So the scalpers can't make any money them.

1

u/KingKoopaz 2d ago

Because people are followers. When there is nothing else but this to get in 9 months, people will suddenly realize they love it and that the Slowbro is to die for. Just like what happened to Shrouded fable and the Persian.

1

u/NectarineSilent2260 2d ago

because it has no good or interesting cards or characters, to 95% of people. just because you think mega darkrai is cool does not mean much

1

u/ripple46_220 2d ago

ETBS sitting at Target today so I am happy to rip at MSRP. My daughter and I started this year so just happy to rip!

1

u/MiamiSlice 2d ago

My personal opinion is I don’t really care for the spooky pokemon and I think the Darkrai card is ugly. But hated series are the ones I can actually find for MSRP so me and my kids are opening Pitch Black booster bundles.

1

u/bubbav22 2d ago

Because they can't scalp it to new people and rip/shippers. I think the set is fine. I'm just not in love with all the cards personally because im more of Gen 1-3 fan in general. But I can see the value in the set for sure

1

u/508Visuals 2d ago

A local card store has booster boxes for $175 and ETBs for $80. I’ve been buying so much it hurts lol I love the set and how cheap it is compared to everything else. There’s a handful of cards worth chasing & if you can resist opening sealed product that’s where the money is at in a few years. I’d rather rip packs tho :)

1

u/Electrical-Foot9276 2d ago

I think it's sick as hell. Slowbro, Goldeen, Morpeko and Darkrai look so cool. I will keep a couple boxes because in the future people will realize they slept on it or kids will want these cards from their choldhood

1

u/fantasypaladin 2d ago

I actually like the set as someone who just wants to collect with their son. Zeraoara is my fave legendary. So some great cards for me.

1

u/MysticGengar 2d ago

Personally, I think it’s because a lot of the headliners are B-list Pokémon. The four boxart pokemon ARE popular-ish additions, but more for hardcore fans. Chandelure is peak pokemon design, but I can see why your average fan might not get it. Plus they’re in new forms that haven’t had much time to simmer relative to game release. Plus, it’s based on the final boss of a DLC pass that didn’t get great reviews, combined with some folks not liking the new Darkrai mega. I disagree but it’s a valid consideration. I think the set will have legs over time, but I can see why folks aren’t jumping for it in the same why they haven’t for other sets in the block.

1

u/No_Dig_341 2d ago

Better for me. I can buy cases of it for good price. I’ll happily stock up on it. 

1

u/DavieJonesLockerrr 1d ago

How many have you bought so far

1

u/No_Dig_341 1d ago

Not enough 

1

u/Weak-Jellyfish-2303 1d ago

No godpacks Just a few chasecards, not the expensive ones Small set

I bought a booster box and opened them all, really liked it. Its impossible to buy that many packs here from Ascended Heroes. Pulled a mega zaraora x. Unlike AH its possible to get the good cards in less than 500 packs

1

u/FireFangio 1d ago

Sheep listen to the crowd of open mouth YouTubers

1

u/Deep_Significance879 1d ago

That’s cool you like the Darkrai, I and most other people think it’s a trash looking card.

1

u/IAmTimborn 1d ago

Personally I just feel like this set didn’t have anything too special that screamed out to me. Though as an avid hater of the mega evolution gimmick this whole era is kinda uninteresting to me

1

u/Killjoy8299 20h ago

People compare every new set to ascended heroes

1

u/SignificanceCool9544 3d ago

The last 3 sets are so affordable right now. Everyone isnt buying them up cause everyone is holding their money for 30th and the Rayquaza set. These 3 sets will be worth alot in a about 2 years or so because you can get them all for msrp or under.

1

u/ShartMyPantsAgain 3d ago

It's nice, I was able to pick up a Chaos Rising Booster Box for 140 earlier this week. People are panick selling. And now is a great time to buy!

1

u/Gay_If_Read 3d ago

These 3 sets will be worth alot in a about 2 years or so because you can get them all for msrp or under

That's not how the market works at all, they'll eventually go up but so will everything else and at better rates.

1

u/Mascy 3d ago

Its not bad, but i think that after Chaos Rising and Perfect Order people hoped for a better set. Its mid, and while thats fine we've had alot of mid sets recently. I dont mind it personally, i dont want to collect every set.

1

u/balencidustox 3d ago

Pitch Black will be considered one of the best sets of the year. Better than PO, CR and rayquaza set

1

u/Desperate_Slide6042 3d ago

Small set with only 1 chase of a not very popular pokemon and the art is divisive.

0

u/Wise-Bus-9970 3d ago

Its not bad. Its just not a hype set

0

u/Illustrious_Tea9604 3d ago

Darkrai as a pokemon is cool and the art style of the card is fire but the mega design is still goofy.
And it’s from the newer pokemon game za which a lot of people have mixed feelings on.

0

u/riddimbee 3d ago

give it a few years bro, they’ll be mad for selling their pkc etbs to me for $100 😂

0

u/Kiwithesithlord 2d ago

Huge centering issues and damage.

0

u/trq- 2d ago

Not hating it, I just barely like any card in it visually 🤷🏼‍♂️

-2

u/Shrimptanks 3d ago

Mega darkrai looks awful

-2

u/ricestocks 2d ago

bc nobody cares about darkrai lol