Pokemon Chaos Rising Prerelease — What the First Weekend Looked Like
Pokemon Chaos Rising prereleases kicked off Saturday and run all week. The set streets May 22. The first weekend made one thing clear. This is the hottest Pokemon set in a while, and the supply is already gone.
What's In the Set
Chaos Rising is the next Mega Evolution era set. Four Stage 2 Mega Evolution Pokemon are this prerelease cycle's promo cards: Delphox, Ampharos, Crobat, and Goodra. That's an unusual all-Stage-2 lineup. The Build & Battle Box is the prerelease product, and the chase card for the set is Mega Greninja ex SIR.
Image: The Pokemon Company
The pull rate on Mega Greninja ex SIR is one in 620 packs. Not 620 cards. 620 packs. That puts it on the same shelf as the modern era's hardest pulls. PSA 10 copies are projected at $200 or more at launch. The card has not even hit street yet and it is already commanding that number.
Supply Realities
Distributor allocations on Chaos Rising were locked April 20. Anything not on order by that date is not coming until at least June. Pokemon Center already sold out of the ETB. Secondary market on ETBs is $160 to $225 on a $59.99 MSRP, which is a 3-4x markup on a brand-new product. One seller moved a case of ten standard ETBs for over $1,000.
If you can find a sealed ETB at MSRP right now, that is a real win. If you cannot, the secondary market is what it is and we are not going to pretend it is going to ease up before street day.
How the Prereleases Are Going
Reaction so far has been hot. People are pulling and trading actively. Mega Greninja ex SIR remains the holy grail of the set. Beyond the chase card, the general hit rate (Double Rare or better) is one in 3.5 packs, which is solid for the format. Players are walking out of prereleases with full decks and at least one rare worth keeping.
Prereleases run through Saturday May 17. If you want to play, this week is your window before street day.
Image: The Pokemon Company
Come Talk About It
If you came to a prerelease, let us know what you pulled. If you are still trying to track down sealed product or singles, come by the counter and let's talk options. Mega Greninja ex SIR pulls deserve a story.
Interested in Pokemon TCG? Browse our Pokemon catalog here.
Got questions? Contact us at support@thehobhub.com, reach us on Facebook, or stop by our physical location!