{"id":137504,"date":"2026-06-08T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/#article-201518"},"modified":"2026-06-08T18:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T18:00:00","slug":"opinion-by-definition-pokemon-tcg-is-no-longer-a-hobby","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2026\/06\/08\/opinion-by-definition-pokemon-tcg-is-no-longer-a-hobby\/","title":{"rendered":"Opinion: By Definition, Pok\u00e9mon TCG Is No Longer A Hobby"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a><\/div>\n
\"Pokemon\"<\/a>
<\/span> Image: Zion Grassl \/ Nintendo Life<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A couple of months ago, I opened a pack of Pok\u00e9mon cards and pulled the super-rare ‘<\/em>Secret Illustration Rare’ (SIR) Charizard card.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s even a video someone gave me of them rushing up to the commotion. \u201cThe $600 Charizard!\u201d you can hear me yelling in the footage. My friends were cheering. It was awesome.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s a big problem with this amazing memory \u2014 and it\u2019s twofold.<\/p>\n

First off, and embarrassingly, I probably spent a little over $600 chasing this card (even though I didn\u2019t buy anywhere near as many packs as $600 sounds<\/em> like it should be). Yikes.<\/p>\n

But here\u2019s the worst part: I\u2019m still up big.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Pokemon\"<\/a>
<\/span> Image: The Pok\u00e9mon Company<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How is that possible? Traditionally, trading cards are worth oodles on their release day, then drop in value like a brick in just days, if not hours, later. But lately, Pok\u00e9mon cards have simply cut to the chase when it comes to their long-term values.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s wise to not read editorials for up-to-the-minute card prices, but as of this writing, which is only a short few months after this card\u2019s release, this Charizard has a market value of a bit under $900 according to websites<\/a> that track stuff like that. (That\u2019s somehow already $300 higher than when I pulled it.)<\/p>\n

Not only that, but if I were to have the card graded by the most famous trading card authentication and grading service, this Charizard in a ‘gem mint’ condition is currently fetching barely under $2,500!<\/p>\n

So why do I consider that \u201cthe worst part\u201d?<\/p>\n

Well, because it\u2019s not healthy for so many brand new,<\/em> non-serialised cards like this Charizard to be worth thousands<\/em> of dollars, is why. The ramifications for the product are damning.<\/p>\n

Even compared to the infamous pandemic years, Pok\u00e9mon fans can totally forget about finding cards in stores these days; adults are brawling<\/a> in the aisles of stores, all while bots scrape the internet before you can buy cards online. Meanwhile, entire cottage industries<\/a> have risen around ripping packs, mystery repackages, and famous (and infamous<\/a>) card streamers.<\/p>\n

Heard of the term ‘recession indicator’? If ever there was one, the Pok\u00e9mon TCG is it. Pok\u00e9mon TCG should no longer be considered merely a fun hobby people like; it\u2019s firmly a critical part of the world economy. And it\u2019s acting like it.<\/p>\n

By the Numbers<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Pokemon\"<\/a>
<\/span> Image: Alex Olney \/ Nintendo Life<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While it feels<\/em> like Pok\u00e9mon TCG has been non-stop booming for decades now, if you haven\u2019t been paying attention over the past year and a half especially, the overall trading card market is now on a new level. It\u2019s an unprecedented economic level, in fact.<\/p>\n

This figure has been oft-reported<\/a> recently but bears repeating: according to an index by Collectors (the parent company of professional grading company PSA<\/a>), Pok\u00e9mon card values collectively rose 282% between the years of 2004-2020, with most of that rise happening near the end, around the pandemic.<\/p>\n

CNBC reports<\/a> that the same index shows an out-of-this-galaxy<\/em> 1,350% increase between 2020\u2019s high and today.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a good way to visualise that increase. Below is a screenshot of TCGPlayer.com<\/a>\u2019s \u201cTop 10 most expensive Pok\u00e9mon cards\u201d end-of-year recap from 2023, a snapshot in time well into Pok\u00e9mon\u2019s post-COVID renaissance. (Note: TCG Player is the de facto trading card marketplace, whose data is what much of the world derives a card\u2019s market value from.)<\/p>\n

\"Pokemon\"<\/a>
<\/span> Image: TCGPlayer<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 2023, the top card pullable from a regular pack ended the year averaging resales around $115. Almost every single top chase of 2023 was reselling for no more than double digits.<\/p>\n

Now here\u2019s their same list recapping the end of 2025:<\/p>\n

\"Pokemon\"<\/a>
<\/span> Image: TCGPlayer<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By 2025, top chases sat comfortably at hundreds, not dozens. The most expensive card, the Umbreon SIR, ended the year averaging over $1,000 resale (it\u2019s way higher today). And indicative of this being a trend versus a handful of outliers, many sets released that year featured several cards worth hundreds, not just one or two.<\/p>\n

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Roughly one out of ten Pok\u00e9mon cards that have ever existed was printed in 2025.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

<\/blockquote>\n

All the while, countless chases from years previous didn\u2019t just rise, but compounded in value. In one high-profile example, the fan-dubbed ‘Bubble Mew<\/a>‘ card from 2024 spent a year comfortably at around $80 resale, yet today is reselling at ~$850.<\/p>\n

Also, as you can see, that Charizard from the top of the article has nearly doubled in value already<\/em>, and cards like the popular ‘Eeeveelution’ variants are similarly bonkers. And do you even want<\/em> to know what the top cards released in 2026 are doing?<\/p>\n

Well, too bad, because a Pok\u00e9mon card value article wouldn\u2019t be complete without mentioning that, as of this writing, the straight-out-of-the-pack resale prices of 2026\u2019s ‘Pikachu EX’ and ‘Mega Gengar EX’ SIRs are both well over $1,350. And there are way too many cards to list from 2026 that are worth hundreds apiece, too.<\/p>\n

If I may speak directly to you here, just for a moment: chat, we\u2019re cooked.<\/p>\n

What does this mean for The Hobby\u2122?<\/strong><\/h2>\n