The Pokémon Trading Card world is a vast one. It has been running for over 25 years and in that time, over 7000 unique cards have been created under over 100 different sets.
Add in special promo cards, unique releases, and the never-ending new sets and it can be tough to keep up with what you’re actually buying. So if you’re a kid or a parent of a child whom you are buying for, you might be curious if there is actually a difference between them and what that difference might be.
Now, I have another article on all of the different Pokémon card products and what they contain, but this article will stick to the packs themselves.
We will run through what they mean, what you should consider when buying, and answer a few other common questions when buying Pokémon card packs.
Let’s jump in!
What Do Different Pokémon Packs Contain?
There you are, walking into your store of choice that contains Pokémon products. You go up to a wall and see packs that all have different names on them. As a parent buying Pokémon cards for a child or as a buyer who doesn’t know much about it, it may be a bit confusing.
To put it simply, Pokémon packs that have different names contain a different “set” of cards than the others. When a “set” of Pokémon cards get released, it contains a group of between 70-300 different cards that are part of that set.
One of the more recent sets that was released at the time of writing this article is Paldean Fates. The Paldean Fates set contains 245 different cards. So when giving or opening a pack from that set, you will only pull cards from the cards that were released as part of it.
If you choose to buy a different set, that set will contain an entirely different group of cards that can only be pulled from that particular pack.
Are Any Pokémon Card Sets Better Than Others?
It depends on who you’re asking and what you mean by “better”. For serious collectors, the answer is definitely yes. For kids who just like Pokémon? The answer is it probably doesn’t matter.
Every set of Pokémon cards has “chase cards” which are highly sought after and hard to get cards from that set. The most popular recent set is the 151 set. It included all of the original 151 Pokémon and had some beautiful artwork and hard to pull cards, which also has made them quite valuable.
Because of this, the 151 set gets VERY quickly sold out every time it hits the shelves. I mean, can you argue with that artwork?
For a kid though? Every set has cool cards. To give an example, I’ve added 3 random cards from the Paldean Fates set below.
I wouldn’t have argued if I got any of those cards as a kid. And trust me when I say they all look even better in person.
So are some sets more valuable? Sure. But there is no shortage of cool cards in any pack that you buy.
Which Pokémon Packs Should I Buy For a Child?
Based on the above, the different sets do matter as they each contain a completely unique set of cards. So when buying for a child, I’d recommend buying packs based on 3 things.
Their Favorite Pokémon
Not every set has every Pokémon. So if your child has a favorite Pokémon, I would simply search the sets that are available and see if that Pokémon is in the set you are looking into.
To do so, search “(Set Name) Pokémon Card List” and several websites will show you exactly the cards your child may find in it!
Are They Chasing a Certain Card?
If your child is chasing a particular card, then you may want to only purchase the particular set that card belongs in. Let’s say that your child wants the below Charizard.
To get that particular Charizard, you would need to purchase the Paldean Fates card packs. There are similar Charizard’s in other sets, but the Paldean Fates set is the only one that has that particular Charizard.
And if your child is only interested in that card? It might be worth purchasing that card directly rather than trying to find it in a pack. Unfortunately the cooler cards tend to be rarer than others.
Do They Want New Cards For Their Collection?
If a child (or you) only wants new cards, then buying them different packs will ensure that is the case. Stick with packs you haven’t bough as often or opt to buy new sets as they come out.
Each of those will give you a completely new set of cards your child can pull!
Does Pokémon Pack Art Matter?
You or your child might think that the artwork on the pack matters. After all, who can argue that a pink pack isn’t going to be luckier than another?
Ultimately though, the artwork on Pokémon Card Packs does not matter. They are simply the cover for what will be a completely random group of cards from the set that you’re buying for.
Why Are Some Pokémon Packs More Expensive Than Others?
There are a few reasons why some Pokémon packs are more expensive than others. It ultimately comes down to 3 things.
- How valuable and sought after the cards are in that set
- If the set is still being printed and released or not
- How much of it was printed in the first place
Every set has cards that can be considered cool. What makes them and therefore the packs more expensive though is how much it was printed and the rarity of the cards within them. The less of them that get printed, the less cards there are to collect.
If you’re curious what some of the most expensive card sets are, I’ve got you covered here!
So, will it matter to a kid which pack you buy? Usually not. To a serious collector though, the expense is usually worth it!
Summary
Hopefully this article gave you the answers to some of your burning questions! If you have any others or would like to leave me some feedback, feel free to send me a message at [email protected]!
Curious about the cheapest and best places to buy Pokémon products? Look no further!
Want to see some of the most expensive Charizard’s ever released? Click the link here!
Thanks for reading!