Prismatic Evolutions ETB Review: Does it Live Up to the Hype?
I braved the shark infested waters today to go to my local game store and pick up my preordered Prismatic Evolutions ETB. While the preorder line had several locals who I play cards with, the other line was filled with a mixture of honest Pokemon TCG fans and opportunists disgruntled at the low volume available to walk-ins.
I’ve been saying this a lot lately, but regardless it’s both a little crazy and exciting that the Pokemon TCG simply seems to grow. Indeed, I’ve never seen anything like the furor for this set – beating even the height of the Pandemic in regards to desire and prices for Pokemon Trading Cards
Is the Prismatic Evolutions ETB worth it?
If I were to approach the Prismatic Evolutions ETB the same as I would any other Pokemon product – even by those standards there would be something special about this set. Let’s start with the packaging itself.
With the Eevee on the cover and the gorgeous gem pattern fractle on the outside containing within it each of the Eeveelutions, the ETB is eye-catching to say the least.
Inside, more awaits, like the equally beautiful Eevee promo card that comes in each and every box.
While ETBs always come with promos, I’ve never actually seen one as good as this. This sleepy Eeevee, resting peacefully on the floor of a trainer’s room, it’s totally nostalgic, and encapsulates the vibe of the Scarlet and Violet era. It seems to say “I know the Pokemon TCG is hot. I don’t need to work for the attention.”
Additionally, we can’t forget the packs themselves: nine whole Prismatic Evolutions booster packs chalk full of surprises and each and every one with the chance to pull a valuable secret rare.
Players of the game will be excited for the added goodies you get though, each one feeling perfectly placed and well thought out down to the dividers featruing the same pattern of Eeveelutions that this set will undoubtedly go down in history for. The dice are a nice tough, featuring an exclusive wood-like texture. The sleeves, while not great for shuffling, are almost a collector’s item in themselves.
Prismatic Evolutions ETB – the Pulls
It’s not just the packaging that’s to die for. The thing everyone is after are the rare and valuable Eeveelutions you can get from this set, as well as a host of valuable pulls featuring the best chase cards of the latest sets.
So just how good are the pulls in Prismatic Evolutions?
See the best stuff I got below.
I don’t think anyone is going to get insanely jelous of me because of these pulls. But the Master Ball Budew is actually pretty cool, and worth something right now mostly because that card’s strong competitively.
One thing that you can’t really tell from the picture, however, is just how nice these Master Ball/Poke Ball foil cards look. They’re essentially alternate arts for typical reverse holos that each card in the set comes with. While the pull rates for these are decent, finding any single one is a challenge. That’s a problem for collectors wanting to do a master set of Prismatic Evolutions, making just about every Master Ball foil a find.
Is the Prismatic Evolutions ETB worth it?
So just how good of a buy is the Prismatic Evolutions ETB right now?
Well, realistically, it’s a bit overhyped. Sure, you can get cards that can help you recoup your costs. But that’s far from a guarantee. Also, we’re at the very peak of the hype cycle for this set, meaning prices are very likely to come down. In some cases, they’re likely to drop quite drastically.
If you are getting this ETB at MSRP, then it is easily worth the price. If you are paying online market prices, it probably isn’t. Just be smart in what you pay for it and don’t worry too much about missing out: a reprint is coming and that could very well help put more ETBs in the hands of fans.
