We've had quite a rocky start to the Mega Evolution era of cards, as the prices of all Pokemon TCG—from sealed product to raw cards and even graded cards—are beginning to turn downward. 2025 ended with the arrow pointing down on the market as a whole, but this coming year may see a big rebound as it looks like it'll be jam-packed with exclusives, restocks, reprints, and much more.

With the new printing facility lease that will expand product printing capabilities in 2026, the 30th anniversary of Pokemon coming in March 2026, and a healthy, steady demand for Pokemon cards, I'm sure a lot of us are asking ourselves similar questions: What's worth buying right now? Should I just get out of the hobby while it's good? Will this year be the year I go broke on Pokemon cards?

Well, I'm here to answer those questions with three things I will be personally doing in 2026, so let's get into it.

I'm buying two things this year: PokemonCenter.com exclusive ETBs and any Scarlet and Violet era booster boxes and booster bundles that restock/reprint that I can find at MSRP.

As an outside observer, the distribution strategy for Pokemon product has shifted away from servicing smaller retail businesses to selling to big-box retail. Because of their large B2C presence and the significant resources they're clearly putting into the development of their eCommerce site, simplifying their B2B channels and working with fewer wholesale distributors will give them further control of how product is disseminated to the end customer.

This means you can expect the ramp-up in printing production to directly funnel into retailers that can handle large wholesale quantities so that store shelves can be flooded. They want Pokemon product to be so available that kids can find it in stores again without an issue.

Here's what I'll be doing specifically in 2026:

The way I see the sealed product I mentioned above is like stashing gold bars. Sealed product ensures your collection is future-proofed for value, that you will always have the option to flip it for money later on. So as you buy more volatile things like raw singles and PSA graded cards, you can rest easy knowing that your sealed product will always grow in value over time.

I can't comment on anniversary product since we don't know what The Pokemon Company's plans are for it yet, but we can cover our strategy for that later.

There's a significant gap between chase cards and the rest of the hits in these Mega Evolution sets, which is why I'm avoiding buying chase singles from Mega Evolution sets right now.

I'm focusing on illustration rares and the less-hyped SIRs like the Meowth IR and the Rotom SIR from Phantasmal Flames, and waiting for chases like the Mega Lucario ex SIR from Mega Evolution base to fall a bit more in price before picking it up.

There are so many sets and cards releasing, and Pokemon has truly won with their illustration rares (other TCG and sports card companies are trying to create their own version of this). And now that Pokemon has started to configure collector-centric English sets (like Prismatic Evolution), we should see sets aimed directly at collectors loaded with top-tier chase cards that are strategically limited, while mainline, competitive-relevant sets are regularly restocked and made more widely available.

I've said over and over that buying raw singles is just not the best way to build out a collection. But if you've stacked a good amount of sealed product and can afford to splurge, I would still skip over Phantasmal Flames and even Mega Evolution base set and buy the chase cards you want from the newer Scarlet and Violet sets, like Prismatic, Destined, and even Black Bolt/White Flare.

Raw singles are still the most volatile and riskiest buys if you're looking to build a collection that has future value. But the whole reason why we love the TCG at all is because of the cards. So don't deny yourself the thrill of obtaining your favorite cards—just avoid spending top dollar on the top chases of the most current sets. Aim for your favorite illustration rares, fill your binder, and patiently wait for older chase cards to settle down in value before the upcoming anniversary and summer spikes.

I've been a huge proponent of PSA cards, believing they hold their value best over time. And I still wholeheartedly believe that you are better off buying the PSA 10 of your favorite modern card.

But if you're like me, someone who is limited in budget and what they can spend on a consistent basis for Pokemon cards, I have passed on the opportunity to buy a PSA 10 in favor of saving my money for the next Target restock or waiting for the next set's PokemonCenter.com release.

We're scaling back our PSA 10 buying altogether. I have a few top chase PSA 10s on my list (that alt art Gengar VMAX from Fusion Strike will be mine this year…), and will focus primarily on Scarlet and Violet and older PSA 10s.

Mega Evolution era is introducing so many new cards into the competitive scene, and for the next two years, if this new printing facility is any indication, we're going to be flooded with product like never before. And when sealed product becomes affordable again, you can absolutely bet that the PSA 10s are going to see a massive pullback in value. So, if you can, skip on PSA 10s from Mega Evolution right now until the dust settles.

Save that PSA 10 money for that chase card you really want. Splurge on those $500-$1,000 cards. Or save it all and buy that high-end alt art. Whatever you do, just remember: graded cards are just as volatile as the raw singles, so you're still assuming a ton of risk. If you're hesitating, just follow one simple rule: stick to the Charizards, the Pikachus, the Umbreons, or any of the super popular Pokemon with multiple PSA chase cards in the $1,000+ range. That way, you can be assured that there will always be a fan of that card now and in the future.

It's really time to lock in now. If you're new to the hobby, just notice I said nothing about ripping packs and hitting chases. There's just no room in the hobby right now—you can't expect to get back enough value from opening any product (aside from ETBs and UPCs), so keep as much of your sealed product sealed, and eye your booster bundles for a quick rip hit.

I'm trying to see all of you win in 2026, so let's really focus and set ourselves up for success beyond 2026.

Paldean Fates is an old set. And even though product has released throughout 2025, 2026 is going to be the year where this and many other Scarlet and Violet sets exit their reprint window.

So why this Charizard? I think it's extremely underrated. The colors are excellent, and Charizard is just incredible.

These are the types of chase singles I'm thinking about when talking about older chase cards. Charizard is a hugely popular Pokemon, and this card does an excellent job of displaying Charizard in its shiny form.

This is almost certainly a buy from me this year, as Bubble Mew fatigue sets in (I'm almost certain the population of PSA 10s is going to catch up very soon on that card…). So search high and low for a deal and scoop up a copy of this one before Paldean Fates stops restocking.

Catch deals. Pull grails.