It was then that I remembered one thing I personally do not like about starting a new game in one of my favorite games
Do they move the needle for a decks potency
Over the past week or two since The Pokmon Company unleashed this fearsome dopamine machine onto the world, I've been hard pressed to put it down, filling erstwhile empty moments during tooth brushing, kettle boiling and, erm, definitely not working with just one more quick game

Here's the price evolution of the top 3 most expensive cards: Pikachu Illustrator Price History (PSA 10) Source: Goldin Auctions, eBay Sales Data Charizard 1st Edition Shadowless Price History (PSA 10) Source: PWCC Marketplace, Goldin Auctions Key Price Drivers (2019-2025) 2020-2021 Pandemic Boom : Prices increased 200-400% across vintage cards Celebrity Purchases : Logan Paul, Logic, Post Malone drove mainstream attention Social Media Influence : YouTube/TikTok opening videos viral exposure Investment Funds : Fractional ownership platforms (Rally, Collectable) entered market Grading Backlog : PSA submission delays created artificial scarcity The market as investment TL;DR: Pokmon cards returned +3,261% over 20 years vs S&P 500's ~300%
At the same time WoTC contracted the Shepard Poorman company to do a print run of Mirage