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Patricia is the former editor-in-chief of Kotaku, where she spent a decade writing and editing. Prior to that, she served as the Culture Editor at Polygon, and as a reporter at The Verge. Hernandez specializes in Pokémon TCG, Nintendo, and offbeat internet culture stories.
Pokémon fans were looking forward to pre-orders for 30th Anniversary UPCs or Battle Decks
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Pokémon's Eevee-themed 30th Anniversary Battle Deck is scheduled to drop on Oct. 30. A week after that is the release date for the highly-awaited Pokémon 30th Anniversary Ultra Premium Collection, the most expansive (and expensive) product in the celebratory lineup. Is The Pokémon Center doing pre-orders for either of these things this Tuesday? Of course not. The official pocket monster storefront is currently selling new trading card game items from the 30th Anniversary repertoire, yes, but its selection is as random as it is baffling.
What is The Pokémon Center drop today?
Instead of offering pre-orders for items that would make sense, TPC decided to start selling 30th Anniversary Poster Collection boxes today. Don't get me wrong: the product and its three legendary bird promo cards are a great pickup, and especially attractive at the manufacturer's suggested retail price of $14.99. Despite months of availability, some poor Pokémon fans still haven't managed to purchase a single 30th Anniversary box — and a TPC drop is a new opportunity to correct that.
It's still wild that we are this close to the release of the UPC without any official pre-orders. Normally, TPC does pre-orders for new products at least a month before launch. As reported before, the UPC and its exclusive Future Rare card, Classic Collection pack, and 30 boosters is already a hot commodity that is being resold well above MSRP. Even against an endless horde of bots, TPC is probably the single most realistic option for Pokémon fans who want the UPC without sacrificing most of a paycheck.
What makes all of this especially puzzling, though, is that TPC is selling the Poster Collection with a limit of one per customer. While that cap does ensure a larger number of people can order the Pokémon product, it's sadly not enough to qualify for free shipping. Then again, scalpers may look at the drop and think exactly the same thing — why even bother trying the Poster Collection when the more profitable UPC is right around the corner? Plus, with such strict limits, the new TPC drop may last longer than most online drops do.
Regardless, here's hoping that TPC finds its UPC stock sometime soon — otherwise, it's going to be a bloodbath out there.