If you’re reading this, you’ve probably also told yourself this would be the month you don’t buy more Pokémon cards. Same here. Yet, here we are, eyeing another lineup of Elite Trainer Boxes and tins like they’re life choices we already regret but will definitely make again.

Pokémon TCG: Azure Legends Tin - 5 Packs

0$29.99 at Amazon

Pokémon TCG: Stacking Tin (Q1 2025) - 3 Packs, Stickers (Random Design)

0$19.99 at Amazon

Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet: Paradox Rift: Elite Trainer Box - Roaring Moon

0$56.77 at Amazon

Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet: Temporal Forces: Elite Trainer Box: Walking Wake

0$53.64 at Amazon

Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet: Temporal Forces: Elite Trainer Box: Iron Leaves

0$55.24 at Amazon

Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet Shrouded Fable Elite Trainer Box

0$57.98 at Amazon

The Scarlet & Violet sets continue to drop visually stunning and competitively viable cards, making them irresistible for our wallets. Some of these boxes are genuinely worth opening.

Pokémon TCG: Azure Legends Tin - 5 Packs

Pokémon TCG: Azure Legends Tin - 5 Packs

0Contains 2 x Surging Spark Boosters $29.99 at Amazon

This tin is surprisingly solid. You get five booster packs from a great mix of sets — Surging Sparks, Stellar Crown, Temporal Forces, and Obsidian Flames — and a promo card featuring either Kyogre, Dialga, or Xerneas. It’s essentially Pokémon’s version of a loot box, and yes, I bought two. With chase cards like Pikachu ex, Terapagos, and Raging Bolt, your chances of hitting something exciting are actually pretty good. I don’t even like tins, but I’d still grab another one.

Pikachu ex - 238/191

0$399.99 at TCG Player

Milotic ex - 237/191

0$140.00 at TCG Player

Pikachu ex - 247/191

0$95.97 at TCG Player

Hydreigon ex - 240/191

0$79.99 at TCG Player

Alolan Exeggutor ex - 242/191

0$55.99 at TCG Player

Pokémon TCG: Stacking Tin (Q1 2025) - 3 Packs, Stickers (Random Design)

Pokémon TCG: Stacking Tin (Q1 2025) - 3 Packs, Stickers (Random Design)

0Contains 1 x Surging Sparks Booster $19.99 at Amazon

I didn’t expect much from this tin. I bought it for the sticker sheets and the promise of a Surging Sparks pack. And it delivered. Three packs, one of which might yield something like Pikachu ex or Latias ex, and a tin that I now use to store nothing. I can’t even be upset. There’s a slim chance you’ll pull a Milotic ex or Ceruledge ex if you’re lucky with the packs, and if you don’t? Well, you spent twenty dollars to roll the dice and got some mildly useful storage in return. That’s more than I can say for half the cereal I’ve bought this year.

Alolan Exeggutor ex - 242/191

0$55.99 at TCG Player

Lisia's Appeal - 246/191

0$54.99 at TCG Player

Jasmine's Gaze - 245/191

0$54.94 at TCG Player

Latios - 203/191

0$36.79 at TCG Player

Archaludon ex - 241/191

0$34.99 at TCG Player

Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet: Paradox Rift: Elite Trainer Box - Roaring Moon

Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet: Paradox Rift: Elite Trainer Box - Roaring Moon

0$56.77 at Amazon

I got this box for the sleeves and stayed because Roaring Moon ex is what happens when a Pokémon decides to stop playing fair. If your goal is to end games in one powerful move and look great doing it, this is your choice. Paradox Rift may not have as many chase cards, but the ones it does have—like Iron Valiant ex and Groudon—feel like they were drawn by someone who knows we’ll be staring at them like cave paintings in 30 years.

Groudon - 199/182

0See it at TCG Player

Altaria ex - 253/182

0$65.99 at TCG Player

Roaring Moon ex - 251/182

0$59.99 at TCG Player

Garchomp ex - 245/182

0$39.49 at TCG Player

Steelix - 208/182

0$34.99 at TCG Player

Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet: Temporal Forces: Elite Trainer Box: Walking Wake

Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet: Temporal Forces: Elite Trainer Box: Walking Wake

0$53.64 at Amazon

The Walking Wake Elite Trainer Box includes a full-art Flutter Mane and nine more Temporal Forces packs to try your luck again at the best art of the Scarlet & Violet era. This version embraces the ancient theme, and I picked it up mainly to increase my chances of pulling Walking Wake ex. Is it playable? That's debatable. But it looks like it wandered out of a dream after eating too much sushi. With vibrant blues and prehistoric drama, the vibe alone justifies the price. Also, the sleeves are stylish, and I pretend to care about those.

Raging Bolt ex - 208/162

0$112.94 at TCG Player

Iron Crown ex - 206/162

0$65.11 at TCG Player

Walking Wake ex - 205/162

0$149.95 at TCG Player

Gouging Fire ex - 204/162

0$56.88 at TCG Player

Gastly - 177/162

0$50.36 at TCG Player

Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet: Temporal Forces: Elite Trainer Box: Iron Leaves

Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet: Temporal Forces: Elite Trainer Box: Iron Leaves

0$55.24 at Amazon

Iron Leaves ex achieves the rare feat of being both playable and beautifully illustrated. It looks like it's mid-leap out of a sci-fi anime, exactly the kind of energy I want from my pulls. The other heavy hitters—like Iron Crown ex and Gouging Fire ex—either pack a punch or look like they’re about to. Raging Bolt ex steals the show, though. It’s loud, dramatic, and perfectly balanced between “meta staple” and “thunder god cosplayer.”

Morty's Conviction - 211/162

0$69.99 at TCG Player

Iron Leaves ex - 203/162

0$38.01 at TCG Player

Bianca's Devotion - 209/162

0$35.87 at TCG Player

Sawsbuck - 166/162

0$32.07 at TCG Player

Metagross - 178/162

0$29.95 at TCG Player

Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet Shrouded Fable Elite Trainer Box

Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet Shrouded Fable Elite Trainer Box

0$57.98 at Amazon

Shrouded Fable quietly introduces cards like Houndoom, whose illustration makes you lower your voice in reverence, and Persian, which looks like it’s plotting something cinematic. The promos and sleeves are nice, but I really wanted this box for the Illustration Rares that not only look cool but also tell a story. Fezandipiti ex, for instance, is the Swiss Army knife of support attackers, and Cassiopeia offers straight-up character drama in a foil rectangle. The art direction in this set is borderline pretentious, and I mean that as a compliment.

Persian - 078/064 - SV: Shrouded Fable

1$67.61 at TCGPlayer

Cassiopeia - 094/064 - SV: Shrouded Fable

0$59.98 at TCGPlayer

Fezandipiti ex - 092/064 - SV: Shrouded Fable

0See it at TCGPlayer

Houndoom - 066/064 - SV: Shrouded Fable

2$49.99 at TCGPlayer

Duskull - 068/064 - SV: Shrouded Fable

0$49.88 at TCGPlayer