Best Pokemon Packs To Get Rare Cards: [Buying Guide]


When purchasing card packs with the intent to find specific cards, you want to know all the tricks to find and buy the best pack possible. Pokemon cards are no different. Pokemon cards can be worth tens of thousands of dollars if you have the right card. But with so many cards and so many packs, what are the best packs to purchase to find rare cards?

On average, the best packs to purchase are the 1999 Base Set Theme Deck, 1996 Japanese Jungle, Fossil & Team Rocket Booster Packs, and 2014 XY Flashfire Booster Packs. When deciding what Pokemon pack to purchase to potentially find rare cards, perform research beforehand.

A great thing about Pokemon is that it has been around for over 20 years. This means there are a lot of packs to choose from that have rare or valuable cards. Aside from the previously listed packs, there are many others you should be looking for that may contain rare cards.

Pokemon Packs to Buy Now

According to IGN, there are 77 English Pokemon card sets and 70 Japanese Pokemon card sets.

In 2017 (there are even more now) there were 9,110 English Pokemon cards and 6,959 Japanese Pokemon cards. With so many card sets and individual cards, it can be hard to know what pack to purchase. Below are a few great options to be looking for today.

Click here to view IGN Pokemon Card Sets

2016 XY Generation Booster Packs

Most true Pokemon fans will know that Pokemon was released in 1996.

2016 was the 20th anniversary of Pokemon, and they have gone all out to celebrate. Pokemon released XY Generations packs which are filled with fan-favorite characters and amazing artwork. Of course, you cannot forget the 3 beastly Charizards!

If you are looking for a pack to find cards to add to your collection, the 2016 XY Generation Booster Packs are some of your best options.

2021 Shining Fates Booster Packs

This new set of Pokemon cards has almost vanished from store shelves.

People have gone crazy to purchase the shining sets. These card packs include over 100 “shining cards”. Cards from the 2021 Shining Fates Booster Packs have lots of full arts, two gold and black Eternatus cards, and a rainbow rare.

The magic of this new pack has caused people to purchase all of them from the store and resell them. If you are interested in purchasing a 2021 Shining Fates Booster Pack, your best option is to find someone who is selling a pack. Many people are selling these packs on eBay due to their value.

2017 Sun & Moon Burning Shadows Booster Boxes

The main value of this amazing Pokemon Card set comes from the secret rare rainbow Charizard card.

Collectors are going crazy over this card and are willing to pay thousands of dollars for it. Aside from the Charizard, the stunning gold energy cards are also very valuable.

If you are feeling lucky and think you may find a rare card, this is a great pack for you to purchase to add to your collection.

2020 Sword & Shield Campion’s Path Elite Trainer Box

Just like its name, this Pokemon card set is very impressive and shocking.

If you were into Pokemon when this new set was announced, you may remember the hype around it. So many people were pre-ordering that many online retailers were forced to limit the number of sets each customer could purchase to just one.

The 2020 Sword & Shield Campion’s Path Elite Trainer Box features two rare and wildly attractive secret Charizards. When someone chooses to purchase the Elite Trainer Box version, it also contains a Charizard promo.

If you are looking to purchase one of these amazing Pokemon card sets, you will most likely have to purchase your set through someone who is reselling a box, as not many retailers have any boxes left.

Most Rare and Valuable Pokemon Cards

Pokemon has been around since the 1990s, and the popularity of the game has only intensified as the years have gone by.

People have become so invested and obsessed with the Pokemon world that they purchase Pokemon cards or merchandise for an insanely high price. Below is a list of some of the most valuable and rare Pokemon cards out there.

ALSO READ: Rarest and Most Expensive Pokemon Cards (2021)

20th Anniversary 24-karat Gold Pikachu

This is a card that is made of solid gold!

This card was released in 2016 and was sold for over $2,000! The only way to have the opportunity to even purchase this card is by entering a lottery and be chosen for the chance to purchase this solid gold Pokemon card.

The card was created by a Japanese jewelry maker. She created only a few of these cards with the design of the original Japanese Pikachu.

Unfortunately, despite the card holding all of the original information and stats, it is not legal to use in a tournament due to the fact it is made of gold. This is more of a collectors card than someone who plans on using all of their cards.

Master’s Key

A trading card with fewer than 40 copies! This card was released in 2010 and passed out to those competing in the 2010 Pokemon World Championships that were being held in Hawaii. There were only 36 copies of the Master’s Key card passed out (one for each participant in all age divisions in the world championships).

One of the Master’s Key cards was sold in November 2019 in an auction for over $21,000!

Umbreon and Espeon Gold Star POP Series 5

If you are truly into Pokemon and know the value of Pokemon cards, you may have heard and known about the Gold Star Pokemon Cards. This set of cards is one of the most valuable Pokemon card sets to ever be produced.

These cards have a golden star directly to the right of the Pokemon’s name. These cards all have alternative-color artwork that is different from the original version of the Pokemon card.

These Pokemon cards were released beginning in 2004 until 2007. The age of these cards adds to their value.

Gold Star Pokemon Cards in mint condition are valued higher than $187,000!

Nicholas Lloyd

Hi, I'm Nick, a professional writer living in Japan, and have been a part of the Trading Card Game community for over 20 years. I share tips, answer questions, and anything else I can do to help more people enjoy this wonderful cardboard hobby.

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