New to the Pokémon TCG? Try Collecting One of the Easiest Sets to Complete

22nd August 2024 EDT FEATURES

New to the Pokémon TCG? Try Collecting One of the Easiest Sets to Complete

Because there's nothing more satisfying than a completed card album segment.

Pokémon Card Game XY Expansion Pack Rising Fist Box Retail US$

For new Pokémon TCG collectors, it can be difficult to know just where to begin. After all, the Pokémon TCG has now been around for nine generations spanning almost three decades and covering dozens of Pokémon TCG sets.

One of the best ways to get started is to prioritize the completion of a full set. However, it’s not always obvious as to which sets are easiest to complete. That being said, there are some options which are closest to being ideal for those just starting out on their Pokémon TCG journeys.

These are the Pokémon TCG sets which rank among the easiest to complete:

Pokémon GO [S10b]

The eighth-generation subset based on the mobile game that conquered the world in the blink of an eye upon its launch is the consensus pick as the easiest set to complete. There are several key reasons why such is the case.

For one thing, every card in this set bears the Pokémon Go watermark. Many long-time Pokémon TCG aficionados actually find this watermark obtrusive, distracting, and visually unappealing. This feature therefore lowers the value of each card in the set. Further keeping prices down is the fact that Pokémon GO [S10b] is one of the most critically-panned sets ever. Additionally, since this is a subset and not a main set, both the English and Japanese versions of Pokémon GO [S10b] do not have as many cards as most of the main sets.

Although pull rates of Pokémon GO [S10b] aren’t necessarily the most favorable, most of the set’s single cards—even the rarest ones from the set—are not only relatively easy to find on the open market; they’re, as mentioned, fairly affordable as well. With all of this in mind, Pokémon GO [S10b] is probably the single best choice for a new collector’s first attempt at completing a set.

Awakened Heroes [SM4S] / Ultradimensional Beasts [SM4A] (English Name: Crimson Invasion)

The dual set of Awakened Heroes [SM4S] and Ultradimensional Beasts [SM4A] is the easiest seventh-generation set to complete. Its rarest cards are relatively inexpensive compared to the rarest cards of other Gen 7 sets.

Although Awakened Heroes [SM4S] and Ultradimensional Beasts [SM4A] have eight Hyper Rare (HR) and six Ultra Rare (UR) cards between them, none of these 14 cards feature any major draws such as iconic fan-favorite Pokémon or Full Art illustrations of female characters with the arguable exception of the Gyarados GX card from Ultradimensional Beasts [SM4A]—and even that card doesn’t have a price high enough to scare off most collectors.

Only two cards break the US$20 barrier in their ungraded forms: that same Gyarados GX card in the rarity of HR as well as the Super Rare (SR) version of the Lusamine card. Pull rates of Awakened Heroes [SM4S] and Ultradimensional Beasts [SM4A] are also among the better ones of all Gen 7 sets, making this dual set a great pick for any beginner’s first complete set.

Fever-Burst Fighter / Cruel Traitor [XY11] (English Name: Steam Siege)

The most notable thing to point out regarding completion of this sixth-generation dual set is its remarkable lack of high-rarity cards. Only two of the dual set’s 118 cards have a rarity higher than SR. These are the Volcanion ex card from Fever-Burst Fighter [XY11] and the Gardevoir ex card from Cruel Traitor [XY11]—both have the rarity of UR.

Due to this lack of rare cards, Fever-Burst Fighter and Cruel Traitor [XY11] can come close to completion via booster pack or box pulls without too much difficulty. In addition, the UR Gardevoir ex card is the only card from the dual set which in its ungraded version sells for more than US$20.

Once again, there’s a general lack of cards which stereotypically climb to the top of price charts. Finally, as with Pokémon GO [S10b], Fever-Burst Fighter and Cruel Traitor [XY11] received consistently damning reviews from Pokémon TCG experts; this not only reduced the demand for the set and thus the prices of its cards as well; it’s now also relatively easy to pursue any specific cards needed to complete the set because many cards are still available for purchase due to the lack of demand surrounding them.

Infinity Zone [S3] (English Name: Darkness Ablaze)

For affordability, it’s almost impossible to top eighth-generation set Infinity Zone [S3]. The average value of each card in this set is exceptionally low because none of its 119 cards are the sort of cards which not only don’t have major appeal to most collectors; they don’t even get a value boost through gameplay viability as none of its cards ended up being metagame staples.

Usually, most sets that included Pokémon V and Pokémon VMAX when those cards were still around would have at least one such card emerge from the pack and garner significant value. That, however, wasn’t the case in Infinity Zone [S3] because despite having many such Pokémon, none of its Pokémon V and Pokémon VMAX were fan favorites—and that ended up reducing its value, making the set more accessible for beginner collectors.

Interestingly, Infinity Zone [S3] is an example of a set for which there’s a significant price disparity between its Japanese and English versions. That’s because English equivalent Darkness Ablaze has a slightly different card list which includes the impressive Charizard VMAX. That being said, Charizard VMAX is the only card in Darkness Ablaze which really jumps off the page; thus, it’s also a reasonably easy set to complete in spite of that one card.

Rising Fist [XY3] (English Name: Furious Fists)

This sixth-generation set includes just two cards beyond the SR rarity—an obvious green flag for new collectors. In addition, just five cards in the entire set cost more than US$10 when ungraded: both of the set’s two Mega Lucario ex cards, the SR version of Lucario ex, Dragonite ex, and Korrina.

Creatures Inc. specifically designed Rising Fist [XY3] to be centered around Lucario. As things turned out, they might have overcommitted to the theme as the Lucario-related cards didn’t rise to the values which they might have anticipated while the rest of the set was loaded with fairly low-value cards. This, of course, worked out in favor of those just getting started with Pokémon TCG card collection due to the relative ease of completing the set.

One further factor that kept the set’s value low was the fact that it followed Wild Blaze [XY2] when it was first released. That’s because Wild Blaze [XY2], spearheaded by three Mega Charizard ex cards, was one of the most in-demand and therefore expensive sets ever. This made Rising Fist [XY3] a relative letdown in comparison, thus deflating its price because hype for Wild Blaze [XY2] was still at peak levels when Rising Fist [XY3] was launched.

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In other TCG-related news, check out the Sylveon ex card from Terastal Festival ex [SV8a]. Alternatively, you can also head over to the SNKRDUNK App via the banner below and find the top trending and latest single cards and boxes.

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