Wondering Which TCG Products to Give as Gifts? Try These

1st November 2024 EDT FEATURES

Wondering Which TCG Products to Give as Gifts? Try These

After reading through out list, you won't have to question yourself about what to get the TCG lovers you know.

Selecting a gift for the TCG enthusiasts in our lives can sometimes be a challenge if we’re not equipped with the necessary information beforehand. With so many sets and cards to choose from, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and unsure about how to select a TCG product as a gift.

With this in mind, we’ve listed out what we believe to be the best TCG products for gifting right now. We’ve divided our list into two portions: one for the Pokémon TCG and one for the ONE PIECE Card Game. Each portion will include four products apiece: one for newcomers, one box and one single card for avid collectors, and one for serious players.

Without further ado, these are our picks:

Pokémon TCG

For Newcomers: Pokémon GO [S10b] Box

Niantic’s augmented reality (AR) mobile game Pokémon Go took the world by storm when it was launched in 2016, giving rise to what’s now colloquially referred to as the “Pokémon Go summer”. Eight years later, Pokémon Go shows no signs of decline and is going as strongly as it ever has. As such, there’s arguably no easier hook to get people newly interested in the Pokémon TCG than the set based on Pokémon Go.

In addition, eighth-generation subset Pokémon GO [S10b] is commonly cited as being the easiest set to complete. Its card prices are relatively low due to the presence of the Pokémon Go watermark on the cards which was not well-received by Pokémon TCG connoisseurs and thus ended up lowering the value of the cards. Thus, a newcomer can complete the rest of the set with relative ease after receiving the Pokémon GO [S10b] Booster Box.

Some of the most notable pulls from Pokémon GO [S10b] include Mewtwo VSTAR, Dragonite VSTAR, and the Radiant forms of Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise. On top of that, Radiant Charizard is great for newcomers interested in gameplay; it’s a commonly-used supporting piece in many tournament decks.

For Avid Collectors (Box): Shiny Treasure ex [SV4a] Box

Though a subset rather than a main set, Shiny Treasure ex [SV4a] from Gen 9 is loaded with gems which any experienced Pokémon TCG collector would greatly appreciate. And no wonder—this massive set contains a whopping 360 cards.

The best part? Look at the set’s name—there’s the answer. Shiny Treasure ex contains an unprecedented 170 secret rares of which 154 depict a Shiny Pokémon. This abundance of mega-rare and mega-valuable cards makes Shiny Treasure ex [SV4a] a true collector’s dream. Best of all, the set’s three Special Art Rare (SAR) Shiny Pokémon-ex cards—Mew ex, Gardevoir ex, and Charizard ex—are to this day among the most coveted and valuable cards of the entire ninth generation.

But, with this set, it’s not just about the Pokémon. The human characters get their flowers too: look no further than the SAR versions of Nemona, Penny, Arven, and the biggest get of the lot: a reprint of the iconic SAR Iono card originally from Clay Burst [SV2D].

For Avid Collectors (Single Card): Pikachu ex (Super Electric Breaker [SV8] 132/106)

Although ninth-generation set Super Electric Breaker [SV8] has just been released, the Pikachu ex card that headlines the set has already proven to be a massive pickup. Depicting the face of the Pokémon franchise in its Terastallized Stellar-type form, this card’s immense demand is the culmination of almost six months of hype—it was announced as the set’s headliner all the way back in April 2024 when the set’s release was announced.

Owing to its status as a global pop culture icon, basically every Pikachu card of major rarity will be highly coveted—the one from Super Electric Breaker [SV8] is no exception. Its status as the highlight card of the set as well as the fact that it comes in its Terastallized Stellar-type form further elevate its value. There’s a very real chance that years from now, this card will be regarded as one of the defining cards of Gen 9.

For Serious Players: Charizard ex League Battle Deck

Ever since emerging as a serious metagame threat, the Charizard ex deck has been a mainstay of Pokémon TCG tournaments; it also had a lengthy stint as the Best Deck in Format (BDIF). As such, the upcoming Charizard ex League Battle Deck will be perfect for aspiring Pokémon TCG champs who’d rather not go to the lengths of tracking down every single card in a top-tier deck.

The Charizard ex League Battle Deck is designed to be a replica of a tournament-viable Charizard ex deck. Containing three copies of the deck’s titular card from Obsidian Flames [OBF], two copies of the Pidgeot ex card from the same set, and one copy of the Prime Catcher card from Temporal Forces [TEF], the Charizard ex League Battle Deck doesn’t even have to be modified for realistic use in tournament play.

Also included in the Charizard ex League Battle Deck are damage counter dice, coin condition markers, a coin flip die, a strategy sheet, a deck box, an accessory box, and a code card for Pokémon TCG Live.

ONE PIECE Card Game

For Newcomers: Red Edward Newgate [ST-15] / Green Uta [ST-16] / Blue Donquixote Doflamingo [ST-17] / Purple Monkey D. Luffy [ST-18] / Black Smoker [ST-19] / Yellow Charlotte Katakuri [ST-20] Starter Decks

We’ve put these six Starter Decks together for a reason. Released simultaneously, these decks go beyond ordinary Starter Decks because they are designed to introduce newcomers to the ONE PIECE Card Game by serving as a primer on how decks of certain colors typically operate.

Additionally, each deck corresponds to a certain group of characters from the One Piece manga and their respective affiliations. This is another factor that makes these Starter Decks excellent gift choices because the Starter Deck that corresponds to the gift recipients’ favorite characters and/or story arcs from the manga can be selected.

Gameplay-wise, these Starter Decks are also good picks because if the newcomer goes on to build a competitive deck, a considerable number of the cards found in these Starter Decks are also perfectly valid choices in tournament-viable decks.

For Avid Collectors (Box): Emperors in the New World [OP-09] Box

The most recent ONE PIECE Card Game set is also the biggest collectors’ draw that the TCG has ever seen. Emperors in the New World [OP-09] is stuffed to the brim with highly rare and valuable cards including an unprecedented five Manga Rares. As such, anyone who gets their hands on this box has a higher chance than usual of scoring a card that’ll make them the envy of almost everyone who sees it.

The build-up to this set’s release was unlike anything that had ever happened in the ONE PIECE Card Game before. The release of Emperors in the New World [OP-09] was first teased by BANDAI in March 2024, more than five months prior to its actual drop. Additionally, the fanbase had been clamoring for a set built around the Four Emperors for quite some time; their wish was granted in spectacular fashion.

All of this and we still haven’t gotten to the most exciting part. Of the five Manga Rares, one of them goes beyond the usual Manga Rare. Coming in at the rarity of Secret Rare Gold Secret Parallel (SEC-GSP) which was created specifically for that card is, aptly, the first-ever card depicting Gol D. Roger, the original “King of the Pirates”. For all we know, the next person who gets this box as a gift might just land this epic card…

For Avid Collectors (Single Card): Nami (Romance Dawn [OP-01] OP01-016) (Parallel Art)

Countless versions of the Nami card from Romance Dawn [OP-01]—arguably the single most recognizable ONE PIECE Card Game card—are in circulation today. Among all of these iterations of the card featuring the Straw Hat Pirates’ navigator, we’ve gone all the way back to the beginning—the first-ever Parallel Art version of that Nami card.

Value-wise, this card hits the sweet spot: it’s a majorly impressive card that’ll certainly elevate the receiver’s collection while likely remaining within the giver’s budget. Visually, the image shown on the card has demographic appeal for reasons that ought to be obvious; in addition, there’s also canonical relevance in the illustration because Nami is shown holding the Clima-Tact, her signature weapon. Finally, the fact that it’s from the first-ever ONE PIECE Card Game set may cause its value to rise over time.

For Serious Players: The Three Brothers [ST-13] Ultra Deck

We know what some of you might be thinking: “wait, isn’t an Ultra Deck just an upgraded Starter Deck? Why would a serious player want this?” Well, just let us explain.

What makes The Three Brothers [ST-13] different from all the other Ultra Decks and Starter Decks before and since lies in the fact that it’s closer to being tournament-ready than all the others. Many of the cards in the Three Brothers form the foundation of the Black/Yellow Luffy deck—a deck which has been one of the biggest forces in the metagame for quite some time. With this Ultra Deck in hand, the number of additional card purchases needed to craft a solid tournament deck goes way down.

On top of that, many of the cards in The Three Brothers [ST-13] are viable additions to other decks. Cards from this Ultra Deck don’t necessarily have to be used in the Black/Yellow Luffy deck; users of the Yellow Kalgara, Green/Yellow Yamato, and Yellow Enel decks can get access to significant deck upgrades by incorporating cards from The Three Brothers [ST-13].

And that wraps up our recommendations about what TCG products would work best as gifts. With our picks in mind, any attempt to select the appropriate items will be a breeze.

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