{"id":221058,"date":"2024-03-01T16:13:19","date_gmt":"2024-03-01T08:13:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/?p=221058"},"modified":"2024-03-01T16:13:21","modified_gmt":"2024-03-01T08:13:21","slug":"east-vs-west-comparing-english-and-japanese-pokemon-tcg-cards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/2024\/03\/01\/east-vs-west-comparing-english-and-japanese-pokemon-tcg-cards\/","title":{"rendered":"East vs West: Comparing English and Japanese Pok\u00e9mon TCG Cards"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Many people who are just starting to get into the Pok\u00e9mon Trading Card Game (TCG) scene might be wondering if there\u2019s a difference between English and Japanese Pok\u00e9mon TCG cards as far as viability for collection or sale is concerned. There are, in fact, several key differences which will be detailed here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Advantages of English Pok\u00e9mon TCG Cards<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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While Pok\u00e9mon TCG cards outside Japan do exist in a variety of languages, the vast majority of them are printed in English. One key area where English cards are often superior to their Japanese counterparts lies in the value of PSA 10 cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although English cards typically have a lower level of quality than their Japanese counterparts, this ironically leads to a spike in the value of the highest-graded English cards because there are fewer of them to go around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, although international card collectors have frequently lamented the fact that English booster packs have less impressive pull rates than do Japanese ones, this once again works in the English iteration\u2019s favor in terms of value. There are a great deal fewer English cards of the highest rarities than there are Japanese ones, thus driving up the English cards\u2019 value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those who enter Pok\u00e9mon TCG tournaments, the only way to legally use Japanese Pok\u00e9mon TCG cards in tournaments is by crafting an entire deck of Japanese cards. Current official Pok\u00e9mon TCG tournament rules state that every card in a deck must be in the same language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since it\u2019s vastly easier to obtain English cards in comparison to Japanese ones when outside Japan, the target market for English cards is thus larger because it includes a wider swathe of competitive Pok\u00e9mon TCG players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Advantages of Japanese Pok\u00e9mon TCG Cards<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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One of the biggest selling points of Japanese Pok\u00e9mon TCG cards lies in the fact that some of them bear unique designs and artwork. Many of these cards are of the Special Art Rare (SAR) rarity\u2014they are never reprinted in English and thus solely exist in Japanese.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This also makes them more marketable to non-Japanese buyers because unless those buyers actually travel to Japan themselves, buying those Japanese cards from an online seller would be the only way to obtain cards with one-of-a-kind art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those trying to make money by selling Pok\u00e9mon TCG cards, Japanese cards are far more profitable than English ones. This is because Japanese cards have a greater degree of immunity to price fluctuations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reprints are far more common in English than they are in Japanese. When a reprint of a previously rare card occurs, its value declines rapidly. Those who attempt to financially profit by selling English cards run a much greater risk of holding on to their \u201cassets\u201d for too long and ultimately failing to make money\u2014or on some occasions, break even at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Individual Japanese cards are often more coveted by completionists than are individual English cards. Individual Japanese cards are less frequently sold and thus less common, making the cards necessary for the completion of a full set just that much more desired when they\u2019re in Japanese. Making availability even more of a challenge is the reduced duration of Japanese cards\u2019 print runs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Booster Packs and Boxes: English vs Japanese<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Pok\u00e9mon TCG booster packs and boxes have significant differences between the two languages\u2014both have their pros and cons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Japanese booster pack contains 5 cards and each box has 30 booster packs in it. English booster packs, on the other hand, contain 10 cards. A box of English Pok\u00e9mon TCG booster packs has 36 booster packs in it. This means that an English booster packs gives buyers better value for money; however, a Japanese booster pack is less likely to cause the buyer to waste money on repeat cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, a Japanese booster box features the entire set art on its cover. This feature can sometimes drive up the value of a box of booster packs if the cards are still in the box. English booster boxes do not include this feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the past, only Japanese booster packs guaranteed the pull of one or more cards of Secret Rare or rarer. However, since the beginning of the ninth generation of the Pok\u00e9mon TCG, this has been true of their English counterparts as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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That covers all the basics about the differences between English and Japanese Pok\u00e9mon TCG Cards. In the end, there\u2019s not really an option which is the clear-cut \u201cbetter\u201d choice. The buyer\u2019s, seller\u2019s, collector\u2019s, or player\u2019s personal goals and budget will inform them on their decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the information from this article in mind, anyone reading this can now further dive into the world of Pok\u00e9mon TCG\u2014whether English or Japanese\u2014armed with the knowledge to get the most out of their experience with whatever they plan to do with these cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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