{"id":281082,"date":"2024-07-03T17:02:33","date_gmt":"2024-07-03T09:02:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/?p=281082"},"modified":"2024-07-04T18:37:24","modified_gmt":"2024-07-04T10:37:24","slug":"tcg-sets-never-reprinted-or-restocked-pokemon-tcg-skyridge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/2024\/07\/03\/tcg-sets-never-reprinted-or-restocked-pokemon-tcg-skyridge\/","title":{"rendered":"TCG Throwback: Pok\u00e9mon TCG Split Earth\/Mysterious Mountains\/Skyridge"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\"Pok\u00e9mon<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Pok\u00e9mon<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Pok\u00e9mon<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve been keeping up with our TCG Throwback series, you\u2019ll have noticed by now that each article adheres to a specific formula. However, this time around we\u2019re deviating from that formula. We\u2019re approaching this one about second-generation Pok\u00e9mon TCG sets Split Earth, Mysterious Mountains, and Skyridge\u2014the English set that combined translations of cards from the previous two\u2014from a different angle. It\u2019ll soon be evident as to why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Reprints, Restocks, and the Pok\u00e9mon TCG Market<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before we get into our analysis of these sets, we must first discuss the effects of reprints and restocks on the Pok\u00e9mon TCG market. On countless occasions, reprints and restocks of Pok\u00e9mon TCG sets have caused cards, booster packs, and boxes of those sets to experience plummeting prices. This is understandable because reprints and restocks increase the number of copies of the cards involved which are being sold at any given time. The easier it is to obtain a card, the lower its value usually is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rates at which reprints and restocks cause card prices to fall is also impacted by the volume at which the cards in question are reprinted. Not all reprints are of the same quantity; thus, larger reprints and restocks will typically cause card prices to fall by more than smaller ones would.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, there is one way by which reprints and restocks can actually end up driving card prices up. Almost as soon as a certain card is reprinted, it can be the case that a wealthy buyer purchases as many copies of that card as possible. This causes artificial scarcity to take place, causing that card\u2019s price to rocket beyond what it had been before the reprint. Often, these mass buyers do so with a goal to indeed drive up the prices in order to sell all those cards at a significant profit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Split Earth\/Mysterious Mountains\/Skyridge and the Lack of Reprints and Restocks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With these facts in mind, we\u2019ll now get into our analysis of Split Earth, Mysterious Mountains, and Skyridge, the last sets of Gen 2. What do these sets have to do with reprints and restocks, you might ask? Well, it\u2019s simply because Split Earth and Mysterious Mountains\u2014as well as Skyridge, their combined English counterpart\u2014only ever received one print run. The cards from these sets were never reprinted or restocked, causing their status within the Pok\u00e9mon TCG community to become truly iconic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a consequence of this lack of a reprint or restock, cards from Split Earth and Mysterious Mountains only exist in scarce quantities today despite having first been released in August and October 2002 respectively. Additionally, six mega-rare cards across the two sets featured the Crystal Type Pok\u00e9-Body (the predecessor to today\u2019s Abilities). They made up six of only nine Crystal Type cards to ever be released\u2014and the only ones to be part of that solitary print run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On top of all of this, there\u2019s a Kadabra card in Split Earth. Why is this important, one may ask? Well, it\u2019s due to the fact that two years earlier, illusionist Uri Geller sued Nintendo, alleging that its portrayal of Kadabra constituted a misuse of his likeness due to its Japanese name as well as its psychic powers. Kadabra would not return to the Pok\u00e9mon TCG until Pok\u00e9mon Card 151 [SV2a]<\/a> in 2023\u2014a span lasting just under 21 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pok\u00e9mon<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Finally, in the case of these sets, the English version (Skyridge) is easily more iconic and contains cards of greater value than its Japanese counterparts. This is because Skyridge was the last English set ever produced by Wizards of the Coast before the company lost its license to The Pok\u00e9mon Company International (TPCi). Wizards of the Coast cards, spanning the first two generations, evoke a level of nostalgia that\u2019s since remained unmatched except arguably by Pok\u00e9mon Card 151 [SV2a] as well as 151 [MEW], its English version. Skyridge unquestionably sent the Wizards of the Coast era as well as Gen 2 into the sunset with a bang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rarest and Most Valuable Cards From Split Earth\/Mysterious Mountains\/Skyridge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\"Pok\u00e9mon<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Pok\u00e9mon<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Pok\u00e9mon<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As has been alluded to, there\u2019s no doubt that the most prized catch from Split Earth and Mysterious Mountains (and thus Skyridge by extension) and one of the most valuable Pok\u00e9mon TCG cards ever is (of course\u2014what else could it be?) the Crystal Type Charizard card. The final form of the original Fire-type starter (though it\u2019s not a Fire-type in this case) is invariably a major draw whenever it appears in any set\u2014what more so as part of a set that only got one print run and in a form never to be seen again?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before we proceed, take a guess at what the price of a PSA 10 Crystal Type Charizard card is.
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Done? Now, keep scrolling to find out the answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A PSA 10 Crystal Type Charizard card carries a price tag that almost doesn\u2019t sound real. Each copy of this remarkable card goes for around\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2026US$13,000!!!!!!!!!!!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s right. Around THIRTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS for a single card. Did we not tell you that these sets and cards have been enshrined in Pok\u00e9mon TCG lore for a reason?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Celebi\u2014Gen 2\u2019s only Mythical Pok\u00e9mon, and Ho-Oh\u2014the box Legendary of Pok\u00e9mon Gold, make appearances in Crystal Type forms as well\u2014and these unsurprisingly rank as the set\u2019s next-most valuable cards. The Crystal Type Celebi card sells for almost US$2,700 in its PSA 10 form, but a PSA 10 Crystal Type Ho-Oh has Celebi soundly beaten, coming in at about US$4,100 for a single copy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even the non-Crystal Type cards fetch major cash due to the nature of the sets. A PSA 10 Gengar card can sell for close to US$4,300 per card while an Umbreon card\u2019s PSA 10 version goes for more than US$3,500. These figures aren\u2019t even anomalous\u2014a large number of cards from Split Earth, Mysterious Mountains, and Skyridge obliterate the US$1,000 barrier when sold as PSA 10s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The astronomical figures of cards from Split Earth, Mysterious Mountains, and Skyridge serve as a testament to the effect of Pok\u00e9mon TCG reprints and restocks. Without further reprints and restocks that would\u2019ve driven down the cards\u2019 respective values, the cards remained scarce\u2014and so their prices were allowed to steadily appreciate over time, eventually ballooning to the enormous sums we see today and becoming among the most valuable Pok\u00e9mon TCG cards of all time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what can we learn from this? Well, the main point is that reprints and restocks have major impacts on the prices of sets and the cards in them. In general, the more a set is reprinted or restocked, the lower its prices will become.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Split Earth, Mysterious Mountains, and Skyridge are evidently on the other end of the scale. The fact that they only ever had one print run does far more than give them an aura of mystique\u2014it has raised their value to the point at which for many of their cards, ownership of just one copy will make the owner the envy of a great many Pok\u00e9mon TCG enthusiasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And with that, this TCG Throwback article comes to an end. Split Earth, Mysterious Mountains, and Skyridge are truly sets like no other. Even more than two decades later, their cards remain among the most storied and desired among the Pok\u00e9mon TCG community\u2014and given the story behind them, understandably so.

For the latest releases, breaking news, and exclusive interviews, stay tuned to the SNKRDUNK Magazine<\/a> and @snkrdunk<\/a> on Instagram. Explore the SNKRDUNK App<\/a> too and don\u2019t forget to use our welcome code from the banner below before making your first purchase. Additionally, if you would like to try a pair out, visit our stores<\/a> in Singapore and Japan!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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More SNKRDUNK Features:<\/strong>
The Story of Pok\u00e9mon Card 151 [SV2a]: How An Epic Pok\u00e9mon TCG Set Came to Be<\/a>
[TCG Throwback] Yu-Gi-Oh TCG Rising Rampage<\/a>
Not \u201cJust Another Pok\u00e9mon TCG Set\u201d: Why Pok\u00e9mon Card 151 [SV2a] Matters<\/a>
Better Than Heavy-Duty Boots: Top 8 Pok\u00e9mon Collaborations Since 2016<\/a>
[SNKRDUNK Selects] Best TCG Products To Buy Now (April 2024)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve been keeping up with our TCG Throwback series, you\u2019ll have noticed by now that each article adheres to a specific formula. However, this time around we\u2019re deviating from that formula. We\u2019re approaching this one about second-generation Pok\u00e9mon TCG sets Split Earth, Mysterious Mountains, and Skyridge\u2014the English set that combined translations of cards from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":281108,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,43,20,18,49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-281082","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-brands","category-collectibles","category-features","category-latest-news","category-tcg"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/281082"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/65"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=281082"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/281082\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":447789,"href":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/281082\/revisions\/447789"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/281108"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=281082"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=281082"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/snkrdunk.com\/en\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=281082"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}