Should I buy Surging Sparks or Evolving Skies for Christmas? I’m going to have to say no to that. Both sets are overpriced and in the case of Surging Sparks it’s going to be reprinted.
Surging Sparks prices are going to come down to earth eventually. That Pikachu 238 is NOT going to continue to sell for $1700. There’s just no point to wasting money if you can be patient.
And Evolving Skies is called Evolving Cries for a reason! That set has horrible pull rates and just like with Surging Sparks all you’ll really be doing is wasting money.
It just does not make sense to pay inflated prices for products to such an extent that you can get someone twice as much of a more normal set.
Just buy a booster box. A Temporal Forces booster box, even with inflated Christmas pricing, is still only $135. A Surging Sparks booster box is $213. That’s a $78 difference! That’s meaningful… it means you’re getting close to being able to afford a SECOND booster box of a different set instead of buying an overpriced Pikachu box.
As for Evolving Skies, booster boxes cost $900 currently. Do you really want to pay $900 for shiny cardboard that has no guarantee of having ANY good cards. You only get 36 attempts to get something good… for NINE HUNDRED dollars. That’s $25 per attempt. Every pack your kid rips is going to let out a little scream “there’s $25 gone!” to remind you of how dumb it was to get an Evolving Skies booster box.
And my god do not buy a Moonbreon for Christmas! They’re ridiculously overpriced and definitely not an “investment”. Moonbreon is one of the most hyped, if not the most hyped, cards in Pokemon history. First Edition Charizard is right up there of course but Moonbreon has the lead in sheer quantity of cards in circulation I think? But regardless it also is not worth the expense. There are many cards with better art that are much cheaper.
By the way, this is a horrible time to buy Pokemon products anyway. Everyone has been raising their prices because they know parents are either going to pay up regardless or don’t know enough about normal pricing to recognize they’re getting ripped off.
You absolutely are getting ripped off right now.
If you want to buy Pokemon products for Christmas I highly recommend you start in or before October.
To sum up, don’t buy into hype. Surging Sparks will be cheaper in future and Evolving Skies is ridiculous in general. Your kid can wait. Maybe this is an opportunity to learn patience or the value of money? Your call. I just don’t want anyone to get ripped off.