Collector’s Notes #002: Chaos Rising

After opening up a few dozen packs of Chaos Rising, several interesting things stood out. Firstly, it is nice to see the different pack artwork! That is always good to keep things fresh and engaging. However, when it came to actual card pulls, a few things became apparent quickly. Let’s get right to it!

Is Chaos Rising a Good Pokemon Card Set?

This will be the first question on a lot of people’s minds. Insane pulls can be found all over social media.That creates a twofold effect: people become very hopeful AND they already know the big cards will lose value quickly. Pulling a big hit from Chaos Rising feels very satisfying. However, when looking at Pricecharting, it becomes apparent that prices are dropping VERY quickly. This is especially true for the Mega Greninja EX (now $320ish, down from $700) and its golden counterpart (hovering near $300, down from $500).

Note: These are prices for ungraded cards, mileage varies for graded versions. 

Most collectors and people who rip packs for fun won’t be bothered by this trend, though. Chaos Rising is a perfectly fine set to open up and have fun with. It is not the set with the biggest and most valuable cards, which will turn off some hopefuls. Even so, the set, in terms of quality, card design, variation of pulls, and everything else, is solid. 

Determining whether a set is good primarily depends on your expectations. If you expect to buy an ETB and make money, you will most likely be out of luck. However, when the set has many Pokemon cards you like, it will not disappoint too much. If you are not a Deoxys fan, the answer is a bit more complicated. 

Overall, the set has a good variety of Pokemon representing different energy types. It also has some very cool AR trainer cards, among others. Plus, the Froakie – Frogadier combination is absolutely stunning. Just remember you might not pull that many big cards, it is all luck (and to a degree, gambling). 

ETB, Booster Box, Both, Neither?

Picking the Chaos Rising products that suit your needs and budget can be a tad tricky. More packs would, by default, mean more chances of getting big hits. However, a Chaos Rising booster box is fairly expensive, and scalpers remain a pest. As such, it might be best to be a bit more conservative and stretch the budget as far as one can. 

For the price of a booster box, one can get up to 3 ETBs – assuming normal pricing. Yes, that is fewer packs – 27 vs 36 – and three Fenniken promo cards. However, it is possible to sell those duplicate promo cards and repurate some money. Pull rates from a Chaos Rising ETB and booster box can be all over the place, however.

Another option is to look for the three-pack blisters. These also come with a promo card – the Charmeleon – which has held its value relatively well. Personally, my best pull rate came from such a three-pack. It had 2 big hits! My ETB was decent, with 2 big hits, and the booster box had some good packs and a lot of “meh” ones. Again, your mileage may vary.

The Deoxys Pull Rates

It is important to note there are four different Deoxys cards in the Chaos Rising base set. That also means there are four holographic versions of these cards. Expect to pull a ton of Deoxys variants, However, there is no EX, SIR, or SAR version of this Pokemon in the set. A very intriguing decision, given how much the Pokemon Company focuses on Deoxys in this set.

It can also be a tad tricky to pull all four variants for the base set, excluding the holographics. It took me 35-ish packs to get the final variant, for some reason. Just like with big pulls, common and uncommon card pull rates are randomized. Even so, be mindful of this aspect if you plan to master set Chaos Rising (or attempt to do so). 

Weirdly Elusive Common Cards

When trying to complete any base set, there is often 1 card you seemingly cannot pull. It can be a holographic version, an EX card, etc. For Chaos Rising, there were 2 commons that kept eluding me. Both Quilladin and Stunky did not appear in my ETB. They did not show up in the first 25 packs of my booster box either. I almost thought I was going insane and kept overlooking them, but these cards seemingly did not exist.

Thankfully, they finally popped up in pack 38 or so. More interestingly, one pack had both the Stunky and Quilladin back-to-back. A weight was lifted off my shoulders – even though I have 0 plans to masterset Chaos Rising. I just wanted to complete the base set, and achieving that feat took a lot longer than expected. In the end, I also got the holographic Stunky, although the holo Quilladin is still missing. 

Chaos Rising Duplicate Pull Rates

It is very normal to see some duplicates across Chaos Rising card pulls. Interestingly, I ended up with a duplicate Ampharos art rare. That is a good problem to have, as the card holds its value fairly well. It is also stunning artwork, and Ampharos is quite cute. Those factors contribute to the desirability of this card.

Less amusing was the triple Cobalion EX pull. I got two of these in my Chaos Rising ETB, which felt like a terrible stroke of luck. It was nice to see multiple EX  pulls – or better – from this Elite Trainer Box. Seeing the same card twice – and it was already a duplicate by then to boot – wasn’t too great. Alas, these things can and will happen to anyone. 

Final Thoughts

There is no reason to avoid Chaos Rising as a set if you enjoy collecting Pokemon cards or want to open up packs. The set delivers on what is promised, which is all one can ask for. It may not have the biggest hype surrounding it, but that is normal. This year is all about Pokemon’s 30th celebration, and Chaos Rising isn’t part of that cycle.

Do not be fooled by all the posts you see on social media, though. There are no boxes or pack artworks with better pull rates than others. Nor is there any reason to buy a product from a specific shop or the Pokemon Center for good luck. Everything is random, as it has always been. That is also part of what makes opening Pokemon products so much fun.