Starter Deck 100 Officially Released on December 19, 2025

On December 19, 2025,
the Pokémon Trading Card Game “Starter Deck 100” was officially released in Japan.

This product attracted significant attention both domestically and internationally even before its release.
However, when looking at the situation before launch and immediately after release, several issues have already become a topic of concern.

Unusual Activity Before the Official Release

Even before the release date, the following incidents were observed:

On December 17 (before release), unboxing videos and card sales of Starter Deck 100 were already circulating
On December 18 (the day before release), a Japanese card dealer posted on X (formerly Twitter) that they had opened approximately 1,000 boxes, which caused backlash and controversy

Products that should only be opened and sold after the official release were already being handled in large quantities beforehand.
Naturally, this raised many questions and concerns among collectors and players.

Personally, regardless of whether this was done for views or publicity,
I find it difficult to fully trust sellers who engage in this kind of behavior.

Price Movement and Market Reality

The official retail price of Starter Deck 100 is
891 JPY (approximately $5.70 USD).

Two days before release, pre-order listings appeared at prices as high as
7,500 JPY (around $48 USD).

After that, information about key cards such as:

Mega Charizard Y ex
Pikachu ex
Lillie’s Clefairy

started circulating, and many people predicted that prices would rise even further after release.

However, the actual Japanese market price on release day started around 4,500 JPY (approximately $29 USD).
As of December 19 at 7:50 PM JST, prices have settled around 3,000 JPY (approximately $19 USD).

In contrast, on overseas platforms such as eBay,
many listings are still priced around 7,500 JPY, showing a significant gap between domestic and international markets.

Availability and Store Conditions (Firsthand Experience)

Starter Deck 100 was said to be released at convenience stores starting at 7:00 AM.

On release day, I personally visited around 20 convenience stores.

The results were as follows:

In some regions, a few people were able to purchase it
In major cities like Tokyo, however:
- Large-scale bulk buying
- Or stores not selling the product at all
  were very common
In my area, every store responded with “We are not selling it at all”, and not a single box was available

Additionally:

Pokémon Centers
Card shops

were reserved exclusively for customers who won pre-release lotteries, meaning no general sales were available on release day.

About a year ago, it was still possible to purchase products by lining up early in the morning.
However, today:

Long lines cause inconvenience to others
Stores aim to prevent disputes and crowding

As a result, many shops now avoid same-day sales and rely almost entirely on pre-orders and lotteries.

For this release as well, reports of same-day purchases were limited to a very small number of people.
For most buyers, purchasing on release day was realistically impossible.

Despite this, large quantities of Starter Deck 100 are already being listed on eBay and Japanese online marketplaces.

Key Cards and Current Japanese Market Prices

Starter Deck 100 includes several highly sought-after cards, such as:

Mega Charizard Y ex
Pikachu ex
Lillie’s Clefairy

Regarding Mega Charizard Y ex, there have been claims that
“not a single copy was found after opening 1,000 boxes,”
which I personally find unlikely.

That said, availability is extremely limited, and current Japanese market prices are roughly:

Mega Charizard Y ex: 35,000 JPY+ (approx. $2,250 USD)
Pikachu: around 55,000 JPY (approx. $354 USD)
Lillie’s Clefairy: around 52,000 JPY (approx. $334 USD)

Due to low supply, prices remain unstable.

Important Warning: Please Be Careful

With the previous Starter Deck release, there were serious issues involving:

Carefully removing the seal using heat (such as a hair dryer)
Checking the contents
Resealing and reselling the product

This time, countermeasures have been implemented, and seal reuse is no longer a major concern.

However, a new issue has emerged: weight searching.

Reports indicate that by weighing the product,
it is possible to predict the likelihood of rare card inclusion to some extent
(details will not be disclosed here).

I personally tested this information by opening three boxes, and the results matched the shared data.
Please note that this is not official information.

Because of this, there is a high risk that:

Weight-searched products
Boxes with lower hit rates

are already flowing into the market in large numbers.

This is especially important for overseas buyers using platforms like eBay.

Official Announcement from Pokémon Center

On release day, Pokémon Center announced additional production and sales.

From the official Japanese statement, the most important point is:

“We plan to continue additional production depending on sales conditions.”

About Our Sales

We have already received nearly 110 boxes worth of pre-orders.
Some orders have already shipped via FedEx, while others are awaiting arrival.

To be absolutely clear:

We do not perform any weight searching
All products are sourced primarily from direct purchases at convenience stores
We do not source from large card dealers

We are committed to providing products honestly and transparently.

Contact Information

If you are interested in Starter Deck 100, please feel free to contact us:

Instagram: pokeshopjp
WhatsApp: Click here

(WhatsApp responses are usually faster)