Pokémon Destined Rivals was always… well, destined to be a popular set – but, based on the first few hours of pre-orders on Monday, it could be another Prismatic Evolutions-style hype meltdown. The Team Rocket-focused expansion is hitting that special nostalgia spot that made 2023’s Pokémon 151 an explosive success – and, as fate decreed, the pre-order lines at the official Pokemon center store are overwhelming.
The past few months have been a hard experience for Pokemon TCG collectors. Pokémon sets sell out almost instantly, and even some of the least sought-after cards have become the most expensive Pokémon cards. While Prismatic Evolutions is unsurprisingly popular due to it being a ‘special set’, Journey Together is a standard one, and even that is selling out across the board already thanks to the return of partner Pokémon.
While Journey Together’s popularity is more of a surprise, I (like many others) knew that Destined Rivals would be a big deal. Team Rocket has been a fan favorite for decades, and I was always expecting stock to blast off accordingly. Seeing Team Rocket’s Mewtwo revealed recently only underlined this.
Even so, it’s still a shock that the 2025 Pokémon TCG hype has yet to calm down, with millions of players apparently buying out stock in the hopes of getting the best Pokémon cards. Pokémon Center went through site maintenance early on Monday, then went live with the Destined Rivals pre-orders around 11am ET / 8am PT. I luckily managed to snag one Destined Rivals ETB after a two-hour wait, but I’m seeing reports from folks in online Pokémon TCG deals communities that they’re still waiting. It seems likely the set will sell out there incredibly fast.
However, your hope shouldn’t be lost just yet – firstly, since there’s a one box per customer limit, you still have a slim chance of securing a Pokémon Center-exclusive Elite Trainer Box at retail price. And if not, you still have plenty of opportunities to pre-order some Destined Rivals products. We recommend checking the below retailers regularly for stock:
Looking past the impending arrival of Destined Rivals, it doesn’t look like things will get much easier. A special Pokémon Black and White set is reportedly releasing this year – and next year, 2026, will be Pokémon’s 30th anniversary, so we can only imagine the nostalgia packed releases coming up then will be equally difficult to get your hands on. If you’ve been fighting the battle that is Pokémon card collecting for the last few months, don’t expect to get your hands on any upcoming sets easily.
On the other hand, that means you shouldn’t worry about losing out on the Pokémon Destined Rivals expansion going out of stock quickly, as there are plenty of sets to come. If you’re like me, you could always choose to buy the cutest Pokémon as singles and create an adorable collection, or perhaps you’ll want to spend some money on some of the other best trading card games, like Lorcana or Star Wars Unlimited – trust me, they’re a lot easier to collect right now.
Source: Wargamer
