TCGplayer released their April 2022 data for sealed TCG products sold on their site as well as their price shifts. This newly released data reinforced some trends and indicated a few trends forming in the TCG market.
Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG’s topping of the charts with Ghosts from the Past: The 2nd Haunting (see “April 2022“) was not all that surprising. The second Ghosts from the Past product was highly-anticipated by both fans of the game and retailers as the first Ghosts from the Past was a big hit last year (see “March 2021“). Preorders for this product were already surging on March 2022’s chart (see “March 2022“), and it seemed inevitable that Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG would claim a top spot with this product.
However, one thing that was surprising, was the sales performance of Magic‘s Streets of New Capenna (see “‘Magic: The Gathering’ Release Calendar“). Few people were sure of what to expect out of this set, as it was a new plane in the MTG Multiverse and that, in itself, is an unknown quantity unlike sets that occur in established planes like Innistrad, Dominaria, etc. The set outperformed many of 2021’s Standard sets and claimed the #25, #11, #10, #6, and #4 spots on the chart. Its outperformance can likely be attributed to combination of the recent organized play announcements that make owning paper Standard product relevant again (see “‘Magic: The Gathering’s’ Pro Tour Returns“) and the set featuring desirable collector cards (gilded treatment cards) as well as cards players needed for their constructed decks in multiple formats (new land cycle, Ob Nixilis, Ledger Shredder, and a host of playable commons and uncommons).
As for other card games on the chart, Pokemon TCG is still Pokemon TCG. Sales seem to be steady as always, and minimally affected by the current state of the economy (see “The JDS Perspective“). Dragon Ball Super: Realm of the Gods seemed to have performed well and landed on the #7 slot on the chart. Metazoo and Flesh and Blood TCG both claimed lower slots on the chart, and Flesh and Blood TCG seems to be waning a bit after its huge surge in popularity in 2021. Their Monarch cases made the Top 25, but are down considerably in value from September 2021 (see “September 2021“). Cases of this product in September 2021 were clocking in at $1,076.35, and in April 2022, they were selling for $661.31 (down about 39%).
Source: ICV2
