Cheap Pokémon Booster Boxes to Pickup Right Now in 2022/2023
Cheap Pokémon Booster Boxes to Pickup Right Now in 2022/2023
One product in the Pokémon TCG universe that absolutely everyone loves is the booster box — why? Well simply, it gives us 36 booster packs to open, and in most cases represents the best cost-per-pack ratio out of all the sealed products out there. In 2022, Pokémon released a new booster box with every full set as usual and we've seen them fluctuate in value, some reaching unseen highs in such a short cycle.
Generally speaking, Pokémon booster boxes go up in value as time goes on for the sole reason that they are no more being printed and are still considered a collectible item to many. But before they reach that stage, some fall well within the cheap or more affordable category.
What makes a booster box cheap?
The price of a booster box depends on a variety of factors that include:
- Release date — If a set is not the newest release but not quite old enough to appreciate in value, it could spend some time being undervalued.
- Card List — If the cards found within the set are not the most appealing, a set can quickly lose value since its release
- Pull Rate — When a set has few chase cards that are hard to pull, it could make picking up a box something that not many want to spend the money on
- Competitive / Playability — If a set contains great additions to playable and competitive decks or if lacks anything good in that sense, the value could also drop.
Cheap Pokémon Booster Boxes to consider picking up in 2022/2023
Pokemon SWSH08: Fusion Strike
Fusion strike started out strong with the release of competitively viable meta cards which populated the Meta MEW decks, which at the time of writing are still played quite a lot. Fusion strike's price took a dip when the highly sought-after chase cards were plagued with terrible pull rates. Most people can say they have opened too much Fusion Strike and are quite tired of the set, which features a lackluster amount of hits.
The Espeon VMAX and Gengar VMAX Alternate art cards are both worth a decent amount, and are popular due to their beautiful design - they made our list of the best Alternate Arts from the Sword & Shield Era
Fusion Strike hasn't quite reached the point of being a far-gone set which puts it currently below its original market launch price. As a cheap booster box, you could expect absolutely nothing or be surprised to pull an incredible chase card.
View the entire Fusion Strike card list here
Pokemon SWSH06: Chilling Reign
Chilling Reign was an odd set in the sense that at release, most people weren't sure what to expect exactly - the introduction of more Alternate Art cards into the set and not much in terms of competitive playability instantly put it at the mid-range.
Unfortunately, while the art in this set is truly beautiful and there is a fair share of chase cards, the set suffered the same fate as Fusion Strike where booster box pull rates and pull rates in general were terrible. This earned the set the name ''Chilling Pain'' amongst the Pokémon TCG Community.
Chilling Reign booster boxes are sitting at a relatively cheap price point altho it has started to gain a bit of its value back. Most expect this set to reach the over-release price point soon. I would suggest picking one up soon as it will not remain a cheap booster box for too much longer.
View the entire Chilling Reign card list here
Pokemon SWSH05: Battle Styles
As the 5th expansion in the Sword & Shield Era, Battle Styles booster boxes should be getting to the point where they are considered older and more valuable — except that it may have been the most overprinted set in the series.
Battle Styles came out at a time when an all-time high number of fans had joined the party, but the demand was vastly overestimated. Stores were fully stocked as distributors forced a lot of them to take large amounts in order to get rid of boxes.
The set features a meager two chase cards and the pull rates are also not great. Battle Styles booster boxes sunk to a really low point and are still being offloaded at a cheap price. Nonetheless, picking up a cheap booster box for the joy of opening packs or simply because you don't care about the value of your pulls could be a great option.
View the entire Battle Styles Card List here
Card List Pricing for Battle Styles here
Pokemon SWSH10: Astral Radiance
We knew Astral Radiance had some big shoes to fill when it released following the beloved Brillliant Stars Set — and it really did not do a bad job. The set boasts a good amount of Alternate Art cards that fans liked, and the Trainer Gallery was very well received.
At the time of writing, Astral Radiance booster boxes have fallen to the lows of the above sets simply based on the value of the cards inside. The set has good pull rates and opening a full booster box will net you a better than average pull rate when you consider the Trainer Gallery cards.
The set is full of solid playable cards like the Origin Forme Palkia which is part of a code meta deck and others.
As a cheap booster box, this would be my first recommendation in the current market if you are looking for good art, good cards, playable cards and all that at a solid price point. Astral Radiance will likely bounce back in a year's time so picking up a booster box now is a great idea.
See the full Astral Radiance Card List here
Card List Price for Astral Radiance Here
Conclusion about cheap Pokémon Booster Boxes
While Pokémon booster boxes represent the higher tier of sealed products, some could be considered undervalued and cheap at times such as Fusion Strike, Chilling Reign, Battle Styles and Astral Radiance. As these boxes will become older and inevitably gain some value with time, there is an opportunity to grab them while they are under market rate and to get value out of them in the form of cards, alternate arts, playable cards and more.
