Shiny Pokémon are a weird obsession. Honestly, there is no mechanical advantage to having a Pokémon that’s a different color than its peers, yet we spend hundreds of hours—and thousands of dollars—chasing them. When the Pokémon Scarlet & Violet Paldean Fates Elite Trainer Box first hit shelves, it felt like the TCG equivalent of a gold rush. People weren't just buying it for the game; they were buying it for that specific rush of dopamine you get when you see a "baby shiny" or a Full Art Charizard peeking out from the back of a pack. But the hype cycle has moved on, and we need to talk about whether this specific box actually holds up or if it was just another flash in the pan.
Basically, the Paldean Fates Elite Trainer Box (ETB) is the centerpiece of a "special" expansion. Unlike standard sets like Temporal Forces or Obsidian Flames, you can't just walk into a store and buy individual Paldean Fates booster packs. They don’t exist. You have to buy "sub-products" like this ETB, or the sticker collections, or the tins. This artificial scarcity usually drives prices up, but Paldean Fates has had a weird trajectory.
The box itself features Mimikyu. Not just any Mimikyu, but a Shiny Mimikyu in that eerie, grayscale color palette. It looks cool. You get nine booster packs of Paldean Fates inside, which is one more than the standard eight you’d find in a regular set ETB, plus a promo card, some dice, and those plastic markers nobody actually uses.
Why the Paldean Fates Elite Trainer Box Caught Fire
It’s the Shiny Vault. That is the only reason this set matters.
The Pokémon TCG has done "Shiny" sets before—Hidden Fates was legendary, and Shining Fates was... well, it was okay. Paldean Fates is the spiritual successor. It contains over 100 Shiny Pokémon. Most of these are "Baby Shinies," which are standard Pokémon cards but with a sparkly, silver-border background and the alternate color palette. Collectors lose their minds over these because they are notoriously hard to complete as a full set.
You’ve got the heavy hitters like the Special Illustration Rare (SIR) Charizard ex. This card alone carried the value of the set for months. Then there’s the Mew ex and the Gardevoir ex. These cards aren’t just pretty; they are actually viable in the competitive meta. That’s a rare overlap. Usually, the "pretty" cards are useless in a tournament, and the "good" cards are ugly. Paldean Fates managed to bridge that gap.
The Mimikyu Factor
Most people overlook the promo card. They shouldn't. The Shiny Mimikyu promo included in every Pokémon Scarlet & Violet Paldean Fates Elite Trainer Box is actually a "Full Art" style card. It’s got a unique texture that feels premium. If you were to buy this card individually on the secondary market (like TCGPlayer or eBay), it usually hovers around a few dollars, but it’s a guaranteed hit. In a hobby where you can spend $50 on a box and get $2 worth of cardboard, a guaranteed $5 promo feels like a safety net.
The art style in this era of the TCG has shifted. It’s more experimental. Look at the Wugtrio or the Palafin cards in this set. They look like fever dreams. It’s a polarizing choice, but it keeps things from feeling stale.
🔗 Read more: Among Us Spider-Man: Why Everyone Is Still Obsessed With These Mods
Pull Rates and the Brutal Reality of "Gambling"
Let's be real for a second. Opening a Pokémon Scarlet & Violet Paldean Fates Elite Trainer Box is a gamble. You are paying for nine packs. In those nine packs, you are statistically likely to get maybe two or three "hits."
A "hit" is usually defined as anything better than a regular rare. In this set, that could be a Shiny Vault card, an Ultra Rare, or a Special Illustration Rare. The "hit rate" for Paldean Fates is actually decent compared to some of the older Sword & Shield era sets. You’ll find a shiny roughly every 3 to 4 packs. That sounds great until you realize there are 130 different shinies you could pull. Pulling the specific one you want—say, a Shiny Pikachu or a Shiny Charmander—is like trying to find a needle in a haystack made of other needles.
I've seen people crack open an ETB and pull two SIRs. I've also seen people (unlucky souls) get nine packs of absolutely nothing but bulk. That's the game. If you can't handle the "dud" box, don't buy the ETB. Buy the singles.
What’s actually inside the box?
- 9 Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet—Paldean Fates booster packs
- 1 full-art foil promo card featuring Shiny Mimikyu
- 65 card sleeves featuring Shiny Mimikyu (The quality on these is... okay. They tend to peel if you actually play with them frequently.)
- 45 Pokémon TCG Energy cards
- A player’s guide to the Scarlet & Violet—Paldean Fates expansion
- 6 damage-counter dice
- 1 competition-legal coin-flip die
- 2 plastic condition markers
- A collector’s box to hold everything, with 4 dividers to keep it organized
- A code card for Pokémon Trading Card Game Live
The "Player’s Guide" is actually underrated. It has a visual checklist of every card in the set. For a set like Paldean Fates, where the numbering is confusing because of the Shiny Vault (cards are numbered like 092/091), having that physical book to check off your pulls is weirdly satisfying.
Market Value and Long-Term Holding
Is this a good investment? That’s the question everyone asks.
Historically, "Special Sets" (Holiday sets) perform better over the long term than main-line sets. Look at Celebrations or Crown Zenith. They tend to appreciate because once they stop printing them, there is no other way to get the packs. The Pokémon Scarlet & Violet Paldean Fates Elite Trainer Box is currently in that "middle" phase. It’s not new anymore, but it’s not quite "vintage" or out of print.
Retail price is usually around $49.99. You can sometimes find them on sale at big-box retailers or local game stores for $40-$45. If you see it for $35, buy it. That’s a steal.
💡 You might also like: Why the Among the Sleep Mom is Still Gaming's Most Uncomfortable Horror Twist
The Charizard ex (SIR #234) is the "Chase" card. If that card stays expensive, the boxes stay expensive. If that card crashes because a better Charizard comes out in a newer set, the ETB price will stagnate. That’s the "Charizard Tax" in action. Most of the value of modern Pokémon sets is propped up by a handful of high-tier cards.
Comparing ETBs to Other Products
If you are just hunting for cards, the Paldean Fates Booster Bundle (6 packs) is technically a better "value" per pack. However, those are notoriously hard to find. They sell out instantly. The ETB is the most reliable way to get packs.
There are also the "Premium Collections" which come with three different promo cards (Meowscarada, Skeledirge, or Quaquaval) and a magnetic card protector. Those are cool, but they take up a ton of shelf space. The ETB is compact. It fits on a bookshelf. It looks professional. Or as professional as a box with a ghost-fairy-rag-doll on it can look.
Common Misconceptions About Paldean Fates
One thing I see a lot of people getting wrong is the "God Pack" rumor. Some Japanese sets have "God Packs" where every single card is a hit. The English version of Paldean Fates does not have these. You might get a "double banger" pack where you get a Shiny Vault card in the reverse holo slot and an Illustration Rare in the rare slot, but you won't get a pack of 10 hits. Don't go in expecting that.
Another misconception: "The ETBs have better pull rates."
No. They don't.
Packs are randomized at the factory level. There is no evidence—none—that the packs inside an ETB are "seeded" with better cards than the packs inside a tin or a booster bundle. It’s all RNG (random number generation).
The Competitive Scene
For the actual players—the ones who put cards in sleeves and go to tournaments—Paldean Fates changed the game.
- Charizard ex: Still a powerhouse.
- Mew ex: A staple in many decks for its "Restart" ability and "Genome Hacking" attack.
- Iono: While not exclusive to this set, the Special Illustration Rare version in Paldean Fates is the "flex" version that players want to show off.
If you are building a deck, buying an ETB is a terrible way to do it. You won't get the playsets (4 copies) of the cards you need. You're better off buying the specific cards. But if you're a collector who also plays, the ETB gives you the "pulp" you need to trade with others at your local league.
📖 Related: Appropriate for All Gamers NYT: The Real Story Behind the Most Famous Crossword Clue
Tactical Advice for Buyers
If you’re going to pick up a Pokémon Scarlet & Violet Paldean Fates Elite Trainer Box, do it with a plan.
For Collectors: Keep it sealed if you have the discipline. The Mimikyu art is iconic, and sealed ETBs of special sets have a 20-year track record of going up in value. If you want to open it, do it for the experience, not the "profit."
For Parents: This is the best "gift" box. It feels substantial. Opening nine packs takes a while, and the box itself becomes a storage solution for the hundreds of other cards your kid probably has lying around.
For Sellers: Watch the "Market Price" on apps like Dex or TCGPlayer. If the price of the "Big Three" (Charizard, Mew, Gardevoir) starts to climb, that's when you list your sealed boxes.
How to spot a fake
Because this set is popular, fakes are everywhere. If you see a Paldean Fates ETB at a flea market for $15, it’s fake.
- The Shrink Wrap: Official Pokémon Center/Retail ETBs have a specific heat-sealed wrap. It shouldn't be loose or "crunchy."
- The Logo: Look at the "Pokémon" logo on the packaging. On fakes, the accent over the 'e' is often missing or shaped weirdly.
- The Texture: The promo Mimikyu card inside should have a physical texture you can feel with your fingernail. If it’s smooth and glossy like a playing card, the box was tampered with.
Actionable Next Steps
If you're ready to dive into the world of Shiny Pokémon, here is how you should actually spend your money:
- Check Local Inventory: Visit a big-box retailer like Target or Walmart first. They often restock on Thursdays or Fridays. If they have them at the $49.99 MSRP, that's your baseline.
- Compare with TikTok Shop/eBay: Sometimes, reputable sellers on these platforms run coupons that can drop the price of a Paldean Fates ETB to around $38. Just make sure the seller has thousands of positive reviews.
- Evaluate Your Goals: If you just want the Charizard, go to a site like TCGPlayer and buy the single card. It will cost you more than one ETB, but it will cost you less than the ten ETBs you’d likely need to open to find it yourself.
- Buy Protective Cases: If you're keeping it sealed, spend the extra $10 on an acrylic display case. It prevents the shrink wrap from tearing, which is the quickest way to kill the resale value.
The Paldean Fates era is one of the more visually interesting times in the TCG’s history. Whether you’re in it for the art of the Shiny Mimikyu or the gambling-adjacent thrill of hunting a Shiny Zard, the ETB remains the gold standard for how to experience a special set. Just keep your expectations in check—and your sleeves ready.