The hype was unreal. Back in late 2020, if you weren't screaming about the "Chonkachu," you probably weren't paying attention to the Pokémon TCG at all. Every Vivid Voltage booster box that hit the shelves seemed to vanish in seconds, swallowed up by a mix of nostalgic millennials, serious investors, and kids just looking for that rainbow-glow dopamine hit. It’s been years since the Sword & Shield era kicked off, but this specific set remains a weirdly permanent fixture in the collector conversation.
Why? Because of a fat yellow mouse.
Honestly, the Pikachu VMAX Secret Rare (the Rainbow Rare) defined an entire year of the hobby. It was the "Chase Card" with a capital C. Even now, with newer mechanics like Tera types and Illustration Rares dominating the Scarlet & Violet era, there’s something about cracking a fresh Vivid Voltage pack that feels like playing the lottery in the best way possible.
What’s Actually Inside a Vivid Voltage Booster Box?
If you're dropping several hundred dollars on a sealed box today, you aren't just buying cardboard. You're buying 36 chances to hit a specific tier of rarity. A standard Vivid Voltage booster box contains 36 packs, and each pack has 10 cards. But the math is never that simple. Pokémon sets are notorious for "pull rates," and Vivid Voltage introduced something that changed the game: Amazing Rares.
These weren't your standard holos. Amazing Rares, like the Celebi or the Rayquaza, featured a unique, textured rainbow splash that extended outside the art box. They were beautiful. They were also relatively easy to pull compared to a Secret Rare, which kept people buying. You’d usually find about two of these per box. It felt rewarding. You didn't feel like you'd been robbed if you missed the big Pikachu, because you still walked away with a gorgeous Jirachi or Zamazenta.
Then you have the V and VMAX cards. These were the workhorses of the set. While cards like Orbeetle VMAX or Togekiss VMAX might not have the financial gravity of a Charizard, they were essential for players actually trying to win games at the local card shop.
The Pikachu VMAX Obsession
Let’s talk about the elephant—or the giant mouse—in the room. The Rainbow Rare Pikachu VMAX (card #188/185) is the soul of this set. At its peak, this card was pushing prices that made casual observers think the world had gone mad. Even today, a PSA 10 specimen is a cornerstone of any modern collection.
But here is the thing: pulling it is hard. Really hard.
Estimates from massive community openings, like those tracked by TCGplayer or dedicated subreddits, suggest the pull rate for a specific Secret Rare in this set is roughly 1 in 1,000 packs. If you do the math, that means you could go through nearly 30 Vivid Voltage booster boxes and still never see that rainbow sparkle on a Pikachu. That scarcity is exactly what drives the secondary market. It’s a gamble. Some people love that. Others find it exhausting.
The Introduction of Amazing Rares
I remember when the first leaks of the Japanese equivalent set, Astonishing Volkner, started hitting Twitter. People weren't looking at the VMAXes; they were obsessed with the "A" symbol in the bottom corner.
Amazing Rares were a stroke of genius by The Pokémon Company. By putting these in the reverse holo slot, they essentially gave players two chances to "win" in a single pack. You could pull a boring non-holo rare in the back, but still find a legendary Pokémon with a psychedelic foil pattern in the middle. It made the "green code card" packs (which usually meant no hit) feel a little less like a slap in the face.
The lineup included:
- Celebi
- Raikou
- Zacian
- Zamazenta
- Jirachi
- Rayquaza
Rayquaza and Jirachi were the big winners here. Rayquaza, specifically, has always had a "cool factor" that rivals Charizard, and seeing it with that explosive rainbow texture made it an instant classic.
Market Volatility and the "Logan Paul" Effect
You can't talk about a Vivid Voltage booster box without talking about the 2020-2021 boom. It was a perfect storm. Everyone was stuck inside, stimulus checks were hitting bank accounts, and influencers like Logan Paul were bringing millions of new eyes to the hobby.
Prices for sealed product went vertical.
A box that should have cost $100 or $120 was suddenly $200, then $300. Scalpers were cleared out Target and Walmart shelves. It was a dark time for kids who just wanted to play the game, but it turned Pokémon into a "legitimate" asset class for investors. Vivid Voltage was the face of that era. It was the first "big" set after the craze really took hold. Because of that, there is a massive amount of this product sitting in closets and "sealed collections" today.
Is it overprinted? Probably. But demand for Pikachu is a constant in the universe, right up there with gravity and taxes.
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Is It Still Worth Buying a Box?
This is where things get nuanced. If you’re a pure investor, buying a Vivid Voltage booster box is a long-term play. The supply is higher than people think because so many people tucked boxes away under their beds hoping to get rich. It’s not as rare as a Team Up or an Evolving Skies box.
However, if you're a collector who loves the thrill of the hunt, it’s one of the most fun sets to open. The variety of hits—from Amazing Rares to Full Art Trainers like Bea and Nessa—means you aren't just looking for one single card to have a "good" box.
The Competitive Side (For the Nerds)
Believe it or not, some people actually play the game. Vivid Voltage brought some heat to the meta. Coalossal VMAX was a tanky beast that saw significant play. Stonesjourner and various Lightning-type supports made the deck-building process interesting. While most of these have rotated out of the Standard format by now, they remain staples for "Expanded" players or those who just like building themed decks for fun.
The "Voltage" in the name isn't just flavor text. The set leaned heavily into Energy acceleration. It was fast. It was aggressive. It mirrored the "Dynamax" mechanic from the Sword & Shield video games perfectly.
Spotting a Fake Vivid Voltage Box
Since this set is so popular, the market is flooded with fakes. I’ve seen some pretty convincing ones, but they usually fail on the details.
First, look at the shrink wrap. Authentic Pokémon Company International (TPCi) shrink wrap has small white Pokéballs printed on it. If the wrap is plain or the plastic feels like cheap kitchen cling film, run away.
Second, check the "teeth." Authentic booster packs have clean, straight crimps at the top and bottom. Fake packs often have "jagged" or "triangle" cut edges. If you see those zigzag edges, the box is 100% counterfeit.
Third, the price. If a deal looks too good to be true, it is. Nobody is selling a real Vivid Voltage booster box for $60 in 2026. You’re buying a box of disappointment at that point.
Comparing Vivid Voltage to Darkness Ablaze and Rebel Clash
Vivid Voltage was the third "main" set of the Sword & Shield era. Rebel Clash was, frankly, a bit of a dud. Darkness Ablaze gave us the Charizard VMAX, which kept it relevant, but it felt a bit one-note.
Vivid Voltage felt more "complete."
It had the big chase (Pikachu), the mid-tier beauties (Amazing Rares), and the waifu-collector bait (Nessa and Bea Full Arts). It hit every demographic of the fanbase simultaneously. That’s a rare feat. Usually, a set favors one group over the other, but Vivid Voltage was the ultimate "all-rounder."
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Final Insights for Collectors
If you're looking to get into this set, don't just blindly buy the first box you see on a marketplace.
- Verify the Seller: Stick to reputable vendors like TCGplayer, Cardmarket, or established eBay sellers with 99%+ feedback.
- Consider the "Sleeved" Option: Sometimes, buying 36 individual "sleeved" booster packs (the ones in the cardboard hangers) can be cheaper than a sealed display box, though you lose the "guaranteed" pull rates associated with a factory-sealed box.
- Check the Centering: If you do pull that Pikachu, look at the borders. Pokémon's quality control during the 2020 rush was... let's call it "inconsistent." Many Rainbow Pikas came out of the pack off-center, which kills the grading potential.
- Don't Forget the Commons: Cards like the "Wash Energy" or "Donphan" had cool utility. Even the bulk has value to the right player.
Vivid Voltage isn't just a box of cards; it's a time capsule. It represents the moment Pokémon went from a popular hobby to a global financial phenomenon. Whether you’re chasing that rainbow mouse or just want to see a Rayquaza with some cool glitter, this set remains one of the most iconic releases of the modern era.
Keep your boxes sealed if you want to see the value climb slowly over the next decade. Open them if you want to remember why you liked Pokémon in the first place. Either way, you're holding a piece of TCG history.
Next Steps for Your Collection
Start by checking current market price aggregators to ensure you aren't overpaying for a box. If you're looking for the best return on investment, compare the price of a sealed Vivid Voltage booster box against the "raw" price of the top ten cards in the set. Often, if the "top-heavy" value of the cards is significantly lower than the box price, you're better off buying the single cards you want rather than gambling on the packs. Finally, if you do decide to buy, always request photos of all six sides of the box to verify the integrity of the TPCi seal and the condition of the corners.