15 Best Pokemon Packs to Buy in 2024, Ranked
No matter how many times you do it, there’s just nothing like buying Pokemon packs and seeing what the rarest card you are going to pull is. Today, there are countless Pokemon packs to choose from, but we’re going to give you the skinny on which are the best Pokemon packs to buy currently, and why.
Updated March 11, 2024 with the latest Pokemon TCG packs and market prices.
#15 Obsidian Flames – Scarlet and Violet
Booster pack market price: $2.92
Obsidian Flames was not my favorite pack in recent memory. That being said, it’s still worth making this top Pokemon packs to buy list for one reason – it’s got a Charizard. Its strengths and weaknesses can pretty much be summed up in that. It’s got an epic and valuable Charizard ex Tera Pokemon that has an entire, competitive deck built around it. On the flip side, that’s probably it’s only valuable/beautiful card worth chasing.
So, if you’re really into Charizards and want to add this Tera Charizard ex (in its many forms of rarity) to your collection, pick up this pack. It won’t cost you very much if you purchase it online. Otherwise, you can probably skip it in favor of the next one on our list.
Read our guide to the most valuable cards in Obsidian Flames.
#14 Chilling Reign – Sword and Shield
Booster pack market price: $4.27
I will always have a special place in my heart for Chilling Reign. It’s the first pack I got into after returning to the Pokemon hobby back in 2021 at the height of the pandemic-fueled Pokemon craze, and it has some incredibly memorable cards in it. Not to mention it also has a variety of gorgeous alternate arts that are still worth a lot of money to this day. Leading the pack is the alternate art version of Blaziken VMAX. Blaziken VMAX was a pretty cool card and it has some great artwork. However, I never could quite manage to build a deck around it as an archetype.
The card has faired much better on the collector’s market, however, as have many of the other chase cards in Chilling Reign.
Beyond the Blaziken VMAX, this set is most memorable to me for its focus on the legendary birds and their Galarian variants. Cards like Galarian Moltress V and Galarian Zapdos V look good (especially the Articuno) and had a huge impact on the meta in their day, while cards like Galarian Articuno V or Zeraora V bring with them gorgeous and memorable artwork.
All-in-all, there’s a ton of value in this pack for its affordable price point, and certainly worth picking up whether you are new to Pokemon TCG and looking for a great start, or a seasoned collector looking to ignite that spark once again.
#13 Paldean Fates – Scarlet and Violet
Booster pack market price: $4.43
Paldean Fates may not have actually been released yet, but from the spoilers, it’s clear that it will be among the best. Paldean Fates is a shiny set, meaning it will feature shiny versions of Pokemon, much in the same way past shiny sets have done to great renown. However, this epic set isn’t just releasing a bunch of shinies. It’s releasing new and epic special llustration rare Pokemon we already know and love but in their shiny form. Cards like Charizard ex will show back up here, as will Gardevoir ex and even Iono. Much as Crown Zenith was the best of album rock track for the Sword and Shield era, Paldean Fates similarly summarizes the biggest highlight from the current era of Pokemon.
It’s hard to imagine doing it better than the way Paldean Fates will.
#12 Paldea Evolved – Scarlet and Violet
Paldea Evolved Booster Pack
Market price: $2.99
Paldea Evolved is one of the best Pokemon packs to be released in 2023, and its sales are driven largely by its number one chase card – Iono Special Illustration Rare (available on TCGplayer). Beyond that one, however, Paldea Evolved also has a strong collection of valuable cards including the somewhat infamous Magikarp and a gorgeous Special Illustration Rare Chien-Pao. The good news about this particular Pokemon pack is that it is widely available, meaning you have a high likelihood of picking it up at your local department store or game shop.
While this particular pack is no longer on the top 10 thanks to the recently released Paradox Rift, it’s still a strong pack with fantastic cards, and well worth picking up.
Read our guide to the most valuable Paldea Evolved Pokemon cards.
#11 Temporal Forces – Scarlet and Violet
Temporal Forces booster pack
Market price: $3.29
Temporal Forces will likely go down in Pokemon TCG history as one of the very best expansions of the Scarlet & Violet era. Expanding both Future and Ancient Pokemon and introducing powerful new deck archetypes, what will likely be the biggest contribution to the game is the inclusion of ACE SPEC Pokemon cards – powerful item cards trainers can include in their decks.
That being said, there’s less nostalgia in this set, with most of the high value alternate art cards featuring new Pokemon, and relying less heavily on the Pokemon we’ve all come to know and love over the years, the way other top packs in this set manage to do. Still, it’s a hot pack this year and should yield the opportunity to pull many valuable cards.
#10 Paradox Rift – Scarlet & Violet
Paradox Rift Booster Pack
Market price: $3.00
Paradox Rift was recently released, and it became clear to me after opening my first pack that this would be one of the hottest Pokemon packs to buy right now. It just feels epic. Not only does it introduce new mechanics into the game, similar to the Fusion/Rapid/Single Strike mechanic the Sword and Shield Era, it also has many epic and gorgeous cards that are worth a lot of money. Not to mention it has several new deck archetypes in it that are fairing well on the competitive scene.
Paradox Rift is easily worth the price tag, and the best way to get a lot of packs for cheap is by getting the Paradox Rift Booster Box.
#9 Brilliant Stars – Sword & Shield
Brilliant Stars Booster Pack
Market price: $3.97
Brilliant Stars is one of the best Pokemon packs to buy right now thanks to a few reasons.
It introduced the incredibly popular Trainer Gallery that would become a staple of the rest of the Sword and Shield era sets.
It introduced the VSTAR mechanic to the game and the still popular Arceus VSTAR archetype.
It was a Charizard pack.
All of these things combined created one of the most memorable packs of modern times, and collectors will go crazy for the dazzling alt arts, trainer gallery cards, and one of the most beautiful Charizard cards of all, the Charizard V alternate art.
Read our guide to see all 10 most expensive Brilliant Stars chase cards.
#8 Fusion Strike – Sword & Shield
Fusion Strike Booster Pack
Market price: $3.62
If you’re looking for a collector looking for a challenge, Fusion Strike is one of the best Pokemon packs you can buy right now. It’s still available at a reasonable price, and includes some of the most valuable alternative arts of the sword and shield era. This includes Gengar VMAX, Mew VMAX, and the ever popular Sylveon VMAX alternate arts.
However, Fusion Strike is also a large set with a lot of cards, meaning your odds of pulling those alt arts are very, very slim. That being said, we ourselves have pulled some fantastic alt arts from this set without spending a fortune on packs. So who knows how your luck will be?
#7 Lost Origin – Sword & Shield
Lost Origin Booster Pack
Market price: $3.71
Lost Origin will always be a memorable pack for players because it is the first time that the now famous (or infamous depending on who you ask) Lost Zone engine was revealed to the world. Apart from offering fantastic new game mechanics that really revitalized the Pokemon TCG standard format, it also carries with it a host of highly valuable alternate art cards.
The best of these alt art cards are Giratina V which is fetching $270 on the ungraded card market right now. It also has the incredible Aerodactly V alt art which has retained strong value since its release, fetching around $100 online.
What is especially great about this particular Pokemon pack is that it’s available currently for a decent price online, making buying it a fantastic opportunity for collectors looking to pull their favorite chase card.
Read our guide for more information on the rare and expensive Lost Origin cards you can find in this pack.
#6 Pokemon GO
Pokemon GO Booster Pack
Market price: $3.23
Pokemon GO cards are well loved thanks to their double appeal – that being to card players and Pokemon GO players alike. Chase your favorite Pokemon GO cards like Dragonite VSTAR, alt art Mewtwo V, or get excited about finding Ditto in the wild.
One of the most exciting things to come out of Pokemon GO are the Radiant Pokemon cards, especially Radiant Charizard – a strong addition to any collection, as well as a powerful card for strategy and game play.
You can read more about our review of the Radiant Pokemon in this set, as well as our guide to the most valuable Pokemon GO cards.
#5 Silver Tempest – Sword & Shield
Silver Tempest Booster Pack
Market price: $3.27
Silver Tempest was the last big set of the Sword and Shield era, and it certainly did itself justice. Its signature card is the alternative art Lugia V card. It’s still worth quite a bit today, and should hold up pretty well overtime due to its beauty and rarity. Silver Tempest boasts an incredible trainer gallery, throwbacks to some fan favorites from previous Pokemon generations, and the nostalgia factor of being the final big Sword and Shield main set.
Silver Tempest is also quite affordable, making it an awesome choice for people looking to open Pokemon packs and chase rare cards.
Read our guide on the set and see which cards are most valuable.
#4 Celebrations
Celebrations Booster Pack
Market Price: $6.43
Celebrations packs can be just as hard to get ahold of as any other of the best Pokemon packs to buy out there. But it is well worth it. Celebrations is another fan favorite, due to its throwback to the old days, and complete with reprinted cards of our favorite vintage Pokemon cards.
Celebrations is likely to age well as a set set thanks to its appeal to nostalgia. What’s even better is that, given its smaller size, it’s relatively easy and fun to collect every single card!
Read our guide to see which cards have held up the best in value since its release.
#3 Pokemon Scarlet and Violet – 151
151 Booster Pack
Market price: $5.91
Pokemon 151 just recently hit the shelves just yet, but it has some of the best Pokemon packs to buy in 2023 for the simple reason of nostalgia. For the first time in decades, collectors are going to be able to chase the original 151 Pokemon they know and love. That kind of mass appeal is going to make this set undoubtedly one of the best in recent memory.
And unlike Celebrations which had a host of filler cards to go along with the reprint set, this set is entirely focused on the original 151 Pokemon that started it all.
Now, as this is a special set, you won’t be able to buy loose packs from retailers or booster boxes. Right now, the best product you can get is the Pokemon 151 Elite Trainer Box.
Read our review to see what’s inside.
You can also read our full guide to learn everything you need to know about Scarlet & Violet – 151 including release dates and rare cards.
#2 Crown Zenith – Sword & Shield
Crown Zenith Booster Pack
Market price: $4.51
Crown Zenith is still a fairly new set, and yet it’s one of the best to come out in recent memory. With an expansive trainer gallery, and new twists on some of our favorite cards from Sword and Shield, Crown Zenith is an incredible pack. Think of it as sort of a “greatest hit” album from the Sword and Shield Era.
You can find the pull rates for Crown Zenith online, but we’ve had a lot of luck with this set, getting frequent good pulls, and are nearly there in regards to collecting the master set!
Read our guide to see which cards are the best and most valuable in all of Crown Zenith.
#1 Evolving Skies – Sword & Shield is the Best Pokemon Pack to Buy Right Now
Evolving Skies Booster Pack
Get the most popular Pokemon card pack to buy from the entire Sword and Shield era of Pokemon Trading Cards.
Market price: $9.04
Evolving Skies is the most valuable Sword and Shield era set, with cards fetching incredible prices. For this reason, getting your hands on Evolving Skies packs is quite challenging, with booster boxes costing much more than other sets. Right now, an Evolving Skies booster box on TCGplayer will cost you over $400! That just goes to show how incredibly popular this particular set has remained in the hearts and minds of Pokemon card fans around the world.
Still, with an unparalleled range of rare cars and alt arts, Evolving Skies is one of the best Pokemon packs to buy in 2023, and of all time!
Read our guide for more info on the most valuable cards in Evolving Skies.
