UNION ARENA: Chainsaw Man Card Sells for $30,000
Over the weekend, news broke of one of the first reported sales on the secondary card market of the insanely rare and valuable hand-signed Chainsaw Man Action Point card featuring Makima. The card sold for an insane ¥4,810,000 which is about $30,000 USD, making it the most expensive UNION ARENA card ever. Notably, this was for the NO.001 signature rare card, likely adding additional value over a more inconspicuous number.
While innocent-seeming enough (Japanese card prices aren’t 1-1 with English Version equivalents), this new record could have a big impact on UNION ARENA as a whole, but especially for the English Version. It’s not the only insane hype we’ve seen for UNION ARENA cards and products. Indeed, coinciding with the release of Chainsaw Man’s UNION ARENA set in Japan, news broke of massive crowds lining up in an attempt to get their hands on highly in-demand products.
While we have yet to see unruly crowds shutting down sales via social media, the signs seem everywhere that UNION ARENA is not far behind Japan in terms of overall hype and excitement.
Indeed, products feel scarce on this side of the Pacific as well. Whereas just one year ago you could essentially get any UNION ARENA box you wanted at anytime, local sellers are holding onto product like it’s gold or a well-kept secret. Walking into a store and finding products seriously limited or available at an inflated price almost causes you to scratch your head. Wasn’t this supposed to be the cheap game?
UNION ARENA English version is in for a Chainsaw Man-sized shock this summer
With the current demand we are seeing for UNION ARENA products combined with the insane anticipation for popular IPs like Chainsaw Man, it seems clearer than ever that this summer is going to be a blockbuster moment for the underdog TCG.
While Solo Leveling might have been the first goliath-sized set for the game, I’m starting to wonder if it wasn’t just a warmup for what’s about to hit this summer. Based on current market trends, overseas hype, and now this insane price for the Makima Serialized AP, I’m predicting unprecedented demand for Chainsaw Man products come this summer.
Coping mechanisms for players and collectors when Chainsaw Man comes out
My point in writing about all of this, however, isn’t simply to hype up Chainsaw Man as a set. Indeed, the hype is already there: news of the Chainsaw Man serialized AP going for $30,000 has well over 100,000 views on X already. Rather, the point is to help you stay informed about the greater market trends at play in UNION ARENA.
And for those who seriously want to invest in what is likely to be the biggest UNION ARENA set so far, there are a few smart routes for you to take.
The “go big” approach
The first path I’d recommend is also the hardest, and that’s just to go all in and get a case of Chainsaw Man. Right now, cases of the set are going for a lot on TCGPlayer. But with the Mayhem sale about to hit on Friday, you’ll be getting 8% back of whatever you spend as store credit to use in the future.
Despite the sticker shock (cases are going for north of $2900), I’ve found that the absolute best value you can get for a set is to get a case. I did this when building my Sword Art Online decks, and I actually made more in both opportunity cost, value, and decks as well as the money I got for selling cards than I spent on the case.
While that case was cheap in comparison to this one, increased hype and demand for Chainsaw Man could equate to increased demand for singles that you sell.
I will say, however, that going this route is a ton of work, and only makes sense if you are going to be incredibly disciplined about selling the cards you don’t need — building decks and selling them etc — or if budget really isn’t a concern for you.
I’m not saying you will necessarily end up as well as I did with the SAO Vol. 2 example, or that you’ll hit something really big like a serialized AP. But if you’re serious about Chainsaw Man, often buying a case is the best way to get maximum value.
Buy singles – the cheapest option
On the other hand, if you’re just looking to pick up a few decks, going for singles is the best option. When people are buying sealed products like these, part of the reason why the products are so expensive is for the perceived potential of bagging a massive chase. When buying singles, however, you’re just getting what you pay for. Even massively popular UNION ARENA sets like Solo Leveling are relatively affordable as singles on the secondary card market.
If you’re looking for the cheapest, lowest frills option, go this route.
Attend a lot of release events
Lastly, one way to get around those collectors and investors looking to purchase the boxes purely for their perceived resell value is to attend release events. Most TCG opportunists are going to think twice before going the extra mile to actually attend a release event. Meanwhile, local shops are often grateful for players showing up to these kinds of events, and will even reward attendees by holding a box or two for them.
Besides this, just attending the release event gives you five guaranteed packs, and unlike Rare Battles, Release Events aren’t subject to any major attendance limits, making this one of the best ways to stock up on the latest UNION ARENA set.
I won’t sugarcoat what the insane early hype we are seeing for Chainsaw Man likely means for odds of getting your hands on products. However, we’re early enough still that a little planning and preparation will go a long way in helping you bag the cards and products you really want. And with hype like this, it’s clear (as I always seem to be saying) that UNION ARENA is getting bigger than ever in North America, which means more players and fans to share this amazing game with!
