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Pokémon TCG Value Watch: Darkness Ablaze In June 2022

The Pokémon TCG is an ever-changing and unpredictable market. Over the past two years, we've seen renewed interest in the hobby due to a number of factors including the 25th Anniversary, strong Sword & Shield-era sets featuring stunning Alternate Arts, influencers, box breaks, COVID-19 lockdown pushing people to find hobbies, and more. For a time, sets and cards that were readily available quickly became difficult to find. Now that the hype is settling down, let's see where modern sets stand. Every month, I will do an installment of this series, Pokémon TCG Value Watch. This series is not financial advice but is rather a way to help collectors know the trajectory of a card's availability so that Pokémon TCG completionists like myself know when to strike. Today, let's see how the cards of Sword & Shield – Darkness Ablaze, which came out in August 2020 are doing now in June 2022.

Darkness Ablaze booster box. Credit: Pokémon TCG
Darkness Ablaze booster box. Credit: Pokémon TCG

Here are the top valued cards of Pokémon TCG: Sword & Shield – Darkness Ablaze with market values observed on TCGPlayer as of this writing:

  1. Charizard VMAX 020/189: $41.94
  2. Eternatus VMAX Rainbow Rare 192/189: $12.33
  3. Scizor VMAX Rainbow Rare 193/189: $11.37
  4. Salamence VMAX Rainbow Rare 194/189: $11.33
  5. Capture Energy Gold Secret Rare 201/189: $9.91
  6. Shiny Rillaboom Gold Secret Rare 197/189: $9.32
  7. Butterfree VMAX Rainbow Rare 190/189: $8.18
  8. Shiny Coalossal Gold Secret Rare 198/189: $7.47
  9. Centiskorch VMAX Rainbow Rare 191/189: $6.00
  10. Charizard V 019/189: $4.57

Wow. Unbelievably, Darkness Ablaze has fallen even more. Already the most affordable set of the entire Sword & Shield block, this Charizard and Eternatus-themed expansion has seen its cards dramatically fall in value. The only major hit of the set, Charizard VMAX, is down $7 with its fate as the single most affordable chase card of the era seemingly set in stone. Almost more surprising and unusual is how the other cards, which are actually awesome, continue to lose large perceptions of their value. The other cards, with the exception of Scizor VMAX Rainbow Rare which is up just a bit, are down between $3 and $6. To say the cards are worth buying at this market value is an understatement.

Do you know how so many collectors openly yearn for the days when sets were easier to complete, like back in the Black & White and XY eras? This is that set.


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Theo DwyerAbout Theo Dwyer

Theo Dwyer writes about comics, film, and games.
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