Posted in: Card Games, Games, Pokémon TCG, Tabletop | Tagged: chilling reign, Elite Trainer Box, pokemon, pokemon cards, Pokemon TCG

Pull Rate Quest: Opening Pokémon TCG: Chilling Reign Packs Part 5

Too often, Pokémon TCG influencers will rush to make a sweeping statement about a new set's pull rates. Battle Styles, for instance, is said to have a terrible pull rate. Personally, I've had rough boxes of Battle Styles, but I've also had multiple boxes with two Full Arts, a Secret Rare, and a total of fourteen white codes. It seems to be very much a crapshoot. In the interest of dispelling the idea that we can establish pull rates so early in a set's existence, I'm here to kick off Pull Rate Quest, a new series at Bleeding Cool where I open Pokémon TCG sets to show that you win some… and you lose some. I love the idea that openings like this can help show people what to expect in a set, but remember… a lot of it comes down to the luck of the draw. Let's open another Elite Trainer Box of Chilling Reign and see what we can get in this installment of Pull Rate Quest.

This time, let's crack open an Elite Trainer Box. Generally, I would recommend picking up the Pokémon Center Exclusive Elite Trainer Boxes, as they're going to be similarly priced to what you'll be able to find in stores and feature packs more. I have two of those on the way, but for now, I wanted to open another standard box to give you an idea of hows these can vary. I won't break down the pulls the same way as the booster boxes, because booster boxes are truly the only Pokémon TCG product that guarantees some level of pulls. Elite Trainer Boxes essentially have a random selection of packs. I've gotten unlucky enough in the past to only pull one holo rare and seven regular rares from a Crimson Invasion ETB. On the other hand, I got quite lucky with this Elite Trainer Box.

Of the eight packs I cracked, I received two holo rares, one Pokémon V, and one Full Art Pokémon V with the Celebi above. That ranks up there with some of my best Chilling Reign pulls, full stop, which I was not expecting from the Elite Trainer Box.

The purpose of this series is to push back against the prevalent idea that content creators push that certain products have steady hit rates. I often hear that three-pack blisters are always winners, but I have gotten absolutely washed by them in the past. Comparing and contrasting the two Elite Trainer Boxes I've opened so far also shows how much comes down to the luck of the draw. My first box offered a solid selection, with the best pull being a standard Liepard V. Not bad, but not a particularly alluring box. This one, on the other hand, came through in major ways.

Next time, we'll stick to the ETBs and open another. Then, we can compare the pull rates from all three boxes and see if there are any trends or if these are, as I believe them to be, random in their offerings.

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