The Pokemon TCG is among the upper echelons of trading card games, alongside the likes of Magic: The Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh! The game is extremely popular, especially within the collector sphere, due to the beautiful card art and rarity.

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With over two decades of history, the Pokemon TCG has amassed an incredible number of cards and variants. These only add to the excitement of having all the best cards in a binder. Every collector has their habits, and some are commonly shared across all Pokemon TCG collectors.

Updated on May 29, 2023 by Doruk Kaptan: Pokemon has a lot of adjacent media properties. However, one of the fastest-evolving ones is likely the TCG, with new sets coming out every few months. Despite the constant release of new sets and card types, some things stay constant, especially among the collectors. Here are some habits we all have.

15 Cycle Through Sleeves Constantly

Eeveelution card sleeves: Vaporeon, Jolteon, Flareon and Eevee on card sleeve

When you lose yourself in the hobby of collecting shiny, valuable cardboard pieces, at some point, you realize how fragile they are. Especially if you have a financial aim when collecting rare cards, protecting them becomes doubly important. That's where card sleeves and deck boxes come in.

While card sleeves serve the simple purpose of protecting cards, they can also be gorgeous. Especially sleeves that come from Elite Trainer Boxes are designed beautifully and can make your collection truly stand out. With so many good options, though, you'll find yourself constantly wanting to swap sleeves so you appreciate them all.

14 Forget To Actually Play The Game

Pokemon TCG Live Tournaments

The "Game" part is forgotten in a lot of Trading Card Games. When you get lost in card prices, gorgeous art, chase cards, and more, the hobby can feel like it's all about the cards themselves. Despite that, the Pokemon TCG is one of the most fun card games you could play.

The game works on a prize card system as opposed to Life Points, meaning comebacks are quite more likely when compared to other TCGs. It's also the best way to utilize less-beloved Pokemon, as the designers love giving some love to less fortunate Pokemon in terms of power.

13 Get Into The Sunk-Cost Fallacy

Most Expensive Pokemon Lost Origin Cards Giratina VSTAR Goodra VSTAR

While not exclusive to the Pokemon TCG, or any TCG for that matter, the sunk-cost fallacy is in full display here. Many collectors buy booster boxes, elite trainer boxes, and other pricy items to find specific valuable cards to make a profit. However, the more you spend, the more it feels like you have to spend.

The sunk cost fallacy works thusly, you have already spent a ton of money, effort, or time on a task. At some point, the cost begins to outweigh the potential reward. But it feels like you have to spend a bit more to reach that goal, just pushing your luck a bit more. It's hard to quit when you could maybe hit that Lugia VSTAR in the next pack, though...

12 Watch Opening Videos Online

Pokemon TCG Live card packs

You've likely opened hundreds of packs and spent a chunk of money, but the itch of opening a potentially amazing pack just doesn't go away like that. Thus, many collectors find themselves watching other people open Pokemon TCG products online.

While it surely doesn't have the same adrenaline rush as opening one yourself, watching the reactions of content creators when they hit the jackpot can be extremely amusing. This is especially true when the reaction feels genuine, and the creator knows what they are talking about.

11 Fail To Decide On An Organizing Scheme

Stylized card book with a pair of hands holding pokemon cards in front of it

Regardless of how avid of a collector you are and how big of a collection you have, organizing your cards is a huge part of the fun, especially for the more neat people. However, with unbelievable numbers of cards, it can truly be a challenge to find a system that works for you.

You could sort the cards by set, species, type, or many more categories. Then you get to Special Energies,Trainers, and promo cards. Many experienced collectors will tell you that finding a good organizing scheme for your cards can and will give you choice paralysis.

10 Drool Over The New Sets

Silver Tempest Booster Box

The excitement a new set brings to the hobby is significant. Opening shiny new cards and admiring them for the first time is a joy every collector has experienced.

You may not stumble upon the higher rarity cards in your first booster box or two, but getting your hands on a brand-new product is never boring. As such, many collectors await the announcement of each set eagerly, hoping to see what the newest expansion brings.

9 Fly Through The Commons

Cubone card (Breakthrough #77) and Charmander card (Generations #RC3).

Few collectors can claim not to be guilty of this. Many lower rarity cards are extremely well designed, but it's hard not to have tunnel vision for a specific rare card. You'll see many collectors on YouTube or Twitch straight-up skip the common cards in a pack to get to the best part.

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That's not a moral failing by any means, though, as all collectors want to see what rare cards they can pull from a pack. It's nice to slow down and appreciate the lower rarity cards every once in a while.

8 Care About Profit

Pokemon TCG Most Expensive Greninja Cards Greninja & Zoroark GX Rainbow Rare

There are many types of Pokemon TCG collectors. Some just enjoy seeing the cards and feel the excitement of finding rare cards, whereas some do this to profit the most or make their money back. This can be an exciting process in and of itself.

Profiting or breaking even on a pack of random cards is a rare sight, and most collectors are guilty of the gambler's fallacy — believing they will pull perfect cards and make bank. This is especially bad when opening a vintage product such as the Base Set, where the highs are extremely high and the lows are worthless.

7 Admire Your Collection

Hundreds of Pokemon cards scattered

After all the heartbreak, excitement, and hype around building a collection and sorting them into a nice binder or drawer, it's time to admire your collection. This may seem vain to someone outside of the hobby, but it's really rewarding to just browse through your collection every once in a while.

This is especially true when you're showing off your collection to someone else interested in the hobby. After all, the collection itself is the purpose of collecting cards, right? For those who use their cards in competitive play, this can also be a great way to see what is available to you when building a new deck.

6 Chase The Rare Cards

Shaymin-EX from Roaring Skies Card Art with blurred background

This goes hand-in-hand with focusing on profit but is more emotional than monetary. This is especially true when opening a pack with a rare card that depicts your favorite Pokemon, or a specific card you need for a deck, and it's really easy to fool yourself into believing you'll get it.

This, of course, leads to way more products bought than necessary, and either getting the card or giving up. The moment of triumph is satisfying, but if you plan on using the card, then it's always better to just buy the card itself. This stubbornness is why many collectors go wild when they do actually get the card they're chasing.

5 Contemplate Paying Too Much Money For Old Sets

An Alakazam, Charizard, and Mewtwo card from the Base Set Expansion

Even if you're not a collector of cards, you've seen articles about old TCG cards selling for absurd amounts of money. Generally, these cards are older and/or there are very few of them. Of course, this leads to sealed products also selling for incredible amounts, because they could have that perfect condition Charizard.

Buying old booster boxes and the like can be a decent spend. It's easy to imagine yourself making more money than you put in thanks to that perfect card selling for thousands of dollars, but it very rarely is the case. As such, many Pokemon card collectors won't pull the trigger and invest, instead just fantasizing.

4 Trade Cards And Feel Remorse

pokemon green cover and stadium trade service

Trading is quite literally the name of the game! Many collectors, barring the occasional crown jewels, trade others for the cards they like more or need for a deck. Unfortunately, these trades sometimes don't feel fair, and there is always that feeling of doubt when going ahead with one.

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Most people have felt this, even if it was trading a Squirtle for a Charmander back in your playground. Regardless, the feeling has remained the same, but the stakes have become higher with rarer and more expensive cards. It's neat being part of being in the community, it's just hard to say goodbye to your cards.

3 Obsess Over Price Fluctuations

Mewtwo GX with price graph, taken from tcgplayer

The feeling of victory once you hit good cards is like no other. However, as mentioned, it's not the most reliable or economical way to get certain cards. Many collectors will jump online to get the cards they're missing from their collection or deck.

However, this is where the obsession over price fluctuations begins. Pokemon cards, just like any other cards, are given a price tag depending on supply and demand. When a card seems too strong or rare, it can jump up in price instantly, as people rush to get one. A deck may perform poorly in a tournament, and card prices may then plummet. Purchasing cards is a rabbit hole that could see you watch graphs for hours on end.

2 Pivot Into Adjacent Hobbies

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet: Map of Paldea with clouds swirling above

Collectors rarely manage to contain their excitement. After all, Pokemon is among the biggest media franchises ever, with a huge number of ways to enjoy it. Many collectors jump into the card game, to begin with.

Collecting cards can be a gateway into a deeper Pokemania. People make 3D dioramas, cut out cards to build 3D cards, print and paint miniatures, begin competing in the video games, get into the anime, and much more. These little pieces of cardboard are only a taste of what Pokemon as a whole offers, and after a short time collecting, you may just be sold for life.

1 Jump Into Other TCGs

Yu-Gi-Oh! Steel Raiders

While the Pokemon TCG has a lot going for it, it's relatively simple in its mechanics and can be a great way to get into Trading Card Games as a whole. Well, that's exactly what some card collectors do.

Other card games like Yu-Gi-Oh! and Magic The Gathering tend to seem way less intimidating once you get the hang of Pokemon. Even if you're just a collector, the other games have tons of cool cards too, so why not dip your toes in them?

Next: Pokemon TCG: The Best EX Cards Of All Time