Two weeks ago, the Pokémon TCG's 30th Celebration set launched worldwide (September 16) with more hype than almost any set in recent memory. Prerelease prices were wild: the Mew ex Futuristic Rare, the set's biggest chase card, was changing hands for $850 to $1,400 before a single pack was officially opened.

Then people started opening packs. And the market fell off a cliff.

Today, that same Mew ex sells for around $90. Mewtwo ex, the set's second biggest chase, has followed it down to about $100. Even the priciest Special Illustration Rare, Mew ex 152/128, sits around $213, a fraction of launch hype, and some of the set's Pikachu illustration cards have dropped more than 80%.

Why it happened: generous pull rates

What killed the hype prices was simple: the pull rates are remarkably generous. Published pull rates put Special Illustration Rares at roughly 1 in 19 packs and Illustration Rares at 1 in 5, about four to five times the hit rates of recent Scarlet & Violet and Mega Evolution sets. With hits this common, the resale market never stood a chance.

For anyone who bought to flip, it's been brutal. For collectors, it's the best news in years.

Why this is a great set to collect right now

Strip away the investment drama and 30th Celebration is a genuinely fun set. Every card in a booster is foil, including the Basic Energy. There are 30 different Pikachu illustrations to hunt down. A brand new Futuristic rarity makes its debut. And the gold border Classic Collection reprints bring back beloved older cards for the anniversary.

More product is on the way, too: Booster Bundles (six packs each) and Mini Tins arrive October 2, with more releases rolling out through the end of the year.

The takeaway

If the last couple of years of inflated prices pushed you out of the hobby, the singles market is the friendliest it has been in years. The chase is actually fun again, and it costs a fraction of what it did at launch.

Browse our 30th Celebration singles and pick up the cards you want while the market is in your favor.