Amazon UK is back with one of the only means that general Pokémon TCG fans can get packs from the Scarlet & Violet Prismatic Evolutions and 151 sets: an invite system.
While booster packs alone aren’t available, the retailer has added the Prismatic Evolutions Accessory Pouch Special Collection and the 151 Blooming Waters Premium Collection to its stock. The only way to have a chance at getting either is by requesting an invite to purchase on each collection’s product page.
After doing this ourselves, we got an email notification for both right away stating that the invitation requests were received. If you end up being picked within the next 12 months to purchase either collection, you will then be emailed a link that’s valid for 72 hours, of which you can use to buy your new cards and accessories.
Within those 12 months, you won’t need to request an invite again whenever Amazon UK makes any restocks, as yours will still be connected to each collection’s product page. Essentially, it’s a lottery where a decent amount of luck is required in order to grab one for yourself.
In return, however, you’ll have the chance to buy a collection that’s actually at a fair price compared to the higher prices for Prismatic Evolutions and 151 collectors have been having to deal with over the recent months, in light of their low supply vs demand.
The Prismatic Evolutions Accessory Pouch Special Collection includes both five booster packs and an Eevee accessory pouch for just £29.99. With Amazon’s current price of £16.49 for just one Prismastic Evolutions booster — on open, no-invite-required listings — you would need to pay £82.45 for five packs individually.
The same goes for the 151 Blooming Waters Collection. Charging you £79.99, you’ll get 12 booster packs, individual foil cards; Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Blastoise ex, and Venusaur ex; and an oversized Blastoise ex card for display as well.
Even when only taking the packs into account, individual boosters for 151 cost a massive £19.49 at Amazon UK — meaning you would have to put up £233.88 just to buy 12 without getting an invite.
Pokemon TCG’s major supply issues around sets like 151 and Prismatic Evolutions don’t seem like they’ll be letting up anytime soon. With that, keeping an eye out for invitation listings like these is one of the best ways to get new cards from them without needing to refresh retailer pages 24 hours a day, or applying for a bank loan.
With other new sets like Destined Rivals or Journey Together selling out almost instantly to scalpers as soon as they’re in stock, we wouldn’t be surprised if other retailers didn’t start applying an invite system as well, to give everyone a fair chance.
Ben Williams – IGN freelance contributor with over 10 years of experience covering gaming, tech, film, TV, and anime. Follow him on Twitter/X @BenLevelTen.
