Charizard, an almost animated Mew card, and even Kadabra. Pokemon Card 151 is the hottest new thing right now in the Pokemon TCG scene, with collectors going absolutely insane for it. Because of all the news and hype surrounding this set, information for it has gotten unnecessarily scattered and annoying to compile. That's why I took it upon myself to make the most cohesive and complete summary of this set, to help simplify things for everyone.

Scarlet and Violet 151 is our version of the set, the international version. While this set has yet to be released for us technically, we can look at what's already out in Japan, along with all the product news and information we've provided in order to have a comprehensive overview of the set. 

Overview

The release date for Scarlet and Violet 151 is rapidly approaching, with the set having been released last Friday in Japan, and its English date being September 22nd. The hype surrounding this set is unreal, and considering it's also the first holiday set we're having in the Scarlet and Violet era, it will certainly go down as one of the better remembered sets in modern TCG.

An interesting fact is that the Japanese and English sets will be near identical, with the only differences in the sets being three cards. Illustration rare cards for Snorlax, Mewtwo, and Mew ex have all been turned into promotional cards for the English set, apart from that the sets are virtually the same. While this may make these specific cards cheaper in English, I believe that this is a great move simply for collectors; having certain cards be promotional rather than adding to an already large pool of potential hits may help alleviate pack-opening burnout for some. 

Products

Scarlet and Violet 151 is a holiday set, meaning that it will not sell its packs individually. Rather, packs for this set can only be obtained through the purchasing of products specific to this set. Holiday sets additionally do not have a booster box as well, making these sets slightly more difficult to open in bulk and complete. The good news is that within all of the products that this set has to offer, they will only contain packs relevant to Scarlet and Violet 151. If anything, feel relieved you don't have to open more S/V base.

It is important to note that the Japanese version of this set, Pokemon 151, does have its own booster box, unlike S/V 151. Fortunately for those wanting to buy a Japanese booster box for this set, the booster boxes will be made to order just like Snow Hazard and Clay Burst. This is a newly adopted strategy, which is meant to help alleviate the lack of certain 'hot' products in the market, and allow for more people to get their hands on the products they want.

If you want more clarification on what these made to order booster boxes exactly are, I'll be posting an article very soon about what this new marketing tactic is. For now, simply understand that it means that there will be more of that specific product in circulation, due to the producers matching some of the demand of the consumers.

Ultra-Premium Collection

Similar to the Celebrations and Charizard UPC's, Pokemon 151 will have its own UPC to collect. Retailing for $119.99 dollars, this behemoth of a product has become a flagship for impressive sets recently, and Pokemon 151 is making full use of this. This is an exemplar product for those wanting to complete a master set, or as perhaps one of the better products to invest in for a sealed collection. It contains cards which are unlike anything you'd find in another type of product, and comes in one of the coolest looking boxes in the process. This product will be made available on October 6th, and will include:

• 16 packs
• A metal card of Mew ex (gold hyper-rare)
• A Mew ex Special illustration rare promotional card
• A Mewtwo illustration rare promotional card
• A deck box
• A coin with Mew featured
• A playmat, with stitched edges, featuring Mew
• And other game-playing accessories and items

 

Elite Trainer Box

Probably the most iconic style of product for any set, for both product and card collectors alike. These boxes allow for a set's unique artwork or theme to be displayed beautifully, while simultaneously containing a great amount of packs to rip. With a box that's great to display, packs to open, and various other goodies, these boxes are coveted by many. The Elite Trainer Box will retail for $49.99, be made available on September 22nd, and will contain:

• 9 packs
• A full art promotional card featuring Snorlax
• A set of 65 card sleeves
• And other various, usual ETB contents

 

Pokemon Center Exclusive Elite Trainer Box

A Pokemon Center exclusive variant of the elite trainer box, this product is only available on the official website. This product is tailored more-so towards collectors than to those who look to open packs; however, it does contain something which may entice some to crack it open. The same Snorlax promo from before can be found inside, but now it sports a Pokemon Center stamp on it. Considering the price difference other cards have had in the past with this particular stamp, it may be safe to assume this specific Snorlax card could appreciate in due time. This product will retail for $59.99, and will contain:

• 11 packs
• A full art promotional card featuring Snorlax
• A full art promotional card featuring Snorlax, with a Pokemon Center stamp
• A set of 65 card sleeves
• And other various, usual ETB contents

Booster Bundle

One of the newer product styles compared to other items we see typically. The booster bundle first made its debut with Lost Origin, and has been a part of every set (barring Crown Zenith) since. This would make Scarlet and Violet 151 the first holiday set to receive its own booster bundle. This is a product which is designed for those who just want to open packs, with none of the extra fluff. This product will retail for $26.49, will release on September 22nd, and contains:

• 6 booster packs

Binder Collection

A more unique type of product we don't see too often, if hardly ever, a binder collection box. Perhaps a great purchase if you want to collect all of your hits from this set into something special, or maybe just like to have different folios available at your disposal; this is certainly a very unique product. It will retail for $24.99, will release on September 22nd, and will contain:

• 4 booster packs
• A nine-pocket album, which holds up to 360 cards.

 

Poster Collection

Another unique type of product which is rarely seen, a collection box featuring a displayable poster. This box similarly falls into a niche category of product, but certainly holds its appeal to its target audience. More than likely if you're a Pokemon fan and need to add a little life to one of your bare walls, this is the product for you. Finally, a Pokemon product tailored to those with bland interior taste. This product will retail for $14.99, will be available on September 22nd, and will contain:

• 3 booster packs
• 3 different promotional cards featuring Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle
• 1 very cool double-sided poster with a unique design on both sides

 Zapdos ex Box

A product reminiscent of the old design for the standard four-pack box, it's a wonderful and reliable product for those wanting to open some packs. Featuring an oversized card, it certainly helps round out the collection. Like I just said, if you want to open a few packs, or just really really like Zapdos, this is a great item for you. This product will release on October 6th, will retail for $21.99, and will contain:

• 4 booster packs
• An oversized Zapdos ex card
• A Zapdos ex promotional card
• A foil Electabuzz promotional card

 Alakazam ex Box

The alternative to the Zapdos ex box, this product is stylized how newer four-pack boxes are. Lacking the oversized card and instead opting for more foil promotional cards, this a product if you aren't a fan of a slightly larger-than-normal piece of paper that just clutters your collection closet. If for no other reason this product piques your interest, it marks the return of Kadabra to the TCG after almost two decades, which is pretty neat. This product will be available starting October 6th, will retail for $21.99, and will contain:

• 4 packs
• An Alakazam ex promotional card
• A foil Abra promotional card
• A foil Kadabra promotional card

Mini-Tin Collection

Rounding out our product list is the mini-tin collection. These small products are a great way to take bite-sized chunks out of this set's card list little by little, or even just a fun way to gather packs to open all at once. A product geared towards simplicity, it follows the theory of "less is more", and because of it these tins are wonderful to use in pack battles or even just nifty to collect themselves. Unlike previous mini-tin collections there are ten different variations instead of the typical five, meaning each tin within a sealed box has a unique artwork. These tins will be available on October 6th, will retail for $9.99 a tin, and will each contain:

• 2 booster packs
• A coin featuring 1 out of 10 different energy symbols
• An art card depicting the tin

 

Cards

Scarlet and Violet 151, and more specifically its Japanese counterpart, have two standout cards which are worth taking note of. These are cards which have already captured the attention of many fans, despite the set not having been out for even a week yet. The combination of these two cards, coupled with the fact that this is a holiday set, may set us up to have one heavily inflated set. Whether this is something good or bad is strictly up to the future to decide.

"Rising Sun" Mew ex

The first card we'll look at is the secret art rare card for Mew ex. This card features a beautifully etched holofoil pattern, which makes the sun in the card appear as if it is rising when tilted a specific way. While other cards in the past have had well-done artwork and etching patterns, no other card has achieved this effect before. This has caused many collectors and fans to expect the price of this card to skyrocket.

This card is a promotional card for us in Scarlet and Violet 151 found in the UPC; however, in Pokemon 151 this card remains a regular part of the set. While we can certainly expect the English variation to cost a pretty penny, with an almost full conviction we can say that the Japanese card will reach ludicrous levels of price and could easily be deemed as this set's chase card.

Master Ball Foil Pattern

While we have no way to know if this will occur in the English set, we know that in Pokemon 151 there is a new rarity in foil patterns. Typically in special Japanese sets, we can rarely find a Pokeball pattern in the holofoil, and these cards often have a slightly higher price than their regular counterparts. In Pokemon 151 though, it has been discovered that in each booster box there is a singular card which contains a Master Ball holofoil pattern. This pattern seemingly appears on any random card within the booster box, with no particular rhyme or reason.

This means super-collectors can have fun trying to complete a Master Ball master set if they so chose, but it also means something else. We could very well see the price of these Master Ball cards jump up in price, especially on certain Pokemon. I don't even want to imagine what the price of a PSA 10 masterball Pikachu would cost.

Take-away

With so much information, it can be hard to keep a handle on it all. I hope this article finds you well and helps you either budget yourself for some of your larger purchases, or gives you some insight to what the market may be facing in the upcoming months.

If you've been on the fence about becoming a sealed collector, I would personally  recommend starting with this set. I'm by no means a certified financial advisor so don't take my word as fact, but holiday sets historically do well, even the less well or overprinted ones (assuming they have enough time to marinate in nostalgia). This set has had plenty of hype around it, won't be printed much more outside its initial run, and even contains Charizard. All of these are prime things to keep in mind when it comes to investing in products.

Whether you're an avid collector excited to receive a new holiday set to rip, an investor ready to invest in some product, or just happy to see Kadabra make a return to the TCG scene, this is a set which truly has something for everyone. Sooner than we'll realize September will be here with Scarlet and Violet 151, and even sooner it'll be gone. Remember to enjoy this set for what its worth, and remember to love collecting.