Pikachu ex was the Most Coveted Card of 2024 Pokemon TCG Marketplace SV08: Surging Sparks $0.00 90 Days Low $0.00 Daily Low $0.00 Market Price "Surging Sparks" was the most coveted set of 2024, as boxes of the set often cost upwards of $200 on the secondary market
This gives your opponent a better chance of taking it out, especially since it also absorbs all damage to you or your other permanents while its out
It is widely believed that scalpers shifted their attention to other products
That is, of course, Eevee ex , which has been one of the cards teased as part of early launch artwork
I almost always prefer the former method because if ink gets pulled when you take the tape off, its far easier to patch up a black border than color-match and patch the back of the card and if your sleeves arent opaque on the back, a noticeable paint job will disqualify a card in tournaments (and it is noticeable)
But there are also a lot of underwhelming, common-rarity creatures filling it up was anyone asking for a showcase Bulette, Pixie Guide, or Celestial Unicorn