Sluffy

@Pokemon__drama @cardmechanic92 Lmao even if they weren't comparable (they totally are), there are also literally two other immensely popular Pokemon with gamestop promos that cost a fraction of Gengar's fake ass price.

People also are obsessed with 151. It’s not so much apples to oranges as apples to apples. The only difference I can give it is it’s a granny Smith apple and a red delicious apple. They’re both still apples and highly sought after. What I’m pointing out it’s crazy to help people are picking and choosing. Also, don’t give hate to my boy, Bulbasaur, he’s an OG #0001

Crazy to me cause 151 is massive with everyone wanting it but a 151 stamped card is less then that of a new GameStop stamped card… Makes zero sense how that is…

@Pokemon__drama Because the Bulbasaur went to people who wanted it, while the Gengar went to people explicitly looking to use it for profit. It's harder for them to profit from a card that was released before they could get their hands on it, so they don't bother with manipulation and hype.

@Zmeinir I can only believe that the assertions that artists are somehow looking down on others is pure projection born out of self-loathing. Sure, there are mean comments on the internet but as a whole I have never seen a community as eager to provide resources and advice as artists.

Little rant about my experience as an artist and how I see AI bros' behavior When I was a kid, I was called a gifted kid because I could draw, and it fascinated both classmates and Adults. I'm sure a lot of fellow artists had a similar experience, since it was quite rare to see irl especially before socials became so widespread. Some were envious, some simply curious, and some trying to befriend me to get free art even then. Honestly I didn't mind the ego boost, but I noticed a repeated pattern of "I wish I could do that!" "you're so lucky you can draw" "you're so talented, unlike me", dismissing their own skills or insisting they couldn't do anything. Adults said something fun wasnt a real job, that I should think of getting a job like theirs instead. Now in the era of AI 'art', those same persons who used to envy artists have an easy access to an illusion of talent and skill. They spit on the stolen work of every artist whose art has been fed into AI to flatter their fragile ego and look down on artists. They say artists will loose their jobs and get replaced, when they don't even understand why that's false or what it takes. But the truth is they cope, they stay in the comfort of denial, saying THEY created the results AI give them. Saying prompting is a skill, because they want it to be one. They'd kill to do the same as artists, to have a passion, a talent, to captivate people and get praised for something they created with their own hands. To make money out of their passion. But besides AI bros boosting each other's egos, no one will genuinely compliment AI 'art'. And if anyone did, upon learning it was AI they'll take it back because it has no value at all. It's stolen, empty, and made with no passion or love whatsoever (and probably a ton of mistakes up close too) I just think it's sad because anyone can draw well. It just takes practice, but they're not even willing to try. Instead, they just hide behind insults and superior complex. Behind a false sense of achievement. NO ARTIST will ever say "you have no skill, you suck" to someone genuinely trying to get into art. The art community is very welcoming, just pick up the pen and have fun with us!

@BrokenOptics While important, I think the skills aren't the biggest thing to take away. More importantly, you can experience the satisfaction of something YOU created, and that alone is more than enough.

Sure, I might not be the best out there, the difference is I actually put in the effort and learn as I go. End of the day I have skills you will never have. When the bubble bursts I’ll still have the ability to create anything I want. You won’t.

@kirstyn Don't worry, you're not missing out on much. Mine is 5 minutes away but I still don't get anything because there are a minimum of 25 people waiting around all day to clear the restock the moment it drops.

do you know how sick it would be to live close to a big box store to score pokemon cards

@BandzMcBagz Anyone claiming Gamestop is "fighting" scalping by scalping themselves is not arguing in good faith and is either stupid, or, more likely, invested.

GameStop raising their prices to “combat scalpers” in turn made them a scalper but yall don’t want to talk about that. You’d rather call your fellow man poor for not wanting to pay $100 for an etb than call out major retailers.

@nolatcg @shotguncaio collectr always felt so weird to me. The only cards I've ever put effort into tracking are the cards I DON'T have.

@shotguncaio Nobody collects for the love of the game anymore. I feel like I’m the only person who doesn’t have their collection put into collectr at this point 😂

“You’re just mad you don’t have the $1,000+ chase cards”. No Brandon, I’m just annoyed that a hobby I love started feeling like an investment firm and someone’s retirement plan 😭

@shotguncaio For the record, I am mad I don't have $1000+ chase cards. I just want to collect pretty cards. Of course I'm mad that I'm being priced out of doing that. I just want to return to $1000 being able to buy me a whole set of illustrations instead of one.

@CBZero125 While this is all true, I will just say that I got a long-shot today and two SR gates upgraded to SSR gates.

@KaylaSaysMore Isn't that just Dave Filoni?

I need a novel about a showrunner that become so obsessed with a muse from his previous work that he ends up ruining his most popular show by forcing him into a prominent storyline

@MikeyFreakinC @ItsSpectix @LordCharizard33 I'll admit I wasn't playing at that point and I can't say how expensive it was. But there's a very clear difference in the market behavior of Meowth vs any other playable card in a very long time and I find it EXTREMELY hard to believe it's anything but forced hype/manipulation.

@Sluffy18 @ItsSpectix @LordCharizard33 You clearly weren't around when Tapu Lele GX was a staple in every deck

You might not like it, it might make you angry! But you have to accept the fact that if this card was released three years ago in the exact same set it would only be a $20 card at max. Everything right now is artificially inflated by scalpers and sellers pre determining how much a card is worth.

@CardGameNomad I like collecting all illustrations, and I can appreciate them all to an extent. But Meowth really does just look like a normal full art imo. It's nice, but definitely not $180 nice.

Stuck between wanting to complete my Perfect Order set and not wanting to spend the money on these 😂

@ItsSpectix @LordCharizard33 Let's be real, playability rarely has a SIGNIFICANT effect on anything but the base rarity. It might pump up the price by a fraction or so, but it's not responsible for a nearly $200 price tag. Cards like fez, ursaluna, ogerpon, etc have never come close to that sort of price.

@LordCharizard33 Does playability not come across your mind at all??? The player side of the hobby is why this card is expensive, not the collector side.

@LordCharizard33 If this was in practically any other set it'd be cheap. It's expensive because people NEED to have an expensive chase in today's market to justify reselling and buying sealed at market. It was forced into the position of chase card with the excuse of being "151"

@CharizardEats From what I've observed locally, it's a mix. I think a lot of the people addicted to opening packs have a really false sense of the odds. A lot of them are newer to the hobby and almost assuredly pay attention to social media, where everyone is constantly posting hits.

Are the people that pay market prices or buying from scalpers/gamestop, actually ripping the packs? With Pokémon’s hit rates, it’s just crazy to me that people are willing to pay $12-$15+ a pack. No hate, I’m generously curious.

@johndrewmarkley It's funny because they ALMOST had something. The moment he performs the force choke I'm like "okay, he's actually focused his rage to a more lethal point and surpassed his master" But then he IMMEDIATELY reverts back to throwing tantrums while being humiliated by hologram Luke.

The Kylo Ren point is an important one. I actually thought The Force Awakens did something pretty interesting by making Kylo a pathetic figure, but it's not the kind of interesting that suits the ultimate villain of an entire Star Wars trilogy.

@PokeTeeJay I don't know if I have a BIG nightmare story aside from a couple undervalued trades/sales. Closest is probably when I was young and a kid I didn't know looked through my binder and stole a ton of cards. But luckily his sister noticed and told on him, and they were all returned.

What’s your “Pokémon nightmare story”? Could be a bad trade, something you traded or sold and now it’s blown up, the whereabouts of your childhood collection? Etc! ⬇️

@YourMidwestBF @_bismack_ Yeah, definitely misread that lol

@Sluffy18 @_bismack_ Temporal forces is pre-mega block lol. But yeah early SVs pull rates were so high that SIRs were cheaper than IRs

We need to dispell the myth that the Pokémon Company likes rampant product scarcity. You do not sign the largest manufacturing lease in the U.S. in 2025 if you want your product to remain scarce. They are going to meet demand, even if it takes years for it to hit the market.

@YourMidwestBF @_bismack_ Yes, but then they scaled them back from Temporal Forces onwards. Which still would be fine, if they didn't start releasing special sets with dozens of SIRs and the same pullrates. Point is, more generous pullrates (especially in special sets) would help cool the market.

@Sluffy18 @_bismack_ They already did improve pull rates with the start of the mega block