As 2026 rolls on, the trading card game boom shows no signs of cooling off—and neither do the price tags. Last September, two of the most anticipated sets in recent memory—Magic: The Gathering’s Spider-Man Universes Beyond and Pokemon TCG’s Mega Evolutions—launched on the same Friday. Months later, I’m still recovering from the sticker shock. I wish I could say I was more excited. After all, these two sets sit at the intersection of at least five of my favorite things. But I just don’t know how I, or anyone, can collect these cards when they cost as much as they do.
Having two TCG sets launch on the same day is bound to create financial stress, but these are two particularly expensive sets. They are part of a long-term trend that has seen prices for both Pokemon and Magic climb significantly over the last few years. It’s getting hard to keep up—and I’m an adult with a grown-up job and no kids. I can’t imagine how it feels to be a kid right now, getting priced out of Pokemon and Spider-Man trading cards.
The Cost of Shiny Cardboard Is Too Damn High
Let’s start with the most expensive of the lot, because it helps make my point. Magic’s collector boosters—the premium, double-stuffed packs filled with the shiniest cardboard and the chance to find the rarest cards—are notoriously expensive. The Spider-Man collector boosters are obscenely expensive. At the time of launch, TCGPlayer had a box of collector boosters (12 packs) at a market price of $585. My local game store, which usually prices products competitively for the area, had boxes for $650.
There are people who can afford to spend $650 for 12 packs, but I ain’t one of them. I have to assume the vast majority of Magic players aren’t either. Of course, collector boosters aren’t the only way into the Spider-Man set. They’re just the coolest, best-looking, most valuable, and most collectible cards. Us commoners have to stick to regular play booster boxes, which were only $160 at launch—and that’s the cheapest they’ll ever be.
Moving over to Pokemon Mega Evolutions, the new base set launched alongside a new product: enhanced booster boxes. They’re like regular booster boxes, but enhanced. These boxes have the same number of packs as regular booster boxes, but they come with a promo card. MSRP was $164, but good luck finding them anywhere close to that price. Market price was changing rapidly. TCGPlayer had them at $300, and my LGS was selling them for $200. Just typing that sentence made me want to cry.
Here’s a quick snapshot of the damage:
| Product | MSRP / Market Price at Launch | What I Actually Paid (or Would Have) |
|---|---|---|
| MTG Spider-Man collector booster box (12 packs) | $585 market on TCGPlayer | $650 at my LGS |
| MTG Spider-Man play booster box | $160 | $160, if I could find it |
| Pokemon Mega Evolutions enhanced booster box | $164 MSRP | $200 at my LGS; $300 market |
💸 My wallet is crying.
Do I Need a Second Job to Support My TCG Hobby?
As I said, these are both highly anticipated sets that just so happened to launch on the same day, so it was kind of a perfect storm attacking my finances. But even accounting for bad timing, TCGs are rapidly getting more expensive. And these aren’t even my only games. That makes the whole situation even more stressful. We’re halfway to the next Lorcana set and a month away from the launch of Riftbound. Juggling four TCGs isn’t reasonable, but even if I just picked two to stick with, I don’t think I could afford to keep up.
I’m happy to see the TCG hobby thriving. I’m impressed that new games like Lorcana and Riftbound can come into the market and hold their own. But I feel like I’m being stretched past my limit, and I’m going to have to break one way or the other. How does one choose between Spider-Man and Pokemon? I don’t know if I can do it.
In 2026, the hobby is still booming, but the barrier to entry is getting ridiculous. The cost of shiny cardboard is too damn high. I’ll see you at the LGS this week, but I won’t be playing—I’ll be outside washing cars to pay for booster packs. And if you see me eyeing a collector booster box, please stage an intervention. My wallet can’t take another hit.