Battle commences as several trainers compete during the Vaults monday tournament. The Vault League is an official leage that offers te potential to compete globbally.

There is something timeless about the anticipation and excitement of tearing open a Pokémon pack. Seeing the slick sheen on the package and feeling the expected weight it holds is enough to make you feel like a kid again. Tearing open the plastic and seeing the pristine, untouched cards fills you with the feeling of “this is it.” One by one, you reveal the cards, looking for the ‘big deal’ card — the holographic card. The holographic cards were the best. They shined with an exuberance that made them seem not like a piece of paper, but something precious, something important.

In 2025, kids from the Pokémon generation are finally old enough to feel nostalgia and influence the market, and Pokémon is back! Like, fully back. Collectors in this new era of Pokémon may find Walmart shelves always empty, prices skyrocketing, and stories of riots in the states.

Long-time collector and Pokémon Professor Dyllan Weich remembers when Pokémon first came to Canada back in the late nineties.

“It started off very slow, but it boomed near the 2000s, and then it slowed down again, and then it boomed again,” Weich says. “From what I can tell, Pokémon goes through waves… we’re kind of like in another high-end push.”

Weich works with The Vault, a local game and collectibles store in Lethbridge, to organize and manage Pokémon-related events like official tournaments and challenges.

“So, it started off pretty slow, and then gradually, it just kind of grew into what it is now. Fun tournaments happen every Monday and Friday, and every three months, we do a prerelease for new sets.”

As Pokémon continues to boom, Weich acknowledges that while more players are joining the community, there is a challenge with many players unable to access cards to play the game.

“Whenever I can get something, I try and get some so that I can actually give back to our players through the bulk items that I have, just to keep them and their decks current.”

The Vault owner Don Bowles agrees.

“There’s been a significant increase in demand,” says Bowles. “I think most of it stems from the 151 Pokémon set that came out, bringing back collectors from the ’90s and early 2000s. Now they have adult money to buy packs.”

The 151 pack, which included cards featuring the original Pokémon from the ’90s, has quickly become one of the most popular expansions to date for collectors. What started at $5.99 a pack on the official Pokémon Center website has risen to nearly $20 on the secondary market. In fact, in January, that very pack was the cause of an altercation where some collectors got physical in a California Costco.

You would think, with the popularity of Pokémon booming, retailers would be having a field day. However, with prices rising and demand increasing, some are struggling to keep up. The way the Pokémon Company prints and distributes cards has left some retailers frustrated, including Bowles.

“I’m going to be able to make 12 customers happy, and as you see here, we have more than 12 people sitting in here right now playing Pokémon.”

With retailers and collectors both fed up, Weich explains how the situation has gotten this far.

“I’m not very happy about it,” says Weich. “A lot of the community is not happy about it. I wish that [distributors] would do something to stay in line with what Pokémon expects.”

Weich believes the Pokémon Company should have more oversight over its distributors.

“The distributors hold on to things, and then they sell them at a higher cost, or the cost of what scalpers are giving them at, because they’re unavailable to buy.”

While retailers are just catching up, it seems like Pokémon isn’t slowing down. Rumors are already swirling about the subsequent expansion; it’s almost certain that another nostalgia-based release is in the works.

For those who want to begin playing, Weich says the best way would be to participate in the prerelease tournament, where players buy in for $30 and receive a battle deck and some booster packs.

“It’s about the game, the spirit of the game, having fun, being face to face with other players, and being part of something fun in a community. Even if you don’t make it to the top, there’s always the chance.”