There was chaos in the Pokémon TCG community on Wednesday. It emerged that scalper groups using bots to purchase as many Pokémon products as possible had apparently found a way to access the Pokémon Center's Phantasmal Flames stock before preorders actually began, buying up the whole lot before the wider public even got access.
That's the prevailing rumor, at any rate, though no official communication has come down from The Pokémon Company just yet to clear things up. If true, this would explain why preorders for the Pokémon set, which were generally expected to start today or yesterday, haven't yet begun.
There is plenty of evidence to support the idea that scalpers pulled off some kind of WOW boss raid on the Pokémon Center's stock. Screenshots showing successful checkouts and purchase confirmation emails have been circulating online, and in one, a Discord group admin can be seen bragging about the scalpers' haul, claiming that the group had managed to secure over 42,000 items between them.
Now, further screenshots suggest The Pokémon Center may actually be cancelling these purchases, leaving the scalpers with nothing to show for their shenanigans.
This would be satisfying if true, but there are plenty of conflicting reports on that front. And since these order cancellations appear to originate from the ne'er-do-well Discord groups themselves, I'm inclined to treat this with not just a pinch of salt but a whole ocean's-full.
That's about all we can tell you, right now, I'm afraid. We've reached out to The Pokémon Company for clarification on the whole story and will update you as soon as we have more information.
We'll also let you know, of course, if and when Phantasmal Flames preorders do go live on The Pokémon Center as well as where to look once they are inevitably snapped up in mere minutes.
While you wait, come grumble about the secondary market with us at the Wargamer Discord. And don't miss our list of the most expensive rare Pokémon cards.