Are Pokémon TCG Premium Blister Packs Worth It?

If you’re a new Pokémon fan, chances are you’ve felt overwhelmed by the sheer amount of products available for the trading card game. There have been a mountain of releases this year, with everything from advent calendars and Halloween booster packs, to special starter decks and mini tins.

One particular product that’s especially popular with the recent launch of Paradox Rift is the premium blister booster pack. These packs are often touted as being ideal for checking out a set without too much commitment, but are they worth it?

Here’s everything you need to know about premium blister booster packs, including what they contain and whether to pick one up or not.

What Do Premium Blister Booster Packs Contain?

Premium blister booster packs, also referred to as check lane booster packs, are very similar to regular blister packs and boosters, but you get more value for money when purchasing them.

They look different to regular booster packs, usually being presented in a plastic package that’s suitable for stores to hang up on a rack instead of in a booster box display. They’re also quite a good holiday gift idea if there’s a Pokémon fan in your life that you want to get something for.

Inside a premium blister pack, you will usually find:

• A Pokémon TCG coin. Firstly, there’s usually a shiny coin that can be used during an official Pokémon TCG match. They’re great collectible items, and more often than not, they feature a Pokémon that’s especially popular in the current set.
• A booster pack. If you’re purchasing a new premium blister pack, the featured booster pack will be that of the current Pokémon TCG set. At the time of writing, for example, the newest premium blister packs feature Paradox Rift booster packs.
• Several promotional cards. Premium blister booster packs tend to feature evolution chains with at least one of the cards being a holofoil of some kind. 

This is slightly more than a regular blister pack, as these usually only contain a booster pack, a coin, and one promo card.

Premium blister booster packs are released just as often as regular booster packs. They can be found for practically every expansion and are decently easy to get your hands on as they’re not an exceptionally popular product. 

Is It Worth Picking Up A Premium Blister Pack?

For the price, absolutely. 

Prices will vary depending on your region and location, of course, but from our research we’ve seen that premium blisters of the current expansion tend to go for $8 USD/ $11 CAD/ £6.50 GBP or less. Premium blisters from older expansions can be found for much less than this, usually coming in at less than $7 USD/ $10 CAD / £4.85 or so. 

Premium blister packs are more worthwhile for competitive players than regular blister packs as they come with a full evolution chain of promo cards in most cases. This makes them a nice add-on buy for someone who’s looking to build a quick deck with current cards. 

The addition of the coin to the booster pack and promo cards adds extra value, too. They’re also a great way to pad out old sets that you might be missing cards from without needing to buy multiple booster packs.

Currently, Paradox Rift premium blister packs are available (check stores like 401 Games, Gamestop, and Magic Madhouse for online orders) and they’re worth picking up- especially the Tinkaton one. If you’d like to see some blister pack openings, make sure to check out our official Instagram for some opening Reels.