- Ultra Rare
- Posts
- 🏈 From NFL linebacker to Pokémon don
🏈 From NFL linebacker to Pokémon don
Refer friends for 10% off at Metawooky's Cardhouse
Blake Gleason
January 20, 2023
Happy Friday,
It's hard to believe we're already 7 weeks in to writing this thing. We want to get bigger and better and we need your help. For the next month we're offering 10% off at Metawooky's Cardhouse for anyone referring 3 Pokéfans to Ultra Rare. The store is filled with slab bags, booster packs, and more. Give it a look.
Scroll down for your unique referral link and we'll hook you up as soon as 3 people subscribe.
Happy collecting and have a great weekend!
He quit the NFL to go full-time on Pokémon and he has no regrets
At 29, Blake Martinez had already earned north of $20 million playing for the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants. After rehabbing a torn ACL, he signed a new contract with the Las Vegas Raiders that would pay him $1.12 million. But his heart wasn't in it.
I'd just had a game where I had 11 tackles. I got done with the game and everybody was messaging me saying things like, "Hey, you had an amazing game," but all I could think about was which Pokémon card I was going to buy.
In November, Blake ditched the physical trainers for the world of Pokémon trainers. Yes, correct. He. Quit. The NFL. To. Sell. Pokémon. And he quickly learned he could make as much streaming on Whatnot as he did playing football without all the bodily harm.
Instagram: @blakes.breaks
While we're not all doing this for the flip, it's at least comforting that a millionaire would stop doing his millionaire job to hunt down Illustrator cards. Respect the passion. Blake recently gave an inspiring interview to Business Insider.
Ash & Pikachu's impending departure is causing a run on cards and collectibles featuring the cute pals
The Pokémon Company
In December it was announced that Ash and Pikachu would be ending their run on the television series after 25 years. So what do you think collectors did with this news? They got COLLECTING. Monthly searches for 'Ash and Pikachu' spiked 200% following the announcement.
But are those collectors or just naive opportunists because Ash is a relative ghost in TCG. Outside of some Trainer Gallery cards you're really looking at like vintage Topps prints. Either way, news is news and it created surges in activity elsewhere. Namely, Crown Zenith.
eBay added that monthly searches for Crown Zenith - the final set in the Pokémon Trading Card Game’s current Sword and Shield era - had rocketed 11,000% following its reveal in early November. Searches for Sword and Shield more than doubled - rising by 130% - following the announcement.
Happy trails to Ash and Pikachu and a warm welcome to Liko and Roy.
Crown Zenith brings stunning art and (more importantly 🤗) an increased pull rate
The Pokémon Company/Kotaku
Sword & Shield is coming to end in March, but it is going out with an absolute bang. As we mentioned earlier, ebay searches for 'Sword & Shield' and 'Crown Zenith' have gone bananas since the November announcement. And as Kotaku has learned, the number of full-art cards and the frequency with which they're getting pulled is far greater than ever before.
Out of the 19 packs my son and I tore open, we scored a total of 18 ultra rares or above, which is an unheard of rate outside of Japan. (And that’s not including those that came with the tin and collection box, just the ones from the packs.) While we missed my chase card, the alt-art Leafeon, we did manage to hit some of the cards we most wanted.
This was backed up on Reddit user u/unevenxboxcontroller after having ripped 5,077 Crown Zenith booster packs. (note to self: maybe message them for the hookup?).
Reddit u/unevenxboxcontroller
Kotaku goes super in-depth on everything Crown Zenith even comparing and contrasting it to VSTAR Universe in terms of full-arts and pull rates. TL;DR Japan is niiiiiiice
🔌 PERSONAL PLUG
Get your sh*t graded. We made it easy.
We made a grading service with the collector in mind. If you're curious what your cards might be worth graded, look 'em up on Price Charting.
Quick Hits
Video of the Day
"People who like Pokémon too much" from Lost Pause on YouTube