Black Friday Pokemon card deals 2024: The savings have begun

Paldea Adventure Chest | $49.55 $22.49 at Amazon
Save $27 - And there we have it, a record low price to kick off the early Black Friday Pokemon card deals. It'd only hit $23.99 before now, and because it's more commonly $30, I'm seeing this as a sign that this year's sale is warming up.

Buy it if:
✅ You want special foils
✅ You're looking for a gift

Don't buy it if:
❌ You'd rather get boosters in bulk

Price check:
💲 Best Buy | $49.99
💲 Walmart | $39.98

⭐ UK price: £49.99 £31.50 at Amazon

Stellar Crown Elite Trainer Box | $49.99 $36.99 at Amazon
Save $16 - I think this is just a few cents off a record low price on the new-ish Elite Trainer Box. It's also got a higher MSRP than Amazon is claiming, so it's even better value than you'd think... especially because it averages $47 or $48 in price most of the time.

Buy it if:
✅ You're adding to a deck
✅ You're playing catchup to the new sets

Don't buy it if:
❌ You're a beginner

Price check:
💲 Target | $49.99
💲 Walmart | $42.75

⭐ UK price: £49.99 £36.99 at Zatu

Shrouded Fable Elite Trainer Box | $49.99 $32.99 at Best Buy
Save $17 - Best Buy has snuck in to undercut Walmart's previous offer on this Elite Trainer Box. Because the price keeps creeping down as a result of this back-and-forth, I'm not gonna complain.

Buy it if:
✅ You're adding to a deck
✅ You don't need loads of boosters

Don't buy it if:
❌ You want a premade deck

Price check:
💲 Amazon | $37.49
💲 Walmart | $33.25

⭐ UK price: £49.99 £36.45 at Magic Madhouse

Battle Academy 2024 | $24.95 $16.66 at Amazon (with coupon)
Save $8.29 - New to the trading card game? This offer ahead of the full Black Friday Pokemon card deals brings the starter pack to its lowest ever price. Just remember to hit that coupon button below the price!

Buy it if:
✅ You're a beginner
✅ You want to teach someone how to play

Don't buy it if:
❌ You're an expert

Price check:
💲 Best Buy | $24.99
💲 Walmart | OOS

⭐ UK price: £29.99 £17.99 at Firestorm Games

Japanese 151 Booster Box | $205.99 $104.88 at Walmart
Save $101 - Even though it was cheaper last week, this massive saving of over 100 bucks is still ridiculous. It demonstrates why Walmart is the one to watch during this year's Black Friday Pokemon deals.

Buy it if:
✅ You love Japanese cards
✅ You want as many of 'em as possible

Don't buy it if:
❌ The idea is a novelty

Price check:
💲 Amazon | $112
💲 Target | OOS

⭐ UK price: £104.99 £94.99 at Zatu

Twilight Masquerade Elite Trainer Box | $49.99 $38.40 at Walmart
Save $10 - That isn't a lowest-ever price, but hey, beggars can't be choosers. It's still a solid $10 off the sticker price, so I'll take it.

Buy it if:
✅ You want boosters
✅ You're making a new deck

Don't buy it if:
❌ You're a new player

Price check:
💲 Best Buy | $49.99
💲 Amazon | $38.45

⭐ UK price: £54.99 £39.99 at Argos

🎁 Elite Trainer boxes will lead the charge
It's a fair bet that Elite Trainer Boxes (which feature a handful of booster packs, a special card, card sleeves, and more) will get the lion's share of reductions. They enjoy price cuts up to and during the annual Black Friday Pokemon card deals, so I don't expect that pattern to change. It certainly didn't last year.

🃏 Booster boxes should get the biggest reductions
You know those massive booster boxes, featuring hundreds of cards? They get the most tempting price cuts in terms of actual money off. That's largely because they're the most expensive to begin with, but that means Black Friday is your best chance to dive in if your budget is able to stretch that far.

➕ Giftware and accessories will get good (if modest) savings
Battle Decks with premade sets, limited packs such as the Charizard EX Collection, fun gift sets (the kind with pins or exclusive cards), and third-party accessories are contenders for a saving too. Indeed, I saw plenty of them go on offer last year, and accessories in particular fill the listing pages on the likes of Amazon.

❌ There's going to be a lot of third-party roundups
Black Friday seems like an opportunity for third-party sellers to come out of the woodwork. A lot of card bundles and roundups will appear to be on sale, but I'd suggest proceeding with caution - there's no way to tell what you're getting, or if it's legit.

🏫 Battle Academy always goes on offer
If you're a newcomer, you should definitely check out the Pokemon Battle Academy box this Black Friday. It's a super effective introduction (apologies, it was too tempting) to the game itself and gives you everything you need to play right away. Because it often gets a price cut and has been reduced during Black Friday before, I'd say to keep an eye on it as we enter the November sales season.