For this guide, we’ll show you how to open a Pokemon card pack correctly so you can see which cards you pulled in a proper order based on their rarity.
Have you seen those YouTubers open their booster packs in a way that they put some of the cards at the back of the pile?
Such practice is common among seasoned Pokemon TCG collectors so as to prevent revealing the rarest card right away.
Whether you’re new to the hobby or you’re an aspiring content creator who wants to share the joy of opening Pokemon TCG booster packs, mastering the pack trick is a fun method to make yourself and your viewers excited about the cards that you are about to get.
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How to Open a Pokemon Card Pack in Order?
Booster packs of Pokemon cards are always manufactured with a pre-arranged set of cards. The arrangement of these cards may vary based on the set, so if you’re holding a booster pack right now, consider the set it belongs to before following the instructions below:
Step 1: Rip the Pack
Well, it’s a no-brainer that the first step to open a Pokemon card pack is to open the pack, right? But for starters, we highly recommend that you do the opening by ripping the pack’s tear-off section, which is found at the center of the pack’s back part.
You can see that the two sides of the pack fold like a seam in this section, and it’s usually the weakest part because it’s where the pack is sealed during the manufacturing process.
By ripping your packs this way, it prevents the cards inside from receiving damage, which you won’t like if your pack contains a valuable chase card.
Step 2: Remove the Code Card at the Back
Every Pokemon TCG booster pack has a code card that you can redeem to get more cards in the game’s digital version, Pokemon TCG Live. We made a tutorial before about claiming the code card in the game, so check it out if you don’t want to waste your code cards.
Anyway, the code cards are always found at the back of the card pile you get from the booster pack. It’s not a Pokemon card, so you might as well put it somewhere else as you do the pack trick.
Step 3: Take a Specific Number of Cards at the Back and Place Them in Front
At the writing of this guide, we’re currently in the Scarlet & Violet era. For these sets, take only one card at the back as soon as you take out the code card.
For Sun & Moon and Sword & Shield sets, take four cards. And if you’re opening a pack that predates Sun & Moon, take three cards instead.
You’ll know if you did the right thing if you end up with an Energy card at the front of your pile.
Step 4: You’re Good to Go!
Now, you have all the cards you get from the pack in the right order. It’s time to reveal them, starting with the cards at the front, and work your way through the last card at the back, which should be the rarest card in the pile.
How About Opening Japanese Pokemon Booster Packs?
Japanese versions of booster packs, unlike their English counterparts, only contain five cards, with some high-class sets having 10 cards.
But for the sake of those Japanese Pokemon card collectors, the proper way of opening those 5-card packs is by taking out a card at the back. That’s it!
Modern Japanese packs don’t include code cards, so the fourth card is always the rarest one by default. Remove the last card and put it in the front, and you’ll have the rarest card at the back.
Final Thoughts
Learning how to open a Pokemon card pack properly prevents you from spoiling yourself of any goodies that you might get.
This method is especially helpful for content creators, as it builds anticipation and hypes up their viewers by following the “saving the best for last” approach, keeping audiences engaged until the final card is revealed.
Don’t forget that the crucial part is taking out the right number of cards at the back, since there’s a chance that you might accidentally put the rarest card at the front, which defeats the purpose of the pack trick.
We hope this article helped you get more exciting Pokemon booster pack opening sessions. If you want more Pokemon TCG-related guides, feel free to read our other content here at PokeCardHQ.
