Fans Call for Stricter Rules as Pokémon Center’s Card Drops Disappoint

If you snagged pre-orders for the Pokémon Trading Card Game’s Pitch Black set from the Pokémon Center on Wednesday, you either hit the jackpot or relied on a bot. Many frustrated fans are convinced of this after spending hours staring at a Psyduck on the Pokémon Center’s site without success. The struggle to secure new Pokémon cards has become so intense that fans are calling for drastic changes.

Set to release on July 17, this new card collection is in high demand. Fans who entered the pre-order queue less than 15 minutes before the launch often faced wait times stretching up to nine hours, as shared in various Pokémon drop Discord servers. The experience was further complicated by the site crashing and requiring constant refreshes. After making some progress, many found themselves booted back to the end of the line.

For those who managed to get through, the real challenge began. Navigating the website was a nightmare, and adding items to the cart was a struggle. Even if items were successfully added, checking out was often a lost cause.

Users frequently encountered freezes and timeouts, making reloading a necessity. The Pokémon Center’s strict anti-bot measures led to quick bans, meaning even something as simple as using autofill could get fans locked out. Many were left confused about why they were banned in the first place.

“I got a text an hour after the queue and was already blocked lmao,” one Redditor shared in a thread that garnered 2,500 upvotes, referring to alerts sent out by the company.

“My browser stopped receiving a response from the website after about 45 minutes, so it took the page ‘offline’,” another user noted. “When I tried to reload, it refreshed, and then I got a notice saying I was a bot.”

Dedicated fans were aware of the Pokémon Center’s sensitive systems and advised each other to proceed slowly. However, this strategy often backfired; if you were too slow, the site could crash, and if you were too quick, you risked being banned. It seemed the website even penalized those who arrived early, interpreting their speed as a sign of bot-like behavior.

The Pokémon Company has attempted to tackle the issue of scalpers in various ways. Card production has ramped up significantly, with billions of cards produced last year alone. A new card facility is also set to open in 2027. The company encourages fans to sign up for newsletters for exclusive sales invites and early alerts, but so far, promises have not been fulfilled.

With no effective solutions in sight, fans are now advocating for a different approach. In Japan, the excitement surrounding card drops has led to ID requirements for purchases at official Pokémon stores. While such measures have historically been unpopular among gamers who value privacy, after a year of frustrating drops, many Pokémon card enthusiasts are at their breaking point.

“If PKC cared, they would just implement ID verification and require an account,” one fan expressed on a popular drop Discord.

Another fan on Facebook asked their community, “All in favor of ID verification for Pokémon Center purchases?” The responses were overwhelmingly supportive. Even initial reports about ID requirements sparked calls for the system to be adopted globally.

Whatever direction the Pokémon Company chooses, fans are eager for a resolution. Anticipation for the 30th anniversary Pokémon set, featuring popular card reprints and beloved artists, is at an all-time high. If the majority of fans can’t secure cards and are forced to pay inflated scalper prices, the backlash from the community will be intense.

There are reportedly new purchase policies for Pokémon merchandise.