I Forgot About the Team Rocket Set (How’d I Miss This??)

This never would have happened to me 4 years ago.

One of the hottest sets of the year finally drops this Friday, and…

I completely forgot about it.

That’s because the Team Rocket set, Destined Rivals, is finally releasing this Friday, May 30th, 2025. And I nearly missed it. At least, until my X and Instagram feeds became flooded with people sharing their hits.

But, 4 years ago in 2021?

I would have had a reminder in my calendar, both for the prerelease and the full release. I’d have my pre-orders locked in, even if they were overpriced. And I’d have watched all the openings, known the pull rates, and tracked the market sentiment.

Back then I was locked in.

But I was exhausted.

Then, by the end of 2021, I’d watch the value of everything I’d chased with so much energy and passion crash back to earth as the market transitioned into the Correction Phase, and all kinds of collectors and investors fled the market.

It’s interesting how one ride through the Collectibles Cycle changes your perspective.

This time, as the market started booming all over again in late 2024, I made a choice I never would have made 4 years earlier…

I decided to miss out.

Instead of scrambling to find any deal, I decided to just wait. The Boom Phase isn’t the time to be buying anyway. Instead, it’s the perfect time to focus outside the Pokémon hobby and prepare for opportunities ahead, after the market cools down.

To keep from being sucked back in, my consumption of Pokémon content is down. WAY down.

It’s down so much that I feel bad not being able to provide more support to the other content creators I respect who are creating great content week after week. But, for me, it was better to step back more fully. I needed to focus my energy on more than the current popular narratives within the Pokémon community.

I needed to branch out.

Since then, I’ve learned about other collectibles markets.

I’ve learned about different schools of economic thought. Teachings that have challenged how I understand the value of collectibles, and the markets that form around them.

I’ve explored how human psychology impairs investing decisions. How to avoid making those mistakes, and how to take advantage of them in others.

I’m learning so much, and I’m still learning.

I’m hoping to bring fresh perspectives to the Pokémon market, so I can help make collecting and investing in Pokémon, simple. Because, despite all the noise in the hobby, I really believe that simple frameworks can save people from costly mistakes, and set them up for success so they stay happy and engaged with Pokémon over the long term.

And the more people we can help stick around, the better it is for all of us.

So, you’ll have to excuse me if I miss out on the latest release or Pokémon news cycle.

But you better believe I’m not going anywhere 🫡