What do you get when you mix Pokémon hysteria, a $90 collector’s box, and an actual tornado warning? Apparently, a crowd of determined scalpers who value cardboard more than shelter. The release of the Prismatic Evolutions Super-Premium Collection has officially broken what little was left of the Pokémon card scene's sanity. Centered around the endlessly merchandisable Eevee and its evolutions, the set dropped mid-May to overwhelming hype and almost immediate chaos.

Lines started forming days ahead of launch at GameStop stores across the U.S., as eager scalpers and collectors pitched tents, planted lawn chairs, and laid claim to sidewalk territory like it was Black Friday 2006. At some locations, the campout looked more like a music festival minus the music, with collapsible chairs dotting the landscape and people refusing to budge even for food or in some cases, severe weather alerts.

It’s not about light drizzle. According to firsthand reports, some Pokémon hopefuls stuck it out during an active tornado warning. Thunderstorms raged across states like Kentucky, yet a line of tent-dwellers remained unmoved, save for a few lawn chairs that mysteriously disappeared when their owners went on snack runs. Nature’s fury? No match for a chance at flipping a booster box.

“You’re number 10,” a scalper reportedly told a new arrival at 2 a.m. “We’ve been here since yesterday.”

              

A shot at pulling the elusive Umbreon EX, a dazzling full-art card already commanding resale prices between $1,500 and $4,200, depending on condition. For many, flipping sealed boxes is the play. For others, it’s about hoarding until The Pokémon Company stops printing them, when prices tend to skyrocket.

Most GameStop locations only received a handful of boxes. Some got as few as three to five. Meaning many who waited in line, through rain, wind, and swirling clouds, walked away empty-handed. That’s if they walked away at all, and not straight to eBay to resell the chair they didn’t lose first.

Inside Reddit threads and Discord servers, disillusionment is setting in. Pokémon’s trading card boom, reignited years ago by influencers and nostalgia, has now become something uglier: a battleground where profit margins rule and genuine fans are caught in the crossfire.

“This set killed my interest in the TCG,” one longtime collector posted. “It’s not even about the game anymore. It’s about greed.”

                   

And the game does seem rigged. Despite promises to increase production, The Pokémon Company continues to release premium sets in short supply, feeding the secondary market frenzy. Scalpers proudly boast of making six-figure profits reselling boxes they never open. Meanwhile, actual players and fans struggle to find products at retail.

Pull rates in Prismatic Evolutions are reportedly brutal. So even if you get your hands on a box, the odds of snagging a high-value card are slim. And that just makes the sealed product more valuable to hoarders hoping to cash in later.