Iono Causes Shortages of “Clay Burst” Set, Pokemon Takes Corrective Action
Creatures has announced they will consider printing more Clay Burst booster boxes as “made-to-order.” They will announce further details in mid-May. They also announced they will be shipping more Snow Hazard and Clay Burst products to stores as soon as possible. Both sets released in Japan last Friday.
Last Friday, Twitter users posted photos of long lines as fans clamored to buy booster boxes of Clay Burst at midnight. (Preorders for booster boxes were already selling for up to ten times their retail price online.) The set quickly sold out everywhere, which triggered Creatures to announce that afternoon that all Pokemon TCG products were completely out of stock in Japan. They apologized to customers and promised to strengthen their production output in the future.
Many fans already knew Clay Burst would be a problematic release the moment Iono was announced as part of the set. Before today’s announcement her rarest card cost over $1,200 on the secondary market, down from an initial price tag of over $2,000. Fans were going to want booster boxes of Clay Burst for the chance to pull her cards.
Iono is the latest “waifu card” in the Pokemon TCG — that is, a female character that many fans find cute (or even attractive). The word is a Japanese transliteration of the English word wife. The term first rose to prominence in the mid 2000s in the anime and gaming communities. Anime fans jokingly refer to female characters they like as “my waifu.” In more extreme cases, some socially awkward fans might develop emotional bonds to said characters.
“Waifu cards” are usually the most expensive Pokemon cards on the secondary market. Creatures knows this and often capitalizes on the trend in order to sell product, as do other TCGs like Yu-Gi-Oh. For example, Miriam is not only the best selling card from our English Scarlet & Violet set, but the most expensive card in the set. When Scarlet & Violet first came out her Special Illustration Rare was worth over $265. It now sits at around $72.
And not only is Iono a “waifu card,” but one with a powerful effect that will be included in most decks. Creatures knew what they were doing when they created her cards.
Fans who were hoping to pull Iono from their Clay Burst booster packs might be disappointed when they pull this “husbando” instead… XD
