****UK SPECIFIC******
Hello my Sweet Peas!
Right, so if you're like me and collecting the Detective Pikachu TCG set, you'll have probably come across 3 store exclusives and seen the American trailer stating an additional free Detective Pikachu promo card at participating cinemas to make up a full set. These 4 cards help make up the full set and offer alternate art work for Detective Pikachu, Snubbull, Bulbasaur and Psyduck. BUT IF YOU'RE ALSO LIKE ME, YOU'D HAVE REALISED THAT GETTING INFORMATION ON THIS IS LIKE GOLD DUST AND THERE'S NEXT TO NOTHING ONLINE-THEY'VE NOT MADE THIS EASY!!
(please note, this is for the UK only, so other locations are held at different stores and maybe different criteria, before anyone's time is wasted!)
So, I did some digging and pestering and I'm going to show you my findings so you don't have to waste the same amount of time I did to get the same knowledge....
Store: Waterstones
Promo: Bulbasaur SM198 + Free Poster
How to get it cheap: Waterstones is only running this offer in store as of writing this, it has been running in 2 of my local stores, so I'm assuming it's across the UK. You can purchase a booster pack for £3.99 and receive the promo and poster free after that, there is no spend limit. If you're in need of a mini binder, they're also selling them for £4.99 which includes a booster pack (different packs/art dependant on store). It's also worth looking out for discount TCG products as the offer still applies.
Store: SMYTHS Toy Store
Promo: Snubbull SM200
How to get it cheap: This is the only one that's not been released yet, but after talking to 2 store managers, it has been confirmed that this will be an in store only event taking place from the 3rd May. Apparently the 2 stores I spoke to didn't have a lot of this promo in stock and said it was probable that this was the only stock they receive, so quantities are limited. But they're also dropping the Detective Pikachu range on this date too, so if you've not got stuff yet and you want to get it along with the promo, now is the time (although cheaper alternatives can be found online, such as at Magic Mad House and Chaos Cards). It was confirmed that there was no minimum spend and that they're getting single boosters in stock from the 3rd also. I asked if it was 1 card per transaction, which they said yes, but to be honest, I guess it depends who serves you as to whether they'll give you multiple promos for splitting an order - try not to go silly though and leave some for the rest of the collectors!
Store: GAME
Promo: Psyduck SM199
How to get it cheap: unlike Smyths and Waterstones, GAME is currently running this offer online that automatically adds this promo to your basket if you purchase ANY Pokemon TCG set. Choose your desired booster pack, from £3.99 (cheapest option) and select 'collect from store' to avoid delivery fees. You can do this as many times as you like on separate orders and still receive a promo per order, as long as stocks last (tried this out 2 weeks ago when it was first announced and claimed 2 promos this way). Alternatively, you can pick this promo up in store with the purchase of any Pokemon TCG product (please note that not all GAME stores stock single boosters, so this might be a more expensive option)
Store: Odeon and Showcase Cinema (confirmed so far, no news on VUE cinema)
Promo: Detective Pikachu SM194
How to get it cheap: if you're not interested in seeing the film (I don't know who would pick this option just to save a few £ though) you can buy the cheapest ticket (young child) and collect your ticket but don't go into the cinema screening to see it. Bare in mind, the confirmed locations so far are only offering this in cinemas showcasing the film in 3D, so double check before choosing a location and make sure you pre-book this option to avoid disappointment! It is also only running from Friday 10th-Sunday 13th, while stocks last
Other than the already released 4 Charizard/Mewtwo/Greninja/Detective Pikachu GX Case Files (and the above promos) there has only been 1 more confirmed promo (at the time of writing this) for pre-order, and that's the Detective Pikachu Figure Collection Box, due for release on June 28th, 2019 (cheapest I've found is online at Chaos Cards). This contains an (alleged) full art Detective Pikachu GX SM200, 4 Detective Pikachu booster packs, 2 regular Pokemon TCG booster packs, 1 figurine & 1 PTCGO code card**. So that's a total of 23 cards, including all released promos (so far) to get the complete set! Happy collecting! <3**
No secret rares have been confirmed for this set so far and there are 18 other normal holo cards to pull from the Detective Pikachu individual booster packs, which each pack containing 4 different holos, ranging in rarity.
Hopefully this has helped at least one of you guys and saved you from having to search and ring everywhere yourselves! If you just wanted to look at the cards and you aren't interested in collecting them, I have a few unboxings on my channel with more to come including the Japan set that I'm currently waiting on, but obviously that's completely optional, I'm just making the videos for fun because I'd be collecting them regardless and LOVE this set
and if it's not your thing, then that's cool too! Have a great day regardless!
