*Speculation* Pack Weighing Being Countered

[Electricbluewolf]

Whilst opening BreakPoint packs last week I noticed that we had two different code cards designers. First I was told they were using up old stock pictures, which didn't make sense to me. However yesterday my friend told me it was because of pack weighing.

For those that don't know pack weighing is where you take scales and weigh loose packs, as the ultra rare cards weigh more. Ancient Trait cards threw people off as they weighed more but then sets without them people could weigh and sell on as legit packs, even thought they're not "legit".

It seems now that the cards with the Ultra Rare Packs in have a different weight code card in, one that doesn't affect the weight, and the packs without an Ultra Rare in the code cards are heavier so they weight the same as UR.

This is a brilliant counter as until now Pokemon didn't seem to do much about the market on Pack Weighing. Second hand selling they are reluctant to touch, but seeming as people were going into shops and weighing in the selling establishment I suppose they had to do something.

After doing some research, it seems a lot of evidence is around to support this, with many Youtube videos and user accounts filming their weighing and openings with the code cards.

So what do people think of this? Do Pokemon have the right to restricted who gets what? Please bear in mind that this is a rumour, Pokemon have not released any statements supporting this-and this is a discussion about weighing packs not the facts and figures behind them (so no what number what to look out for etc)

 

[Athena]

I had certainly noticed the 2 different designs of code cards when I opened up my recent ETB, but I figured it was just to use up the remaining cards of an older design to switch to something new. I don't have a fine enough scale to measure any weight differences between them, but I will admit to hoping that Pokémon is doing something about the weighing system, because it's kind of ridiculous.

 

[TokenDuelist]

I got them in every other pack, so I just think it's two different designs to make things look a bit better (like they do with the dollar tree packs). I don't think there's much they can actually do about weighing them... and honestly - they need to focus more on fixing their poor League Promo choices and League Player support. Especially with how poorly organized the TCGO can get (3 months for a virtual pack of sleeves. Yipee. ) Scaling packs should not be something that gets prioritized, and if it is something they're thinking about doing - then they need to fix everything else wrong with the TCG.

Another solution is to go the Yu-Gi-Oh Route and ensure a Holo Rare in every pack.

 

[The Binder Guy]

After I noticed that BREAKpoint had a mix between the newly designed code cards and older ones, I took a stack of BREAKpoint code cards (redeemed and evenly split between the new codes and the old codes, of course) to a friend of mine who scales packs YGO packs every month or so just to see if there was any difference aside from the design. To our surprise, the weights were different (I won't say how for obvious reasons).

This is a brilliant counter as until now Pokemon didn't seem to do much about the market on Pack Weighing. Second hand selling they are reluctant to touch, but seeming as people were going into shops and weighing in the selling establishment I suppose they had to do something.

From what that same friend told me, policies on scaling tend to vary from store to store. Department stores like Target and Walmart don't really care thanks to their TCG stock being handled by a third-party distributor and the only responsibility is to make sure people don't steal or destroy the product (unless you have employees that know about it and have a negative opinion on the subject) while smaller stores like you local LGS more than likely has a policy against it, even more so if they run a League and/or offer discounts for larger pack purchases.

With that said, I do think that TPCi has the right to counter certain techniques to guarantee that everyone's pulls are, in essence, luck of the draw. But on the other hand, these techniques are usually cracked and a new method to guarantee above-average pulls are usually found in a matter of months.

 

[Otaku]

Another solution is to go the Yu-Gi-Oh Route and ensure a Holo Rare in every pack.

I am so conflicted because this is the most sensible solution, but suggesting something that makes the Pokémon TCG more like Yu-Gi-Oh feels... wrong. XD I don't know such a measure would affect costs, so that might make it a hard sell (hopefully profit margins aren't so narrow it would eliminate them entirely). I never bought many Japanese boosters but I vaguely recall them having an altered rarity scheme... was it one where you always got a holo, or was it one where you weren't guaranteed a holo but there weren't "Normal Rares"? Or something totally different? Anyone? XD

The downside of a trading (or collectible) card game is that you're willingly signing on for the experience of having to work to get what you want. Scaling as such is something I don't begrudge someone for doing but at the same time I completely support a store owners right to prohibit the practice. If the-powers-that-be have figured out a way to make it less effective/useless, that is their right and it doesn't bother me as a customer. Or at least it wouldn't if I were buying product, but I'm only still around thanks to the PTCGO (and foolish stubbornness).

 

[Athena]

I never bought many Japanese boosters but I vaguely recall them having an altered rarity scheme... was it one where you always got a holo, or was it one where you weren't guaranteed a holo but there weren't "Normal Rares"? Or something totally different? Anyone? XD

Japanese booster packs used to have a holo in each pack. However, I don't know exactly when that changed. During the BW/XY era, at least, packs have 5 cards each that are distributed as either C/C/C/U/U or C/C/C/*/U where the * might be an R, RR, SR, or UR. All Japanese R cards are holo; there are no non-holo R cards.

 

[Otaku]

Japanese booster packs used to have a holo in each pack. However, I don't know exactly when that changed. During the BW/XY era, at least, packs have 5 cards each that are distributed as either C/C/U/U/U or C/C/C/*/U where the * might be an R, RR, SR, or UR. All Japanese R cards are holo; there are no non-holo R cards.

*shudder*

Thanks. I really wonder if anyone every realized "Hey, is it weird that we have cards that are rarer than rare?" It wasn't so bad when the game first began and we only had Common, Uncommon, Rare and Holo-Rare. One in three boosters (approximate odds for a Holo-Rare) wasn't always fun but it also wasn't a terrible burden... or at least it wouldn't have been except to bad out some of those early sets, Wizards of the Coast made Holo-Rare versions of all normal Rares. ¬_¬ I really do love the reverse holo/parallel foil concept. I thought that was a great way to create an entire set of chase cards for collectors but in a manner that regular players either got a nice "shiny" version if that is how they enjoy playing while everyone else got a card to trade to collectors.

 

[Camoclone]

The two different codes are confirmed to be different weights (significant enough to throw off current weighing techniques). I've heard rumors that the lighter one is in packs with EX's and Holos but I can't confirm that.

 

[Maserati777]

I wish they had used the same design on both so not to spoil the packs. Luckily the code cards are backwards now so I can miss them when opening the pack, but Youtubers always show the back to not give away the code but this totally spoils the pack.


Anyways I recently opened a booster box and found that all of the holos, full arts and exs came with the old code card, and all of the non holo rares and break cards came with the new design.

So I'm not sure if break cards weigh the same as exs or just as reverses but these code cards don't take them into account.

 

[Athena]

I don't have a fine enough scale to check, but it's possible that BREAK cards simply weigh the same as RHs more or less, so there's no need to account for the extra weight.

 

[Max Breaker Black Special]

AFAIK, at least on BKT, BREAK cards take up the reverse holo slot, so it doesn't affect the weight much?... assuming BREAK and rev holos weigh the same.