Japan’s Abyss Eye drops in just a few days (May 22), and the hype for English Pitch Black (July 17) is already pitch perfect. We’ve seen the four main Pokemon ex (including those shiny new Mega Evolutions), but the real chase cards ... the Special Illustration Rares (SIRs) ...are where this set could shine brightest. The Confirmed Hits So Far We’ve got early looks at some premium artwork, including a stunning Mega Chandelure SIR that’s giving major spooky, starry-night energy. It’s easily one of the early standouts for collectors. Trainer cards like Gwynn are also popping up in SIR treatment. But the internet is buzzing about something else right now... That Giratina Full Art – Roman Pillars and Legends Arceus Vibes Word is spreading about a Giratina full art (possibly around the /081 mark) featuring classic Roman/Greek-style pillars in the background. This screams Pokémon Legends: Arceus influence - think Distortion World meets ancient ruins, with Giratina looking absolutely menacing....
Hey everyone, welcome back to the Krain Sports Report. If you’re still out here refreshing Walmart.com every Wednesday night like it’s 2024, I feel your pain... and I’ve got some bad news. Botting isn’t just “a problem” anymore. It’s straight-up taken over.
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| AI-generated satirical image for illustrative purposes. Walmart & Target logo used in parody/criticism context |
We’ve officially hit the point where it’s been months since a regular human (no scripts, no queues hijacked, no Refract or whatever flavor-of-the-month bot) has reliably hit a Walmart drop on Wednesday nights. And yeah, we’re deep into 2026 now ... this has been the reality basically all year. You sit there at 9 PM ET, queue pops, timer starts… and boom, everything’s gone in seconds. Every. Single. Time. The Discord groups are flooded with the same complaint: “Bots ate again.” One Reddit thread I saw recently estimated 18k–20k units of stock on a big drop and basically all of it going to the top botters. Manual grinders? We’re just watching the show at this point.
Target isn’t much better. Remember when they rolled out those stricter limits and queue experiments a while back? It felt like a genuine attempt to fight the bots ... purchase caps per account, some extra verification steps, the works. For a hot minute it actually helped a little. But it didn’t last. Bots adapted (they always do), employees sometimes looked the other way on limits, and now we’re right back to the same chaos. Scalpers clearing entire online drops while normal collectors get error pages and heartbreak.
Look, I get it .. retailers want to move product and keep the hype alive. But when the system is this broken, it stops being fun. It stops making sense to even try anymore. Why burn an evening (or set up notifications, or pay for a restock group) when you know the outcome is decided before the drop even goes live? The scalper market is still thriving on eBay and Facebook groups, but the MSRP chase? It’s dead for anyone not running automation.
So… what’s left? Pokémon Center, apparently.
While Walmart and Target feel like lost causes right now, Pokémon Center still feels like one of the last semi-reliable spots for collectors who actually want to open product instead of flip it. Their queue system isn’t perfect (bots have found ways around it in the past), but it’s been more consistent than the big-box retailers lately.
This week has everyone speculating hard. We’re not getting Pitch Black yet ... that’s still a ways off (English release is July 17, and pre-orders usually follow Japan’s lead). Japan’s version will probably drop first, then we’ll see the usual wave of US hype and Pokémon Center exclusives shortly after. Don’t get your hopes up for Pitch Black ETBs this week.
Instead, the smart money is on more Ascended Heroes restocks or a surprise reprint of an older ETB. We’ve seen this pattern before ... they’ll quietly reload popular product from the current Mega Evolution wave (Ascended Heroes has been moving like crazy) or bring back a fan-favorite from a few sets ago to keep the supply chain humming. There’s also chatter about possible sleeve boosters or 3-packs hitting the site. Nothing confirmed yet, but the usual drop window (mid-morning Central) is worth watching.
If you’re still in the game, set those notifications, have your account logged in and ready, and maybe cross your fingers that Pokémon Center keeps the bots somewhat in check longer than Walmart/Target managed. Because at this rate, the only way regular collectors are getting sealed product at retail is if the official site steps up.
What do you think ... are you still bothering with Walmart Wednesdays, or have you tapped out too? Drop your thoughts in the comments (or your Discord if you’re in one of the good restock groups). And if something actually drops at Pokémon Center this week, I’ll update the post or hit the socials.
Stay grinding (or don’t ... your sanity might thank you).
Catch you in the next one.
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