Pokémon · Lowest-risk TCG investment · 150-400% historical gains · about two years
This is the Pokémon cards entry for Sealed ETBs at MSRP — one of 75 card types rated on appreciation, liquidity, accessibility and risk instead of being given one vague grade.
Both of the upside numbers are strong here — appreciation 92, liquidity 90. That pairing is rare enough to be the reason this entry exists, and rare enough that the price normally reflects it.
Accessibility of 50 means you'll pay somewhat over the sensible number but not absurdly so. Worth watching, because this score moves faster than any of the other three.
Set against the 8 Pokémon card types scored here, its appreciation of 92 ranks 4th of 8, liquidity 90 ranks 1st, accessibility 50 ranks 3rd, and risk 12 is the 2nd-lowest. The closest thing to it on the numbers is Special Illustration Rare (SIR), which scores 94 and 88 on the same two axes — if you're weighing one against the other, the difference is in the reasoning rather than the scores.
Two years gives the situation time to develop past its first impression, which is usually when the price is set by whoever shouted loudest. It also means two years of not touching it, including through the stretch where it looks wrong.
At 12, this is one of the calmer entries in here. Read that as relative: the floor under any card is whatever the next person will pay, and that number can move a long way in a month.
Every entry gets four separate scores instead of one grade, because a single grade hides the thing you needed. Full explanation in the guide: what Kabooms, Downtowns and Color Blasts are worth.
Or browse all card types · how these scores are built