Opening a pack is one of the most exciting parts of the collector experience. It creates suspense, thrill, and joy captured in countless YouTube and Twitch streams. A beloved ritual for physical card collectors can now be performed online as well, using non-fungible tokens (NFTs), with results recorded immutably on the blockchain.
Pokémon is one of the most iconic collectibles to be tokenized. Unlike most NFTs, they are more than digital images on a blockchain. When you buy tokenized Pokémon cards, you receive a token that can be redeemed for a real-life physical trading card.
We will break down how these Pokémon packs work, so you can feel the fun of “rip and reveal” without any trouble.
An Overview
- Pokémon NFT packs are digital versions of traditional Pokémon booster packs.
- Each card is professionally graded, securely stored in a vault, and tokenized before being offered for sale on a marketplace.
- You can easily buy Pokémon NFTs on Magic Eden or other featured platforms, then trade them online or redeem the physical cards.
What Exactly Are Pokémon NFT Packs?
A Pokémon NFT pack is a virtual alternative to the sealed physical booster packs that collectors have been buying at brick-and-mortar shops for a long time. It contains an NFT linked to a real-life, tokenized, and professionally graded Pokémon card stored in a secure vault.
Some cards are rarer than others, giving collectors the chance to discover exclusive and highly valued pulls in each pack. These packs can be bought, opened, and sold online on specialized NFT marketplaces, and yet they are directly linked to their physical card through a redemption mechanism.
Therefore, when buying Pokémon NFTs, you get more than digital art or metadata. You receive a certificate of ownership for an actual card that you can claim and have delivered to your doorstep.
Additionally, you can trade these NFT cards instantly on a marketplace, without dealing with the usual issues of physical card trading, such as shipping delays, damage, or loss.
How Do Pokémon NFT Packs Work?
Pack opening is the final stage of a structured process that guarantees authenticity, fairness, and the ease of opening, trading, or redeeming the revealed cards. Let’s take a closer look at how this process works.
Physical Card Sourcing and Grading
NFT marketplaces with the pack opening feature presented here source authentic physical cards only from trusted sellers, wholesalers, and individual collectors. Once acquired, each card is sent to a professional grading service such as Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), Beckett Grading Services (BGS), or Certified Guaranty Company (CGC).
Grading verifies that the card is authentic and assesses its condition. The assigned grade, usually on a scale from 1 to 10, reflects such factors as image centering, the condition of the card’s edges, the flawlessness of its surface, and the state of its corners.
The highest grade, like PSA 10, means that the card is in mint condition, and a lower grade, such as PSA 7, indicates minor flaws in one or more areas. The final grade directly affects the card’s value and popularity among NFT collectors.
Secure Vault Storage
Once graded, the physical Pokémon cards are placed in secure climate-controlled vaults operated by independent third-party providers. That way, these physical assets remain protected from environmental damage, theft, or mishandling until redeemed by a buyer.
When a collector decides to redeem a Pokémon card, the vault operator handles packaging and shipping, using services that make sure the card arrives in perfect condition. Any damage or loss during the storage period or transit is usually covered by insurance.
Tokenization Process
Tokenization is the process of creating a unique digital asset from the physical Pokémon card after it’s been graded and stored in the vault. It recreates it in the form of an NFT that contains detailed metadata about the card. This includes the card’s grade, its serial number, high-resolution images, and other important information like vault location.
The tokenized version of a physical card allows its owner to trade it on an NFT marketplace without physically handling it. When the collector redeems the Pokémon card, the token associated with it is burned or otherwise removed from circulation to eliminate the possibility of fraud or duplication.
Pack Creation and Randomization
Once tokenized, the Pokémon cards are placed into digital packs according to their rarity level and value to form drop rates that determine the pack’s price. NFT marketplaces use different methods to guarantee fairness and transparency when distributing the cards through the packs.
For example, Magic Eden uses the process based on a Pseudo-Random Number Generator (PRNG) that utilizes the commit/reveal pattern. When a collector decides to buy a pack, they first commit their choice to the blockchain. After this, Magic Eden’s algorithm generates a digital signature that is verified on-chain. It then produces a random number, which fairly determines the rarity of a card in the pack.
Buying and Ripping the Pack
Once the packs are created and randomized, collectors can buy Pokémon NFTs on Magic Eden or other marketplaces easily with crypto. Once purchased, the pack gets stored in the collector’s wallet until they are ready to “rip” them and reveal the content.
The blockchain then executes the randomization process and reveals an NFT in arbitrary rarity and value. Some NFT platforms allow collectors to see the rarity tiers or categories of cards that packs could contain. This gives the buyer an idea of potential value without revealing the content.
Opening, Collecting, or Trading
After ripping a Pokémon NFT pack, collectors can transfer the token to a digital wallet, trade it on a marketplace, use the instant buyback feature, or opt to redeem it for the physical card.
The instant buyback feature allows users to instantly sell their NFT back to the platform at a set price. For instance, Magic Eden offers the payout of up to 90% of the collection’s floor price. This way, a collector gets immediate liquidity without having to wait for a buyer on the marketplace.
If collectors believe they can get more value from the cards that came from the packs, they can easily list them for sale on the marketplace or keep them in a digital wallet until market conditions are more favorable.
Where Can You Buy & Sell Pokémon NFT Packs?
Here are three fully reliable NFT marketplaces that combine the thrill of pack ripping with a secure trading experience.
Magic Eden
Magic Eden is a major cross-chain NFT marketplace that offers a full view of the current market through NFT aggregation. It has recently expanded its offerings to include Pokémon packs on Solana via a partnership with Collector Crypt.
It’s a go-to place for both new and experienced collectors thanks to a user-friendly interface, wide support of wallets and blockchains, and top-notch security.
Courtyard
Courtyard is a more specialized marketplace than Magic Eden as it focuses on graded physical collectibles, such as comics, sports cards, and Pokémon.
When it comes to NFT packs, this platform offers a vending machine-style distribution system that adds extra style and excitement to the pack-pulling process. Courtyard has an instant buyback for up to 90% of the card’s fair market value.
Collector Crypt
Collector Crypt is a trusted NFT marketplace with a focus on Pokémon and sports collectibles. It features the Gacha-style pack system, which replicates the mechanics of Japanese capsule machines.
Its recent partnership with Magic Eden has expanded Collector Crypt’s reach to a global collector community, as the platform upholds high standards of grading and secure vault storage for every physical card.
Are Pokémon NFTs Worth Collecting?
Pokémon is a legendary brand, with physical cards that have been popular and valuable worldwide for decades. Now, thanks to blockchain and secure vault storage, collectors can buy and trade Pokémon cards more easily, at the same time enjoying the same thrill of pack ripping.
Marketplaces like Magic Eden have made collecting Pokémon NFT packs much easier than visiting a physical store, simultaneously keeping the excitement of opening a real pack and the chance of pulling a rare card. They offer collectors the perfect blend of convenience, security, and fun.
Source: https://europeangaming.eu/
