ETB, booster box, bundle or single pack: which is right for you

It is the question we hear most when someone comes to buy sealed product: is an ETB, a booster box, a bundle or single packs the better deal? The short answer is that it depends on what you want to do with them. The long answer fits in this guide.

We go format by format, with what each one really contains, and at the end you have the maths to tell whether a price is good or not.

The single pack

One Piece OP-17 World’s Strongest WarriorsBooster pack · JPView in storePokémon Storm EmeraldaBooster pack · JPView in storePokémon MEGA Dream exBooster pack · JPView in store

The smallest format. What is inside depends on the game and the language, and it is worth knowing, because comparing prices without it leads to wrong conclusions:

• Pokémon in English: 10 cards per pack.
• Pokémon in Japanese: 5 cards per pack.
• One Piece in English: 12 cards per pack.
• One Piece in Japanese: 6 cards per pack.

Notice the pattern: in both games the Japanese pack has exactly half the cards of the English one. That is why it costs less. It is not cheaper: it is smaller.

What it is for: trying a set, treating yourself without committing, or a gift. It almost always has the highest price per pack, which is normal: it is sold one at a time.

The bundle and the blister

Small sealed packs. In Pokémon, the Booster Bundle usually has 6 packs and nothing else, and blisters have 3 packs plus a promo card, a coin or a keyring.

What it is for: the honest middle ground between a single pack and a box. A slightly better price per pack than singles without spending booster-box money. A good gift.

The Elite Trainer Box (ETB)

Ascended HeroesElite Trainer Box · ENView in storePhantasmal FlamesElite Trainer Box · ENView in storeWhite FlareElite Trainer Box · ENView in store

This is where most people get confused, so let’s take it slowly. A Pokémon ETB contains:

• 9 packs of the set.
• An exclusive promo card, usually full art.
• Play accessories: sleeves, Energy cards, dice and damage counters.
• A sturdy box with dividers to store your collection.

The exact accessories change a little from set to set, but the number of packs, nine, has been the same for years.

Now the important part: you don’t buy an ETB for the price per pack. Nine packs are nine packs. If what you want is to open cards, a booster box gives you four times as much product for usually two or three times the price. You buy an ETB for the box, the accessories, the exclusive promo and because it is a nice object to own. If someone sells it to you as “the best way to open”, it isn’t.

That said, some ETBs gain value precisely as objects: those of very popular sets sell out and even the empty box has a market. But that is collecting, not opening.

One Piece Card Game has no ETBs. Its entry-level equivalent is the starter deck, below.

The booster box

OP-17 The World's Strongest WarriorsBooster Box · ENView in storeOP-16 The Time of BattleBooster Box · ENView in storeStorm Emeralda (M6)Booster Box · JPView in store

The full box of packs. It has the best price per pack and is the only format that gives you a decent sample of a whole set.

• Pokémon in English: 36 packs of 10 cards = 360 cards.
• Pokémon in Japanese: usually 30 packs of 5 cards = 150 cards. Some special Japanese formats have 20 or 10 packs with more cards each, so always check the listing.
• One Piece in English: 24 packs of 12 cards = 288 cards.
• One Piece in Japanese: 24 packs of 6 cards = 144 cards.

Careful with One Piece, where people get it wrong most: both boxes have 24 packs, but the English one has twice the cards. If you see a Japanese box at half the price of the English one, it is not a deal: it is half the product.

Japanese Pokémon boxes are known for giving at least one SR or higher per box. It is a very consistent pattern observed by the community, not official data from The Pokémon Company, so take it for what it is.

What it is for: serious opening, building the base of a set collection, or keeping it sealed. If you are going to open more than nine or ten packs of the same set, the box almost always works out better.

The starter deck (One Piece)

Starter Deck ST-31 Red Monkey.D.LuffyOne Piece · ENView in storeStarter Deck ST-32 Green Roronoa ZoroOne Piece · ENView in store

A complete, ready-to-play deck with its Leader and DON!! cards, at a very reasonable price. It is by far the cheapest way to really start playing.

There are also collector formats such as the Illustration Box, aimed at people who are after the art more than the game.

Quick table

The maths you should always do

Before buying anything sealed, divide the price by the number of packs. That is the price per pack, and it is the only honest way to compare formats.

An example with round numbers. An English booster box at €180 is 36 packs: €5 per pack. An ETB of the same set at €60 is 9 packs: €6.67 per pack, plus you get the accessories. A single pack of the same set at €8 is, obviously, €8 per pack.

Two warnings about this maths:

• Don’t compare packs in different languages. You saw it above: a Japanese pack has half the cards. To compare across languages, use the price per card, or better, don’t compare them at all: they are different products with different rarities.
• Price per pack doesn’t measure expected value. A set with expensive cards and good pull rates can justify a higher price per pack than one without.

So, what should I buy?

If you want one specific card, don’t open packs

This is the least commercial part of the guide and the most important. Opening packs is the most expensive way to get one specific card. Always. If you are after a particular card for your deck or collection, buy it as a single: you’ll pay less and have it today.

You pay for opening packs for the experience of opening them. That is a perfectly valid reason, it is half the hobby, but it helps to know that is what you are buying.

Our range: sealed Pokémon, sealed One Piece, Pokémon booster packs, One Piece booster packs, Pokémon singles, One Piece singles. We ship from Spain to the whole EU.

Keep reading

• Japanese or English cards: which to buy: price, quality and whether you can play them in tournaments in Europe.
• Rarities explained: what IR, SIR, SAR, SEC, Manga Rare and parallel mean.