How it works

The math, and exactly where each number comes from. We'd rather show our work than ask you to trust us.

Prices are live

Singles and sealed prices come from TCGplayer's market data via TCGcsv, a free nightly mirror. We refresh the whole catalog daily, so what you see tracks the real market — not a number we made up.

The "rip unit" = the cheapest way to actually rip

Sets sell in several sealed formats — Booster Box, Elite Trainer Box, Booster Bundle, single packs. We show the live price of each, then base the rip math on the one with the lowest cost per pack (the rational way to rip). That's why an older set with an appreciated, collectible ETB might use its cheaper Booster Bundle instead — and we label which one we used.

Pull rates are estimated — and labeled

There is no official pull-rate source, so the odds of pulling a given card are our estimate, driven by its rarity and its price (a pricier card is a rarer pull). We use that to approximate "what would it cost to pull this specific card by ripping?" Anywhere an estimate feeds a number — "cost of the rip," "cracking cost" — we say so. The live prices are facts; the pull math is a careful guess.

The verdict

• Buy the singles — the usual honest answer: ripping mostly returns dupes you didn't pick, so buy the exact cards you want.
• Buy the single, don't chase it — for a specific chase card, we compare its price to the cost of ripping for one. The single is almost always cheaper and guaranteed.
• Mix — if you'll genuinely sell your dupes, a little ripping can pencil out; the bulk is still singles.
• Rip for the fun — if you're paying for the experience, great. We just show the "fun tax" so it's a choice, not a surprise.

Our honesty commitments

• We'll tell you not to rip when that's the truth — even though sealed links could pay us.
• Every estimate is labeled as one.
• Affiliate links never change the recommendation; we show the cheapest option regardless.

Coverage

Pokémon — every English set from Base Set (1999) through the current Mega Evolution era. Modern sets get the full rip-vs-buy verdict. Older sets, where sealed product is an illiquid vintage collectible (not something you'd rip), come in as a singles view: what the set costs to complete as singles, plus each chase's price and the cheapest way to grab it. Other games (One Piece, Lorcana, Magic) are on the roadmap.

Educational, not financial advice. Cardvocate is not affiliated with any TCG publisher.