How To Open Pokemon Cards (Step-by-Step Guide)

If you want to maintain the foil that your card came packaged in, then you'll be glad to know that you don't have to break out the scissors or tearing open the foil.

When trying to maintain the condition and quality of a Pokémon card pack, it is best to open the pack from the top. To prevent damaging the packaging, loosen the card pack's back flap in order to separate the pack's seal and allow the Pokémon cards to slide out. 

Easier said than done? Not really! You'll be able to do this yourself once you get the hang of it. 

Step by Step Guide

Here is a more detailed step-by-step guide on how to open Pokémon card packs without damaging the packaging:

1. Step 1 Start by loosening the back flap of your foil pack.
   
   
2. Step 2 Slide your finger underneath the flap and gently slide it up to loosen it from the top of the pack.
   
   
3. Step 3 Once you've done that, you can hold the back flap with one hand between your finger and thumb, then use your other hand's thumb to push the top away from where you pull the flap.
   
   
4. Step 4 You should get a small gap in the seal where it begins to separate at the seam. Continue to push until it is large enough for your finger to be inserted gently.
   
   
5. Step 5 Carefully slide your finger across the top seam, opening the pack completely.

You should end up with a nice hole right across the top that is large enough to safely slide out all of your cards without risking damage.

A Step-By-Step Video Guide is coming soon.......Stay tuned! In the meantime, follow our YouTube channel @ZenMarketJapan for more interesting content. 

You get the added benefit of getting to keep the beautiful foil packaging that your cards came in which can make a great collector's item.

If you love drafting Pokémon sets with friends, keep the packaging in good condition can be perfect for those of us looking to create our own reusable draft experience.

Why Should You Open Your Pack Differently?

Opening up a new pack of cards is always exciting; you never know what you're going to pull.

Your rare card could be a Charizard VMax, or it could be a non-holographic card you don't care about.

But we all know, the anticipation of the moment before cracking a pack can be enough to have you racing back to the store to buy more cards.

There's psychology studying the thrill of blind bag-type purchases, whether they are loot boxes in video games or packs of trading cards.

We inherently enjoy the process of being surprised by what's inside with no way of knowing prior to opening.

If we are going to be buying and opening Pokémon card packs, you might as well get your money's worth of entertainment from the experience - we all know how quickly the price of packs can add up. 

1. Protect Your Pokémon Card's Value

When you open your cards carefully, you can protect your cards.

If you're an avid collector who enjoys getting cards graded, you know the importance of maintaining your cards in as perfect of condition as possible.

Bending or damaging the cards in any way could dramatically reduce their value.

Also Read: HOW TO GET POKEMON CARDS GRADED

Some people may choose to tear right into their packs, but by taking care to gently open your packs, you can protect your cards and the packaging.

Let's be honest - is there anything more heartbreaking than pulling a prized chase card only to find out that you bent the card's corner while opening the pack? 

Could you imagine opening up one of the world's most expensive Pokémon cards in the future and damaging it?

That's one experience you can live without!

Also Read: TOP 22 RAREST AND MOST EXPENSIVE POKEMON CARDS

If you are looking to take the utmost care when opening potential valuable Pokemon cards, you may be thinking about wearing gloves for additional protection. However, we would advise against doing so.

If you want to know more about the risks associated with wearing glover while opening Pokemon cards you can check out this article - Should You Wear Gloves When Opening Pokemon Cards: Warning

2. Build Extra Anticipation

If you've ever watched streamers open packs online, you know they have their tricks to get their rare cards to the last position in the pack.

While technically there is nothing wrong with going through them in order of opening, it can be great fun to build up the hype and anticipation as you go through each card until you get to that rare one.

If you enjoy the thrill of opening your cards, this is the perfect way to add a little more excitement to the experience. 

How To Place The Rare And Reverse Pokémon Cards At The Back

Pokémon card packs come in predictable patterns.

You can generally predict where the rare card will fall, which also means that you can adjust the order of your cards so the rare card is dead last.

Many people prefer to do it this way to build a little extra anticipation when cracking their Pokémon packs.

Generally speaking, most packs have a dedicated slot for their reverse and rare cards with the rest of them being random.

If you want those reverse and rare cards to be last, all you have to do is open your pack and then have it back-side-up. Take three cards off of the back of the pack, then move them to the front.

You now have your reverse card followed by your rare card at the end of the pack with all of the commons and uncommon cards in front.

Keep in mind that this method is specific to newer card packs in English.

If you are opening packs of cards in other languages, you may need to change up your method.

For example, Japanese packs only contain 5 cards. A Pack will have you move just one card from the back to the front to leave the reverse and rare at the back of the pack.

For older packs, you may want to search the opening rules for that specific edition to ensure that you get the experience you're looking for when you reorder your cards.

Opening your Pokémon cards should always be an enjoyable experience, whether you're a casual or avid collector.

By implementing these suggestions, you may yourself enjoying the process of opening Pokémon card packs even more - As if it wasn't fun enough already!

And hopefully, you'll pull some impressive cards while you're at it!

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