30th Celebration Wave 2: Which Launch-Day Product Fits Your Budget
By Dexhaul Team · October 2, 2026
Wave 2 of the Pokémon 30th Celebration TCG went live today, October 2, 2026, with four launch-day formats at four very different price points.
The short version: the Knockout Collection wins on per-pack value, the EX Boxes are the only path to the Greninja ex and Sylveon ex promo cards, and the Booster Bundle is the pack-volume pick without a character exclusive attached.
The math is not obvious. One "set of two" bundle actually costs more than buying the same two products separately from different sellers. Here is what each format delivers and where it makes sense.
The Four Wave 2 Formats at a Glance
Floor prices as of October 2 listings, before shipping:
- Knockout Collection: $27.99–$29.99 USD · 3 booster packs + Knockout promo card
- EX Box (Greninja ex or Sylveon ex): $57.99–$76.00 USD · 4 booster packs + character EX promo card
- Booster Bundle: $84.95–$90.00 USD · 6 booster packs, no promo card
- Mini Tin (Day Pikachu or Night Pikachu): $34.95–$49.99 USD · 2 booster packs + foil tin art card
Every booster pack across all four products pulls from the same 30th Celebration set. The decision is about pack count, exclusives, and whether the physical accessories matter.
Under $30: Knockout Collection Has the Best Per-Pack Rate
At $27.99 from John's Total Entertainment and $29.95–$29.99 from MHDEALSPLUS and South Texas TCG, the Knockout Collection is the cheapest per-pack entry in Wave 2.
Three packs at $27.99 is $9.33 per pack. Compare that to the Booster Bundle: six packs at $84.95 is $14.16 per pack. The Knockout Collection delivers booster packs at roughly two-thirds the cost per pack of the next tier.
It also includes a Knockout Collection promo card. That promo is not a character EX card, but it is set-specific and exclusive to this format. If pack volume on a tight budget is the goal, this is the first-choice buy.
The floor price is $27.99 but seller limits apply: Hasty Cards sets a 4-unit cap at their $36.00 price. Shop around. Several sellers at $29.99 have no listed limit.
Under $70: The EX Boxes Are the Only Way to Get a Character EX Promo
The 30th Celebration EX Boxes come in two variants: Greninja ex and Sylveon ex. Each box includes four booster packs and one character-specific promo EX card. That promo card does not exist in any other Wave 2 product.
The floor for a single EX Box is $57.99 at Sorted. At four packs that is $14.50 per pack equivalent. The promo EX card adds value not captured by the pack math alone.
The EX Box is the right call if you want a specific character. Greninja ex for the Gen 6 Kalos connection. Sylveon ex for Eeveelution collectors. Neither card appears anywhere else in the 30th Celebration set print run.
The EX Box Set Price Inversion: Buy Separately, Not Together
This is the clearest pricing anomaly in Wave 2. The EX Box Set of 2 bundles both the Greninja ex and Sylveon ex boxes. At Stomping Grounds it is $130 for both. At MHDEALSPLUS it is $159.95 for the same two boxes.
Buying each box individually from the cheapest available seller costs $57.99 plus $57.99, totalling $115.98. That is $14 less than the Stomping Grounds bundle and $44 less than the MHDEALSPLUS bundle.
Most bundled "sets" offer a discount over buying separately. This one does not. If you want both EX Boxes, cross-reference individual listings before defaulting to any combined listing. The savings are real and available today.
Under $90: Booster Bundle Is Pack Volume Without a Promo
Six packs at $84.95 from MHDEALSPLUS is the floor for the Booster Bundle. No promo EX card is included.
At $14.16 per pack, the Booster Bundle sits between the Knockout Collection ($9.33/pack) and the Mini Tin ($17.48/pack from the $34.95 floor). It does not beat the Knockout Collection on per-pack rate, but it delivers twice the packs in a single purchase without the EX promo premium baked in.
The Booster Bundle makes the most sense if you want raw set completion attempts rather than specific character exclusives. Pulling for the 30th Celebration set's Special Illustration Rares without caring which promo format you get alongside them: this is your format.
Mini Tin: Display Value, Not Pack Value
The Wave 2 Mini Tins come in two art variants: Day Pikachu and Night Pikachu. Each contains two booster packs and one foil tin art card.
At $34.95 per tin, two packs works out to $17.48 per pack, the highest per-pack cost of the four Wave 2 formats. The Mini Tin is not the value play for collectors targeting set cards.
What the tin offers is a physical object worth keeping: the collectible tin itself, the variant-exclusive foil art card, and a compact display format. For a gift or a shelf piece, it delivers. As a pack-opening vehicle, it does not compete with the other three options.
Display box listings are also in stock: MHDEALSPLUS has the 10-tin display for $329.95, which works out to $32.99 per tin, a modest discount over the single-unit floor.
The Budget Decision Map
To summarise the per-pack math and trade-offs for each format:
Knockout Collection
$9.33 per pack at the $27.99 floor (3 packs + Knockout promo). Lowest per-pack cost in Wave 2. The entry point if pack volume per dollar is the only criteria.
Single EX Box
$14.50 per pack equivalent at the $57.99 floor (4 packs + Greninja ex or Sylveon ex promo). The only format delivering a character-specific EX promo. Pick based on which character matters to your collection.
Both EX Boxes
Buy each separately ($57.99 + $57.99 = $115.98) rather than any Set of 2 bundle ($130–$159.95). The bundle is never the cheaper option here.
Booster Bundle
$14.16 per pack at the $84.95 floor (6 packs, no promo). Maximum packs in a single purchase without a character exclusive attached.
Mini Tin
$17.48 per pack at the $34.95 floor (2 packs + foil art card). Highest per-pack cost. Right for a display piece or gift, not for set completion pulls.
None of these products overlaps with the Wave 1 ETB or Battle Decks from September 16, and none conflicts with the November 6 pre-orders (UPCs, Figure Collections, Ditto Premium). They are all pulling from the same 30th Celebration set, so your choice is packaging and exclusives, not card access.
Browse the full range of 30th Celebration Wave 2 products from independent sellers at DexHaul to compare prices and availability before purchasing. DexHaul is an independent search engine and is not affiliated with The Pokémon Company or Nintendo.