Walmart Is Selling Hot Pokémon Card Sets in a New and Improved Way

Published Aug 31, 2026, 11:22 AM EDT Walmart's Collectibles Drawing system will debut with a Prismatic Evolutions Elite Trainer Box Graphic: Polygon | Source images: Game Freak/Nintendo, The Pokémon Company Sign in to your Polygon.com account Buying Pokémon cards online is difficult under normal circumstances, but trying to purchase the TCG from Walmart is practically a fool's errand. Despite receiving high stock on a weekly basis, the retailer has become notorious among Pokémon fans, who spend hours in queue to no avail. Starting on Monday, Aug. 31, Walmart is trying an entirely new drawing system that should level the playing field for everyone. How does Walmart's Pokémon Collectibles Drawing work? The Collectibles Drawing system debuted earlier in August, but this week is the first time that the retailer will be using it to sell Pokémon cards specifically. Walmart customers can sign up for a drawing within a specific time period. Once that period is done, Walmart will randomly select between all participants — and whoever gets picked gets to purchase the item. The amount is selected ahead of time. Though we don't yet know what the limits will be, Walmart's cap tends to be higher than those of other retailers. Users who sign up for this Pokémon lotto will authorize Walmart to automatically place an order on their behalf. This also means you need a Walmart account with a saved billing profile. Items purchased through this system are non-refundable. Still, it's a huge improvement over the normal Walmart Wednesday mess. Users aren't inherently at a disadvantage compared to scalpers and bots that queue up the millisecond something goes live. Scalpers can still create dummy accounts to increase their odds, but those accounts would be in the mix in the old system, too. What's in the August 31 Pokémon Walmart Drawing? Walmart knows what Pokémon fans want as well. For the initial drawing, the retailer is selling a $69.99 Eevee-themed Prismatic Evolutions Elite Trainer Box. The highly sought-after set is currently reselling for over twice that amount. The value is expected to balloon after 2027, when Prismatic goes out of print. Walmart has also been advertising its new system with a banner showing the in-demand Ascended Heroes set, so it's probably a matter of time before it starts selling those boxes as well. When is the Walmart Drawing for the Prismatic ETB? Today's inaugural Pokémon drawing opens for sign-ups at 6:00 p.m. PDT, and is expected to last a couple of hours. If selected, customers will receive an email confirmation order. Walmart's usual online drop is still expected to occur later this week. You can sign up for the Aug. 31 Prismatic Drawing here. Now if we could only get The Pokémon Center to have a similar system for the 30th-anniversary set!