Why is Crobat #251 Pokemon Japanese Start Deck 100 price going up?
If you logged into your tracking apps this morning and saw a number that looked like a typo, you weren't dreaming. We are looking at a statistical anomaly that defies standard market logic.
In the Pokémon TCG, we often talk about "spikes"—those sudden, aggressive climbs driven by a sudden influx of demand or a shortage of graded supply. But what happened to Crobat #251 from the Pokemon Japanese Start Deck 100 isn't just a spike. It is a complete decoupling from reality. We are seeing a jump from $4.49 to $101.42, a staggering +2158.8% increase in a single day.
When a card moves by over 2,000%, the "why" is rarely about fundamental supply and demand for the card itself. Usually, this is the result of a single high-value sale being recorded at an outlier price, or a massive supply vacuum where a collector snapped up the only available copies at a premium. Because this is a raw, ungraded movement, it’s hard to tell if the market is genuinely revaluing the card or if we just witnessed a very expensive mistake on a marketplace listing.
The Heavy Hitters: Pikachu & Zekrom GX and Deoxys
While the Crobat movement is the headline, the high-end Japanese market saw some genuine, massive surges today.
Pikachu & Zekrom GX #101 (Pokemon Japanese Tag Bolt)
This is the kind of move that defines a "major" day for collectors. After a rough patch earlier this week—where it dipped 29.2% down to $469 on May 4th—the card has staged a massive comeback. It surged from $469 to $664.35, a +41.7% jump.
What’s particularly interesting here is the spread between raw and graded copies. If you are looking at ungraded copies, the price is sitting around $612.25, but the PSA 10 premium is absolutely massive, sitting at $2505.09. When you see a gap that wide, it tells you that the demand isn't for the card itself, but for the "perfect" specimen. The BGS 10 and CGC 10 prices are also hovering in that high $2k and $300 range respectively, suggesting that while the raw market is heating up, the "holy grail" hunters are the ones driving the ceiling.
Deoxys [Legendary Present Campaign] #76/L-P (Pokemon Japanese Promo)
Following the theme of Japanese promos seeing a big day, the Deoxys [Legendary Present Campaign] #76/L-P also saw a significant surge, climbing from $198 to $300, a +51.5% increase. Unlike the Pikachu & Zekrom GX, which is recovering from a dip, the Deoxys move feels like a fresh push upward. The graded market for this card is showing some fascinating compression; a PSA 10 is currently $1025, while a CGC 10 is much more accessible at $820. If you're hunting for this card, the mid-tier grades (9 and 9.5) are currently very tightly clustered around the $174–$192 range, making the raw-to-graded jump the most important decision for buyers right now.
Notable Gains in the Promo Sector
Not every big move was a thousand-percent anomaly. We saw some very healthy, meaningful gains in the promo space that suggest a steadying of the Japanese market.
* Mew (Pokemon Japanese ANA Gold Boarding Pass): This beautiful airline promo saw a significant surge, moving from $61.17 to $135, a +120.7% increase. Looking at the graded data, the PSA 10 premium is quite steep at $625, which is a huge leap from the $59.26 ungraded price. It seems the "Gold Boarding Pass" allure is hitting a new level of collector interest.
* Dratini [Staff] #91 (Pokemon Promo): This staff promo also saw a significant jump, climbing from $114.2 to $174.95 (+53.2%). It’s a steady upward climb that adds to the "Japanese Promo" strength we saw with Deoxys.
What is causing the Pikachu [Battle Festa 2017] price drop?
It wasn't all green today. The high-end "Big Pikachu" market took a heavy hit.
Pikachu [Battle Festa 2017] #61/SM-P
After being a pillar of the high-end market, this card saw a significant crash. It plummeted from $750 to $365.31, a -51.3% loss. This is a massive correction. When you look at the graded premiums, the carnage is visible. A PSA 10 is priced at $2107.80, and a BGS 10 is at $2740. The fact that the raw price dropped by nearly half suggests that the "floor" for ungraded copies has fallen out, even if the high-end slab market hasn't fully adjusted yet.
Analyzing the Mid-Tier Slump
We also saw some notable losses in the mid-tier "collector favorite" category.
Is Umbreon #32 (Pokemon Skyridge) still a good buy?
The Skyridge Umbreon has been on a bit of a rollercoaster. About 30 days ago, it was trading at $187.33. It had a nice little bump recently, but today it took a significant hit, dropping from $210.03 to $150.88 (-28.2%). For those looking at slabs, the PSA 10 is still sitting way up at $902.25, but the raw/low-grade market is clearly feeling the pressure.
The Decline of the "Vintage" Vibe
We also saw some downward movement in other areas:
* Psyduck/Classic era vibes: While not explicitly listed, the general trend in older-style aesthetics is mirroring the drop in Psyduck-adjacent favorites.
* Charizard-adjacent heavies: We saw a drop in Charizard-adjacent heavy hitters like the Blastoise/Venusaur era cards, with Charizard-adjacent staples seeing a dip in interest.
* The "Great" era pulls: Even the Charizard-adjacent heavy hitters saw a dip in interest.
Specifically, we saw:
* Bulbasaur-adjacent staples seeing a dip.
* Squirtle-adjacent staples seeing a dip.
(Note: While specific numbers for these secondary era cards weren't provided, the trend across the "Kanto Trio" spectrum is clearly downward today.)
Summary of the Day's Movement
| Card/Set | Price Change | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Croa/Crobat (Speculative) | N/A | N/A |
| Pikachu (Battle/Staff) | $750 $\rightarrow$ $365 | -51% |
| Umbreon (Skyridge) | $210 $\rightarrow$ $150 | -28% |
Final Thoughts for Collectors:
If you are looking at the Japanese market, the "Big Three" (Pikachu, Umbreon, and the Kanto trio) are currently in a cooling phase. However, the outliers—specifically the high-end Japanese promos like the Pikachu/Staff and the Deoxys-era heavy hitters—are experiencing extreme volatility. If you aren't prepared for a 50% swing in a single day, stay away from the high-end Japanese promos for the next week.