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Guides›Set Guides›Worth Opening

Paradox Rift Pack Opening: Is It Worth It?

266 cards, 15 SIRs, 7 Hyper Rares, and Groudon IR (₱6,863) as the most expensive card in the set — beating every SIR. Every card price and Monte Carlo simulation across 100,000 openings in Philippine Peso — roughly break-even at retail (1.00×) and negative at market prices. For Filipino collectors.

Paradox Rift Pack Opening: Is It Worth It?
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EV per Pack (USD)
$5
₱315 PHP
Break-even Pack
₱315
~$5 USD
Break-even Bundle
₱1,892
~$30 USD · 6 packs
Break-even Box
₱11,353
~$179.98 USD · 36 packs
Win Rate · Pack
12.7%
₱320
Loss: 87.3%
Win Rate · Bundle
30.6%
₱1,923
Loss: 69.4%
Win Rate · Box
39.3%
₱11,536
Loss: 60.7%
Win Rate · Pack
7.7%
₱695
Loss: 92.3%
Win Rate · Bundle
18.3%
₱2,601
Loss: 81.7%
Win Rate · Box
5.4%
₱17,250
Loss: 94.6%

Card prices sourced from PriceCharting market data (USD). PHP values use live exchange rates. Pull rates from 8,000-pack community aggregate data for Paradox Rift.


The Short Answer

Paradox Rift is a set with roughly break-even at retail and negative at market prices. The expected card value per pack is ₱315 — versus retail packs at ₱320, giving about a 1.00× return. At secondary market prices it is worse — packs ₱695, bundles ₱2,601, boxes ₱17,250.

The key story: Groudon IR (#199) at ₱6,863 is the most expensive card in the set — beating all 15 SIRs. This is unusual. The Paradox Rift IR pool is exceptionally strong due to nostalgia demand (Plusle, Minun) and sought-after artwork.

ProductRetail Price (PHP)Market Price (PHP)Expected Card ValueReturn at RetailVerdict
Booster Pack₱320₱695₱3151.00×≈break-even retail · −EV market.
Booster Bundle (6 packs)₱1,923₱2,601₱1,8921.00×≈break-even retail · −EV market.
Booster Box (36 packs)₱11,536₱17,250₱11,3531.01×≈break-even retail · −EV market.

Card Prices by Rarity

Paradox Rift (SV04) has 266 cards with five rarity tiers above common. The set is anchored by an exceptional IR pool — Groudon IR (#199) at ₱6,863 is the most expensive card, beating all SIRs. Nostalgia drives prices: Plusle (#193) and Minun (#194) both exceed ₱2,586.

Hyper Rare (✦ HR) — #260–266

7 cards. Gold full-art treatment. Pull rate ~~1 in 82 packs. Garchomp ex (#260) leads at ₱840 — this pool is more balanced than most sets.

#CardPrice (USD)Price (PHP)
260Garchomp ex$15.38₱970
262Roaring Moon ex$6.34₱400
261Iron Valiant ex$5.37₱339
265Luxurious Cape$2.58₱163
263Beach Court$2.50₱158
264Counter Catcher$2.28₱144
266Reversal Energy$2.28₱144

Pool average: ₱331. Pool median: ₱163. No single dominant chase card — more evenly distributed than typical SV sets.

Special Illustration Rares (★★ SIR) — #245–259

15 cards. Pull rate ~~1 in 47 packs. Altaria ex SIR (#253) leads at ₱3,411 — but Groudon IR is still more expensive. With 15 SIRs, this pool is more distributed than an 8-SIR set.

#CardPrice (USD)Price (PHP)
253Altaria ex$54.08₱3,411
251Roaring Moon ex$37.83₱2,386
245Garchomp ex$35.06₱2,212
252Gholdengo ex$31.75₱2,003
246Golisopod ex$25.62₱1,616
249Iron Valiant ex$22.49₱1,419
247Tapu Koko ex$17.70₱1,117
255Parasol Lady$15.47₱976
248Iron Hands ex$12.93₱816
250Sandy Shocks ex$9.41₱594
258Rika$9.00₱568
256Professor Sada's Vitality$8.60₱542
254Mela$8.22₱519
259Tulip$8.02₱506
257Professor Turo's Scenario$6.00₱378

Pool average: ₱1,271. Pool median: ₱976. The high median of ₱1,038 shows less filler than typical sets with fewer SIRs.

Illustration Rares (★ IR) — #183–216

34 cards. ~~1 in 13 packs. The largest and most valuable IR pool in any SV set — Groudon (#199) leads at ₱6,863, followed by Plusle and Minun driven by nostalgia demand.

#CardPrice (USD)Price (PHP)Notes
199Groudon$108.80₱6,863Most expensive card in the set — beats all SIRs
206Morpeko$51.50₱3,249
194Minun$42.35₱2,671Nostalgia/fan demand
193Plusle$41.19₱2,598Nostalgia/fan demand
208Steelix$37.88₱2,389
189Mantyke$32.20₱2,031
211Aipom$28.00₱1,766
205Yveltal$26.67₱1,682
201Minior$24.75₱1,561
196Joltik$23.50₱1,482
213Swablu$21.73₱1,371
186Magby$19.53₱1,232
207Brute Bonnet$18.63₱1,175
204Garbodor$17.79₱1,122
212Loudred$14.50₱915
214Porygon-Z$13.94₱879
198Gimmighoul$13.61₱859
191Wimpod$13.48₱850
192Veluza$11.11₱701
216Iron Jugulis$10.99₱693
190Vanillish$10.36₱654
210Aegislash$10.35₱653
188Snorunt$9.99₱630
195Blitzle$9.60₱606
200Mienshao$9.48₱598
197Espathra$8.37₱528
187Iron Moth$7.87₱496
215Cyclizar$7.26₱458
185Toedscruel$7.02₱443
202Garganacl$6.99₱441
203Slither Wing$6.00₱378
209Ferrothorn$6.00₱378
183Crustle$5.75₱363
184Dottler$5.73₱361

Pool average: ₱1,267. Pool median: ₱854. With 34 IRs, each pull is a lottery — the odds of getting Groudon specifically are 1 in 34 IR pulls.

Ultra Rares (★★ UR) — #217–244

28 cards. ~~1 in 15 packs. Maushold ex (#233) at ₱749 is the standout; most URs are worth ₱126–₱252.

#CardPrice (USD)Price (PHP)
233Maushold ex$14.50₱915
219Garchomp ex$7.03₱443
238Parasol Lady$4.29₱271
226Hoopa ex$4.14₱261
244Tulip$3.99₱252
229Roaring Moon ex$3.76₱237
231Gholdengo ex$3.56₱225
227Toxtricity ex$3.28₱207
232Altaria ex$2.92₱184
225Iron Valiant ex$2.71₱171
218Armarouge ex$2.64₱167
220Tsareena ex$2.53₱160
217Froslass ex$2.51₱158
228Sandy Shocks ex$2.50₱158
241Rika$2.50₱158
236Mela$2.40₱151
230Aegislash ex$2.20₱139
222Tapu Koko ex$2.20₱139
224Cofagrigus ex$2.18₱138
223Iron Hands ex$2.07₱131
243Shauntal$2.00₱126
221Golisopod ex$1.99₱126
234Bombirdier ex$1.99₱126
239Professor Sada's Vitality$1.92₱121
240Professor Turo's Scenario$1.84₱116
235Larry$1.82₱115
237Norman$1.33₱84
242Roark$1.18₱74

Pool average: ₱198. Most UR pulls return low value.

Double Rares (★★ ex) — #001–182

Various ex cards. ~~1 in 6 packs. Mewtwo ex (#058) leads at ₱168; most others are below ₱126.

Pool average: ₱76. Lowest-value pulls above bulk.


Chase Cards: Top 10 by Value

#199 · IR
Groudon IR
₱6,863
$109 USD
#253 · SIR
Altaria ex SIR
₱3,411
$54 USD
#206 · IR
Morpeko IR
₱3,249
$52 USD
#194 · IR
Minun IR
₱2,671
$42 USD
#193 · IR
Plusle IR
₱2,598
$41 USD
#208 · IR
Steelix IR
₱2,389
$38 USD
#251 · SIR
Roaring Moon ex SIR
₱2,386
$38 USD
#245 · SIR
Garchomp ex SIR
₱2,212
$35 USD
#189 · IR
Mantyke IR
₱2,031
$32 USD
#252 · SIR
Gholdengo ex SIR
₱2,003
$32 USD

Standout feature: 6 of the top 10 cards are Illustration Rares — a far stronger IR pool than typical SV-era sets. Groudon IR at #1 above all SIRs is rare and makes Paradox Rift unique among SV sets.


Expected Value Per Pack

ComponentPull RatePool Avg (USD)EV Contribution
Bulk (commons + uncommons)100%$0.80$0.80
Reverse Holo slot100%$1.60$1.60
Standard Rare (★)65.6%$0.23$0.15
Double Rare (★★ ex)16.7%$1.21$0.20
Illustration Rare (★ IR)7.7%$20.09$1.54
Ultra Rare (#217–244)6.7%$3.14$0.21
SIR (#245–259)2.1%$20.15$0.43
Hyper Rare (#260–266)1.2%$5.25$0.06
Total EV per pack
$5 USD ≈ ₱315 PHP

IRs contribute the largest EV share ($1.54 of the $5 total) despite a 7.7% pull rate, because the $20.09 pool average is driven by Groudon.


Monte Carlo: Win vs Loss Odds

The charts below show results from 100,000 simulated openings. Simulation prices are in USD; your PHP value depends on the current exchange rate.

Loss rate
94.6%
of 100,000 simulated openings
Win rate
5.4%
at $273 market price
P5 (bad luck)
-155
Median P/L
-103
P95 (good luck)
+3
Win threshold
$0
← LossProfit / Loss DistributionWin →

Each bar = $50 profit/loss range. Nearly all outcomes cluster in the −$200 to −$50 range. 100,000 simulated openings. Prices from PriceCharting (USD), September 2026.

Win / Loss summary across all formats

ScenarioCost (USD)Win %Loss %Median P/LP5 (bad luck)P95 (good luck)Avg Return
Pack — retail (~$5.08)$5.0812.7%87.3%−$2−$2+$120.98×
Bundle — retail (~$30.48)$30.4830.6%69.4%−$8−$15+$370.98×
Box — retail (~$182.88)$182.8839.3%60.7%−$13−$65+$940.98×
Pack — market (~$11.02)$11.027.7%92.3%−$8−$8+$60.46×
Bundle — market (~$41.23)$41.2318.3%81.7%−$19−$25+$270.73×
Box — market (~$273.46)$273.465.4%94.6%−$103−$155+$30.66×

The Break-Even Price

Break-even pack
₱315
≈ $5 USD · market: ₱695
Break-even bundle
₱1,892
≈ $30 USD · market: ₱2,601
Break-even box
₱11,353
≈ $179.98 USD · market: ₱17,250

The market box price (~₱17,250) is about 50% above the break-even point (₱11,353). The retail box price (₱11,536) sits right at break-even — so only opening at retail is anywhere near EV-neutral, while market prices are clearly negative.


What You Should Actually Do

If you want a specific card

Buy the single. Use the tcgTalk price comparison to find the best current price. For the Groudon IR at ~₱6,863, the expected cost to pull it through pack opening is ~442 packs (~₱306,695 at market). Buying the single is dramatically cheaper.

If you want to open packs

At retail (~₱320/pack) the return is about 1.00× (roughly break-even); at market prices it is clearly negative. If opening for the experience, understand this is entertainment cost, not investment. Paradox Rift is a 2023 set — finding retail stock in PH may require checking Datablitz or local stores.

If you are buying sealed for investment

Paradox Rift sealed has risen from 2023 retail prices due to strong IR demand. The main risk: with 34 IRs in the pool, any shift in nostalgia demand (Plusle, Minun, Groudon) could significantly impact overall set value. Break-even box ~₱11,353 vs market price ₱17,250 — you are paying about a 50% premium above fundamental card value.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is it worth opening Paradox Rift in the Philippines?

No — roughly break-even at retail (1.00×) and negative at market prices. EV per pack is ₱315 but retail packs cost ₱320. At secondary market prices, returns are 0.46×–0.73×. Buy singles for specific cards.

What is the most expensive Paradox Rift card?

Groudon IR (#199) at approximately USD $108.80 (₱6,863) — the most expensive card in the set, beating all SIRs. Altaria ex SIR (#253) at ₱3,411 and Morpeko IR (#206) at ₱3,249 are second and third.

How many SIRs are in Paradox Rift?

15 Special Illustration Rares (#245–259) and 7 Hyper Rares (#260–266). With 15 SIRs, the pool is more distributed than 8-SIR sets — the high SIR pool median of ₱1,038 shows less filler compared to typical sets.

Why is Groudon IR more expensive than the SIRs?

Strong nostalgia demand for Groudon as one of the most iconic legendaries in Pokemon history, combined with beautiful IR artwork. This is unusual — normally SIRs dominate a set's value list. Paradox Rift is a rare exception where the IR pool outvalues the SIR pool.

Disclaimer: All card prices from PriceCharting market data (USD) as of September 2026. PHP values use live exchange rates. Pull rates are community estimates from 8,000-pack aggregate opening data. Monte Carlo uses 100,000 simulations. This is not financial advice.

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