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GuidesSet GuidesWorth Opening

Paradox Rift Pack Opening: Is It Worth It?

266 cards, 15 SIRs, 7 Hyper Rares, and Groudon IR (₱6,783) 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)
$5.11
₱315 PHP
Break-even Pack
₱315
~$5.11 USD
Break-even Bundle
₱1,889
~$30.63 USD · 6 packs
Break-even Box
₱11,336
~$183.81 USD · 36 packs
Win Rate · Pack
17.2%
313
Loss: 82.8%
Win Rate · Bundle
31.2%
1,880
Loss: 68.8%
Win Rate · Box
42.5%
11,278
Loss: 57.5%
Win Rate · Pack
8.3%
678
Loss: 91.7%
Win Rate · Bundle
19.2%
2,559
Loss: 80.8%
Win Rate · Box
3.8%
18,024
Loss: 96.2%

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 313, giving about a 1.00× return. At secondary market prices it is worse — packs 678, bundles 2,559, boxes 18,024.

The key story: Groudon IR (#199) at 6,783 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 Pack3136783151.00×≈break-even retail · −EV market.
Booster Bundle (6 packs)1,8802,5591,8891.00×≈break-even retail · −EV market.
Booster Box (36 packs)11,27818,02411,3361.01×≈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 6,783 is the most expensive card, beating all SIRs. Nostalgia drives prices: Plusle (#193) and Minun (#194) both exceed 2,652.

Hyper Rare (✦ HR) — #260–266

7 cards. Gold full-art treatment. Pull rate ~~1 in 82 packs. Garchomp ex (#260) leads at 821 — this pool is more balanced than most sets.

#CardPrice (USD)Price (PHP)
260Garchomp ex$16.671,028
262Roaring Moon ex$7.99493
261Iron Valiant ex$5.75355
263Beach Court$3.56220
264Counter Catcher$3.34206
266Reversal Energy$3.00185
265Luxurious Cape$2.86176

Pool average: 381. Pool median: 220. 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 3,608 — 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$58.513,608
251Roaring Moon ex$40.002,467
245Garchomp ex$36.202,232
252Gholdengo ex$33.972,095
246Golisopod ex$25.401,566
249Iron Valiant ex$23.421,444
247Tapu Koko ex$19.671,213
255Parasol Lady$15.99986
248Iron Hands ex$12.69783
258Rika$9.62593
250Sandy Shocks ex$9.31574
254Mela$9.00555
256Professor Sada's Vitality$8.99554
259Tulip$8.90549
257Professor Turo's Scenario$5.99369

Pool average: 1,306. Pool median: 986. The high median of 1,014 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 6,783, followed by Plusle and Minun driven by nostalgia demand.

#CardPrice (USD)Price (PHP)Notes
199Groudon$109.996,783Most expensive card in the set — beats all SIRs
193Plusle$45.622,813Nostalgia/fan demand
206Morpeko$44.902,769
194Minun$43.592,688Nostalgia/fan demand
208Steelix$39.342,426
189Mantyke$36.002,220
211Aipom$27.071,669
213Swablu$26.491,634
205Yveltal$24.991,541
201Minior$24.881,534
196Joltik$24.211,493
186Magby$19.991,233
207Brute Bonnet$19.991,233
204Garbodor$19.371,195
212Loudred$15.99986
198Gimmighoul$14.05866
214Porygon-Z$13.99863
191Wimpod$11.43705
192Veluza$10.73662
216Iron Jugulis$10.21630
210Aegislash$10.17627
195Blitzle$10.00617
188Snorunt$9.81605
190Vanillish$9.33575
197Espathra$9.00555
200Mienshao$8.86546
187Iron Moth$8.13501
215Cyclizar$7.63471
185Toedscruel$7.57467
203Slither Wing$6.27387
202Garganacl$6.11377
209Ferrothorn$6.01371
183Crustle$5.49339
184Dottler$5.33329

Pool average: 1,256. Pool median: 784. 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 733 is the standout; most URs are worth 123247.

#CardPrice (USD)Price (PHP)
233Maushold ex$13.95860
219Garchomp ex$6.81420
238Parasol Lady$5.19320
231Gholdengo ex$4.02248
244Tulip$4.00247
229Roaring Moon ex$3.82236
226Hoopa ex$3.64224
232Altaria ex$3.55219
227Toxtricity ex$3.44212
236Mela$3.00185
225Iron Valiant ex$2.97183
228Sandy Shocks ex$2.92180
220Tsareena ex$2.77171
230Aegislash ex$2.76170
241Rika$2.64163
217Froslass ex$2.42149
239Professor Sada's Vitality$2.40148
224Cofagrigus ex$2.39147
243Shauntal$2.30142
222Tapu Koko ex$2.29141
223Iron Hands ex$2.25139
221Golisopod ex$2.22137
218Armarouge ex$2.20136
240Professor Turo's Scenario$2.15133
235Larry$2.13131
234Bombirdier ex$2.00123
242Roark$1.94120
237Norman$1.66102

Pool average: 207. Most UR pulls return low value.

Double Rares (★★ ex) — #001–182

Various ex cards. ~~1 in 6 packs. Mewtwo ex (#058) leads at 164; most others are below 123.

Pool average: 88. Lowest-value pulls above bulk.


Chase Cards: Top 10 by Value

#199 · IR
Groudon IR
6,783
$110 USD
#253 · SIR
Altaria ex SIR
3,608
$59 USD
#193 · IR
Plusle IR
2,813
$46 USD
#206 · IR
Morpeko IR
2,769
$45 USD
#194 · IR
Minun IR
2,688
$44 USD
#251 · SIR
Roaring Moon ex SIR
2,467
$40 USD
#208 · IR
Steelix IR
2,426
$39 USD
#245 · SIR
Garchomp ex SIR
2,232
$36 USD
#189 · IR
Mantyke IR
2,220
$36 USD
#252 · SIR
Gholdengo ex SIR
2,095
$34 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%$1.43$0.24
Illustration Rare (★ IR)7.7%$20.37$1.57
Ultra Rare (#217–244)6.7%$3.35$0.22
SIR (#245–259)2.1%$21.18$0.45
Hyper Rare (#260–266)1.2%$6.17$0.08
Total EV per pack
$5.11 USD 315 PHP

IRs contribute the largest EV share ($1.57 of the $5.11 total) despite a 7.7% pull rate, because the $20.37 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
96.2%
of 100,000 simulated openings
Win rate
3.8%
at $292 market price
P5 (bad luck)
-172
Median P/L
-118
P95 (good luck)
-10
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), August 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)$5.0817.2%82.8%−$2−$2+$111.00×
Bundle — retail (~$30.48)$30.4831.2%68.8%−$8−$15+$371.00×
Box — retail (~$182.88)$182.8842.5%57.5%−$9−$63+$1001.01×
Pack — market (~$11.00)$118.3%91.7%−$8−$8+$50.47×
Bundle — market (~$41.50)$41.519.2%80.8%−$19−$26+$260.74×
Box — market (~$292.26)$292.263.8%96.2%−$118−$172−$100.63×

The Break-Even Price

Break-even pack
315
≈ $5.11 USD · market: 678
Break-even bundle
1,889
≈ $30.63 USD · market: 2,559
Break-even box
11,336
≈ $183.81 USD · market: 18,024

The market box price (~18,024) is about 60% above the break-even point (11,336). The retail box price (11,278) 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 ~6,783, the expected cost to pull it through pack opening is ~442 packs (~299,840 at market). Buying the single is dramatically cheaper.

If you want to open packs

At retail (~313/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 ~11,336 vs market price 18,024 — you are paying about a 60% premium above fundamental card value.

Buy Paradox Rift on TCGPlayer

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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 313. At secondary market prices, returns are 0.45×–0.68×. Buy singles for specific cards.

What is the most expensive Paradox Rift card?

Groudon IR (#199) at approximately USD $109.99 (6,783) — the most expensive card in the set, beating all SIRs. Altaria ex SIR (#253) at 3,608 and Plusle IR (#193) at 2,813 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 1,014 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 August 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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