Issue 08 · 7 min
Rotation toward Chaos Rising
May 18, 2026
- Market
Rotation toward CR with May 22 imminent
The Pokémon Company International / Gamespress · Source
Set GMV still had Ascended Heroes on top for Apr 18–May 17. Rotation toward Chaos Rising was visible on presales anyway, with the May 22 street date imminent. Quantity leadership and incoming print are not the same story — track both.
How the market was
One week before Chaos Rising street date, the set GMV window (Apr 18–May 17) still ranked Ascended Heroes #1, Prismatic #2, 151 #3, with Chaos Rising #8 on presales. Confidence high on that stack. ASC remains the quantity / GMV leader even as capital rotates toward the new printing.
Ascended Heroes Elite Trainer Boxes printed about ~$184–$187 mid-May — still special-set premium, not a dump ahead of CR. The read: new printing incoming; ASC still does the volume work. Prismatic and 151 stay in the stack from Issue 07’s spike week without needing a second buyout headline.
Week over week vs Issue 07, the story moves from event-spike concentration to rotation: CR climbs the foresight list while ASC keeps the GMV crown until live sealed arrives next Monday (Issue 09). Presale ≠ live sealed — label it.
ASC still quantity / GMV leader
The Pokémon Company International / Gamespress · Source
Still in the set stack
The Pokémon Company International / Gamespress · Source
Week movers
- Pokémon — Set GMV Apr 18–May 17 — ASC #1, Prismatic #2, 151 #3; Chaos Rising #8 on presales. Confidence high.
- Pokémon — Ascended Heroes ETB — Mid-May ~$184–$187. Confidence high.
- Our read — New printing incoming; ASC still quantity leader. Presale rotation ≠ street book yet.
Week over week
vs Issue 07 (Event-spike week): SPC / 151 spike concentration → rotation toward CR on presales while ASC holds GMV #1. Next Monday (Issue 09) is live sealed.
Worth watching
- Ascended Heroes ETB
- Chaos Rising (presale → street May 22)
- Prismatic / 151 still in the stack
Note
CR English live sealed from May 22 — Issue 09 picks up the post-street book. No Celebration set.