Target Officially Launches New Pokémon System and It's a Total Game Changer

2 hours ago 26

Published Nov 2, 2026, 11:02 AM EST

Patricia is the former editor-in-chief of Kotaku, where she spent a decade writing and editing. Prior to that, she served as the Culture Editor at Polygon, and as a reporter at The Verge. Hernandez specializes in Pokémon TCG, Nintendo, and offbeat internet culture stories.

Target's new TCG system has some major differences from Walmart's Pokémon raffle

Target is one of the best ways to purchase Pokémon cards — and also one of the worst. The retailer typically releases new products on weekdays after midnight, pushing devoted trading card game fans to stay awake for hours for a chance to spend money. More often than not, the fans who make this sacrifice lose out badly to bots that can snap everything up within milliseconds. Well, that's all about to change.

How does Target's Pokémon raffle system work?

The new system, which has been rumored for months now, has quietly gone live on the retailer's website. It's a lottery system, much like the sytem Walmart uses to sell Pokémon cards. Basically, fans are given a specific window of time to express interest in a product. Once the time period ends, Target takes all the entries and randomly selects winners.

How is Target's Pokémon system different than Walmart's lottery?

Unlike Walmart's system, which only lasts an hour or two, Target's entry period appears to be much longer. Users also aren't charged automatically — they're given a deadline to complete their purchases. The lottery is first being tested on a small product: a Scarlet and Violet: Destined Rivals three-pack blister pack selling for $14.99. Undoubtedly, the retailer wants to see how things go before widening the lottery to more in-demand products, like items in the 30th Anniversary collection or Ascended Heroes. This first drop closes on Nov. 4, two days from now.

While the prolonged entry period sounds good on paper — more people will be able to sign up — it also means that scalpers will get extra time to make more accounts. Not being charged automatically is nice, though, as many fans tend to express interest in multiple products to improve their odds. On the off chance someone wins multiple times, they now have the opportunity to select only the product that interests them most. Once you enter the drawing, you should receive an email confirmation in your inbox.

Items won this way can't be returned or exchanged, Target warns. "Guests who aren’t selected will have another chance if more inventory becomes available," the page reads.