Collectible card games are a unique type of strategy game that combine the love of trading cards with an element of deck building. The two most popular collectible card games of all time are Magic: The Gathering and Pokemon. Magic: The Gathering is credited with being the first mass-marketed successful collectible card game. First appearing in 1993, it beat Pokemon to the market in the United States by about five years. Magic: The Gathering and Pokemon have had a lot of competitors since the 1990s, and some have performed better than others. Most of these card games, however, last just a few short years and then are slowly discontinued due to a lack of sales or interest from fickle players. Even card games based on successful high profile pop culture franchises such as Star Wars and Star Trek are not guaranteed, as both of these card games also premiered in the 1990s and quickly disappeared due to a lack of interest from players who considered the games too complex or just not interesting enough. As a result, a lot of companies considered the collectible card game business to be high risk, even though the costs of manufacturing a collectible card game once development was finalized were not as high as most other products in the toy or electronics space. However, perspective can change over time. And speaking of change, the internet has changed the collectibles marketplace in a variety of different and unique ways. We have discussed this in full in previous articles. One aspect that has affected the collectible trading card space is the way these items are viewed by the end consumer. Social media influencers jumped on the collectible card game bandwagon within the past few years and helped convince a new generation of players (and collectors) that their favorite card game could be investment worthy. This has led to massive price increases, hoarding, and complete market insanity with documented fist fights breaking out in retail stores during the pandemic when the hottest cards were released to retail stores. Even in the year 2024, Pokemon is experiencing massive resurgence in success and growth. The fact that this property started out as a video game franchise and morphed into a collectible card game has only further solidified their fan base. The Pokemon franchise alone is estimated to be worth $92 billion at present time which means that by all estimates it is one of the most valuable licensed properties in the world. As a result of the growth and popularity of collectible card games over the past couple years, newcomers to the genre were all but certain. Unfortunately, for speculators seeing the growth and value in vintage Pokemon and Magic: The Gathering cards, not understanding the market dynamics of starry-eyed speculation would prove costly. In 2019 and 2020, two new collectible card games premiered, each vying for a piece of the almighty collectible pie. The first was called Flesh and Blood, which was a fantasy based card game that used similar elements to its closest competitor, Magic: The Gathering. When the first sets premiered, the company limited production and placed special cold foil cards in blind booster boxes for fans to discover. Thanks to internet insanity, some of these cards ended up being graded by top tier third-party grading companies like PSA and BGS. Due to the cards limited availability and perceived rarity, some of these cards were seen selling for thousands of dollars on the secondary market. I am not sure who in their right mind would pay thousands of dollars for a card that was simply produced in low numbers and placed in a card game that was created in 2019, but apparently the buyer of these items does not seem to understand the definition of mass-produced rarity (or just wants to own the cards at any price). Today, Flesh and Blood is still being produced, but for how long is a valid question. While the game does have its fair share of fans, whether or not it can stand the test of time, let alone another five years, is a fair question to ask. By contrast, Magic: The Gathering is owned and published by toy conglomerate Hasbro, whereas Flesh and Blood is produced by a very small company known as Legend Story Studios out of Auckland, New Zealand. If you do like Magic: The Gathering, however, I will suggest you try it, but please if I may offer some simple advice, dont try to financially speculate in it. Paying thousands of dollars for anything produced as a collectible in 2019 is likely not the best use of collecting dollars. The second collectible card game to appear in 2020 was quite interesting. The card game was called MetaZoo and was more comparable to Pokemon than Magic: The Gathering. The company that produced MetaZoo was simply called MetaZoo Games LLC and was started by an online crowdfunding campaign that occurred during the pandemic. Several prominent social media influencers promoted the game, and at least in the beginning, prices for factory-sealed booster boxes soared on the secondary market. MetaZoo was loved by some and loathed by others. To its credit, the game did feature unique game play elements that drew players in, but it seemed to lack the true charm of Pokemon. The company managed to even create a licensed set based on the popular Japanese Hello Kitty franchise, but shortly after the sets release in January 2024, MetaZoo announced it was shutting down. This announcement sent shock waves through the collectible card game space, and newly minted speculators would get their very first taste of losing money in a market dominated by Pokemon and Magic: The Gathering for far too long. MetaZoo was a much needed lesson for speculators. Some of these individuals paid thousands of dollars for early booster boxes that were in short supply after the games launch but that can now be seen sitting on eBay with an asking price less than one-quarter of their original price. Sadly, few failed collectible card games ever become sought after in the future. I fondly remember playing a card game that was produced in the early 90s by the same company that produced Magic: The Gathering. The game was originally called Jyhad: The Eternal Struggle and was based on vampire lore. The game would quickly change its name to Vampire: The Eternal Struggle, and by 1996 it would be discontinued. Today, you can still find cards and original starter decks selling on eBay for just a few dollars. This is where most of these highly touted failed card games always end up. And this is why my advice for those looking for the next big thing is always the same, in the collectibles market it is usually best to speculate on what is known rather than the unknown, but where is the fun in that? Well, at least well always have Pokemon. At least for now. Shawn Surmick has been an avid collector since the age of 12. He currently resides in his hometown of Boyertown, Pa., and is a passionate collector of antiques and collectibles. His articles focus on various topics affecting the marketplace.