The Queue
I’d planned to arrive at Smyths for 6am. I arrived at 6:45. The alarm went off, I made a hot water bottle, grabbed some warm clothes, and then — somehow — lost 45 minutes. Thankfully my boss was alright with me being half an hour late to work, because the alternative was the Argos app, and from what I’ve heard since, their stock was practically non-existent.
When I got there, the queue was only about 20 deep. I could absolutely have had another 15 minutes in bed. But when it’s the biggest set of the year — arguably the biggest set ever — you don’t take that risk.
The Haul
The queue moved quickly, and I came away with an ETB, two mini-tins, and the Pikachu at the Museum oversized promo. My friend hit up a different Smyths and managed to grab the same plus the Charizard tins, though apparently their queue was at least double the size of mine. Even so, a 7am arrival would still have been safe at both stores.
By the time I got back to the car I was absolutely frozen. The hot water bottle I’d carefully prepared that morning? Still on the kitchen counter.
The Pulls
I opened everything after work. The pulls were a bit underwhelming if I’m honest, but the new Mega Attack Rares with the Japanese text running across the centre are genuinely stunning — a really fresh design choice that photographs brilliantly. And yes, as always, it would have been cheaper to just buy the cards I pulled as singles online. But where’s the fun in that?
Happy hunting! If you’re still looking for Ascended Heroes, check out your local stores — we’ve put together a guide on where to buy Pokémon cards in the UK to help you find what’s likely to have stock.