Sword & Shield Elite Trainer Box

Sword & Shield Elite Trainer Box guide

What's inside the Sword & Shield Elite Trainer Box

The Sword & Shield Elite Trainer Box holds 8 booster packs plus card sleeves, energy cards, dice, condition markers and a storage box, all themed to Sword & Shield.

Pokémon Center exclusive ETBs come with extra packs and a stamped promo and sell for more, so they are left out of the prices here.

About Sword & Shield

Opened the Sword & Shield series with the Galar Pokémon and introduced Pokémon V and VMAX. Released on 7 February 2020, it belongs to the Sword & Shield era, when the collecting boom pushed print runs to record levels. It came out 6 years ago, so most sealed stock has been opened and what is left sits with collectors.

Sword & Shield has 202 cards in its main numbering, plus 14 secret rares numbered beyond it.

Chase cards to look for

The Sword & Shield cards collectors most want to pull are Zacian V and Zamazenta V. 8 packs is a modest number of tries, so most ETBs are bought to collect or keep sealed rather than to chase one card.

Our catalogue lists the set's rarest tiers as 14 Secret Rares, 16 Ultra Rares and 6 VMAX. Prices for every card are on the Sword & Shield set page.

Sword & Shield Elite Trainer Box price today

There are 20 matching listings on eBay at the moment (ebay.co.uk from €177.82, ebay.com from €151.33). The lowest total with delivery to Germany is €151.33, against a typical asking price of €206.58.

Bear in mind these are asking prices rather than sold prices: sellers at the top of the range often accept offers or wait a long time to sell.

Price per pack

At the typical price, each of the 8 packs in a Sword & Shield Elite Trainer Box works out at €25.82, compared with €5.97 in a Sword & Shield Booster Box and €33.85 in a Sword & Shield Booster Pack. That makes it mid-priced among Sword & Shield sealed products.

Is the Sword & Shield Elite Trainer Box a good investment?

Older sealed product tends to rise as boxes are opened and supply shrinks, and Sword & Shield is now 6 years past release. Its price still depends on demand for its chase cards and on any reprints. ETBs are popular to keep sealed because of their box art, but they take more space than they hold in packs. Watch the price of Zacian V, the set's headline card, since sealed Sword & Shield tends to move with it.

None of this is financial advice: sealed prices can fall as well as rise. Our guide should you buy sealed Pokémon products? weighs up both sides.

Before you buy

Look closely at the wrapping in the photos. Factory wrap on elite trainer boxes has neat seams, often with Pokémon logos printed on it; baggy, shiny or uneven wrap is a common sign of a reseal. For a Sword & Shield Elite Trainer Box at around €206.58, ask the seller for photos of all sides and stick to accounts with plenty of positive feedback. Check the listing photos show the ETB itself and not only the packs, and that it is the standard version rather than a Pokémon Center one if you are comparing prices. Compare the total with delivery, not just the price, and store sealed product flat, out of sunlight and away from damp.