Popular Twitch streamer Mizkif was floored when he realized the value of his Pokemon Trading Card Game items were nowhere near what he thought they were. The star had spent $100,000 on the Nintendo collectibles, only to lose thousands once they were graded.
Pokemon Trading Card Game fever exploded in 2020 and swept over sites such as YouTube and Twitch. Content creators would lose their minds in front of viewers if they scored a rare card that they believed to be worth an insane amount.
While it’s true Pokemon cards can be valuable, a lot of factors go into determining their worth such as their condition. Popular streamer Mizkif was stunned when he learned his TCG collection he spent $100k on had lost most of its value after getting unexpected grades.
Mizkif’s floored after losing thousands on his Pokemon card collection
Grading companies such as PSA, CGC, or Beckett largely determine the value of a Pokemon card. The difference between a nine and a 10, for instance, can sometimes even be hundreds of thousands. And getting a high grade can be extremely difficult. Twitch streamer Mizkif learned this lesson the hard way when his massive collection got much lower scores than he expected.
“I lost all my actual money….” the streamer said in disbelief after 100 of his cards came back with grades ranging from eight to nine. “I spent $100,000 on these cards,” he told his streaming partner and fellow OTK member Nick ‘Nmplol’ Polom.
When asked if it was worth it, Mizkif revealed the staggering amount of money he roughly lost. “Nick, this is worth, maybe $3,000 in total. And you know what, Nick, I spent $3,000 to get these graded.” He then shook his head and exclaimed, “Why can’t I just play League of Legends like everyone else?”
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
Still in shock, Mizkif turned to viewers and told them that Pokemon cards were worse than gambling at slot machines. “Opening Pokemon cards is literally doubling gambling, chat, that’s all it is. You’re gambling the card getting it, and you are gambling again that it’s [graded] a 10. It’s the worst gamble of your life.”
While it’s hard to say the exact total amount he lost, it’s true that a lot of the $100,000 he spent on the TCG items would be lost as cards graded an eight substantially lower the value. The Twitch star also paid a lot more for the sealed boxes that they came in.
Unfortunately, the OTK founder is not alone as fellow Twitch streamer Ludwig Ahgren also faced a similar reality when he found out all of his Pokemon cards came back with poor grading as well. “It’s REALLY hard to get a 10. I didn’t realize how hard it was!” the Smash pro explained.