The Failed Pokémon Center Mega Evolution Phantasmal Flames Drop
The Pokémon Center’s highly anticipated release of Mega Evolution – Phantasmal Flames turned into a mess on September 3rd, 2025. Instead of a smooth launch, collectors faced website crashes, latency issues, and bots apparently checking out before the queue even went live.
Here’s a breakdown of what happened:
Early Links Sparked Chaos
In the hours leading up to the release, early product links for the Booster Bundle, Booster Box, and Elite Trainer Box began circulating across social media. Collectors who follow these channels knew something was up, especially when the first security change was detected at 10:00 AM EST.
Typically, a security change signals that the queue system will go live shortly. Collectors rushed to log in and prepare—but this time, PokémonCenter.com began to crawl under the pressure, showing major delays and latency issues almost immediately.
Timeline of Events
10:09 AM – A screenshot was posted by Dual Vector Foil showing a completed checkout: 2 Booster Bundles, 2 ETBs, and 2 Booster Boxes.
10:11 AM – Tracker bots picked up successful checkouts happening in the background, confirming that bots were bypassing the system.
10:16 AM – More checkout screenshots appeared on social media, including one showing 1 of each major product in a completed order.
10:34 AM – A Discord channel proudly displayed their “success” stories, showing multiple members securing product before the public queue even appeared.
10:34 AM – Screenshots surfaced of a Gmail inbox stacked with Pokémon Center order confirmations, again suggesting that automated checkouts were widespread.
11:28 AM – Finally, cancellation emails started to circulate. It appeared that Pokémon Center began taking action against suspicious orders, but the damage was already done.
Discord bot group posting about their success.
Screenshot of Phantasmal Flames Booster Bundle, Elite Trainer Box and Booster Box checkout.
Screenshot of Pokémon Center canceling orders.
Why Did This Drop Fail?
The drop failed because botters figured out how to bypass the security checks and the queue system. While collectors were waiting for the queue to go live, automated scripts were already successfully checking out Booster Bundles, ETBs, and Booster Boxes.
This exploit not only overwhelmed the website with latency issues but also left legitimate fans locked out while bulk orders slipped through.
Community Response
The community’s reaction was clear: disappointment at the botters. Collectors expressed frustration that once again, automated buying tools had the upper hand in what should have been a fair release.
At the same time, there is still hope. Many believe Pokémon Center will step in by:
Canceling illegitimate orders.
Banning accounts tied to auto-buy bots.
Relisting products fairly for real fans in the coming weeks.
Final Thoughts
In the end, collectors don’t expect perfection—but they do expect fairness. The Mega Evolution Phantasmal Flames drop became a case study in how bots can undermine a launch that was meant to excite the community.
What fans want now is simple: for Pokémon Center to do the right thing. By canceling suspicious orders and making products available again, they have a chance to restore trust and ensure that collectors, not scalpers, get to enjoy Phantasmal Flames.
Wally Wednesday
During Wally Wednesday, collectors joked about orders of 84 Prismatic Evolutions bundles, even as most were lucky to secure just 1–12 after hours of waiting and refreshing.
Walmart Drops Pokémon TCG Prismatic Evolutions Booster Bundles
Last night’s Wally Wednesday lived up to the hype, as Walmart dropped the highly anticipated Pokémon TCG Prismatic Evolutions Booster Bundles around 9PM EST with a max order limit of 12.
The drop wasn’t easy—checkout queues lasted 30 minutes to over an hour, and early links started circulating about 30 minutes before launch. Unlike past releases, no bypass links surfaced.
After about 2–3 hours, most buyers saw “out of stock” notifications. Still, some collectors who kept refreshing and spamming add-to-cart managed to snag a few bundles here and there. At that point, grabbing the full 12 was nearly impossible, with most lucky buyers securing between 1–8 bundles.
To capture the chaos, I made a meme video using the classic screaming clip template—watching it feels exactly like yelling at Walmart’s checkout button to process a 12-bundle order
A fast-paced parody inspired by the viral "Pay It Forward" drive-thru video, where a collector shouts through the order box, ordering 12 Prismatic Evolutions Pokémon TCG Surprise Boxes at lightning speed.
Credit:
Inspired by the original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52LJaWDdG9c