A rare Magikarp Pokémon card promo sparked a near riot in South Korea. As a result, a Pokémon GO event had to be suspended. Could this be the end of Pokémon TCG promo cards being given out at live events?
Pokémon GO Event Shut Down After Promo Card Sparks “Riot”
Pokémon TCG fever is still at an all-time high, and scalpers are apparently still ruining the hobby. This latest fiasco happened in Seoul, South Korea. On March 1, a Pokémon GO Mega Festa 2026 event was held to celebrate the series’ 30th anniversary. However, the live event quickly became so overcrowded that it had to be shut down. The reason? A promotional Magikarp Pokémon card.
According to reports, scalpers descended on the event to try to get their hands on the new Pokémon card promo, which was being given out to attendees. Following a scary crowd surge, the event was quickly called off. The official Pokémon Korea social media account announced the cancellation in a post on X.
“Due to safety concerns from the large crowd, the event has been temporarily suspended. We ask for your generous understanding from all participants.” Korokoro Shop account monanchu88 gave a detailed report of what happened at the event. “We received information from the locals. It seems that 3,000 to 5,000 people gathered, and it was a chaotic mess, like a riot, with crowds surging everywhere.”
Scalpers Flip Magikarp Pokémon Card for $200 After Event Shutdown
Incredibly, scalpers at the event worked fast to flip the promo card. Immediately after Mega Festa 2026 was shut down, scalpers began to flood online auction sites. According to monanchu88, the Magikarp promo card is being sold for 25,000 to 33,000 yen. This is about $159 to $210. Considering the card was just released hours ago, that’s absolutely insane.
This is giving me nightmare flashbacks of the infamous Van Gogh Pikachu promo card given out in 2023. Scalpers were so aggressive that the actual Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam had to shut down and end the giveaway early. The rare Pikachu Pokémon card now sells for an eye-popping $3.5k if it’s PSA 10 graded.
Could Pokémon End Promo Cards at Live Events?
This latest drama at the Pokémon GO Mega Festa 2026 event has caused some fans to speculate over whether the Pokémon Company might end TCG promo cards at live events. Given how unsafe scalpers have made things lately, that is actually a reasonable stance to have.
Long-time Pokémon expert and Serebii owner Joe Merrick weighed in on the situation in a post on X. “Seeing what happened in Korea with the promo card at the Mega Fest event and how chaotic it got to be. We will be losing promo cards for events soon for sure. This is unsustainable due to all the opportunists wanting to make money. The TCG is being ruined by these people.”
Many Pokémon fans responded to Merrick’s post in agreement. It’s also easy to forget this was an event centered around Pokémon GO. Not everyone trying to attend it even cared about the Magikarp. This latest fiasco could mark a change for how the Pokémon Company handles Pokémon cards in the future. Or at least, we can only hope!
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