This is why, following the discovery of a possible Fusion Strike mega theft, a few fans and collectors have blamed it for why the set’s pull rates had been so bad. While there’s no evidence that the stolen cards deprived some booster packs of rares they might have otherwise contained, some initially took it as vindication of long-held suspicions. One player on the subreddit suggested it doesn’t even matter. Either the bad pull rates were on purpose or influenced by the alleged heist. Either way, the damage is done.

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The Pokémon Company and Trading Card World did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Update 4/19/2023 4:08 p.m. ET: A spokesperson for The Pokémon Company told Kotaku there is no indication that the packs were tampered with and that the Fusion Strike set included all of the rare cards it was supposed to. It’s still investigating the theft itself, however, and declined to comment on the details of it for now. Here’s the full statement:

We take the protection of our IP and associated products very seriously. This matter remains under investigation and we cannot comment on details at this time. However, we can confirm that Sword & Shield ­booster packs and products were shipped to retail as intended and we have no indication that the integrity of the products were impacted by any confirmed or unconfirmed theft. Furthermore, we continue to significantly invest in both the production and security of our TCG business. We value the faith our fans put in us and our products, and these investments are intended to help us continue to maintain their trust.

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