Walmart is launching a new "Collectibles Drawing" system for selling Pokémon Trading Card Game products, aiming to replace its notoriously chaotic online drops with a fairer, lottery-style process. The retailer's usual queue-based sales have long frustrated fans, who often lose out to bots and scalpers despite Walmart restocking cards weekly; the new system randomly selects buyers from a pool of registered entrants, giving ordinary customers a more equal chance to secure highly sought-after sets.

The drawing system debuted in August but is being used for Pokémon cards for the first time on Monday 31 August, opening with a $69.99 Eevee-themed Prismatic Evolutions Elite Trainer Box that currently resells for more than double its retail price. Customers must sign up within a set window, have a Walmart account with a saved billing profile, and agree that Walmart will automatically place a non-refundable order if they are selected; sign-ups for the inaugural drawing open at 6pm PDT and run for a couple of hours, with winners notified by email. Walmart has also teased its in-demand Ascended Heroes set, suggesting further drawings may follow, while its regular Wednesday online drop will continue alongside the new system.