Now that the EB01 Gundam set has settled down from its initial release hype, it's a great time to zoom out and get some much-needed market perspective. With Bandai TCGs, it is incredibly helpful to recognize that they often follow similar blueprints across their different IPs. For collectors looking to optimize their portfolios, one of the best ways to view and evaluate the EB01 Gundam release is through the historical lens of the EB01 One Piece set.
When you directly compare the two sets, their DNA is surprisingly similar . Right out of the gate, both products appear to be heavily short-printed , immediately constricting the sealed supply. Furthermore, they both feature a massive #1 top chase card that absorbs almost all the equity in the set, leaving almost all other cards in the checklist with a drastically lower secondary market value.
Let's look at the current market reality of Gundam's EB01. Right now, a sealed booster box is sitting relatively flat around the $125 mark . The top chase card is a true anomaly, demanding prices of $1000+ for a Near Mint single. However, the value drop-off is effectively a cliff; the next best pulls—top cards #2 through #5—quickly plummet in value, hovering in a very modest $30 to $40 range . It is a heavily top-weighted gamble.
Let's look at the current market of EB01 in One Piece, which granted, has been out for several years so the values are naturally higher. Disclaimer: Even though Bandai is the exact same printer, we must note that the One Piece TCG is significantly more popular globally than Gundam. But the financial pattern is identical. A sealed booster box is around $850 . The top chase, the legendary Manga Tony Tony Chopper , sits around $3000+ . The rest follow that steep downward curve: the #2 Chopper Alt Art is around $150, the #3 Mr. 2 Alt Art is around $120, the #4 Laboon is around $90, and the #5 Kouzuki Oden is around $50.
Both sets have a massive #1 chase value card, but frankly, the rest of the set's pulls are pretty meh . Regardless, due to the extreme short print amount of the EB01 One Piece booster boxes combined with the sheer gravity of that top chase, this box still holds a tremendous amount of value. To put this scarcity into perspective, current TCGplayer inventory shows less than 10 English booster boxes listed for sale across the entire platform with no cases available.
Now, although these mirroring factors are strong, it's important to note the critical differences with EB01 Gundam. Even though it's a premium Bandai product, Gundam is simply less in demand than One Piece, so it's not an exact 1-to-1 comparison. Combine that IP difference with the set design itself: the heavily featured chibi theme is simply not a desirable chase for core Gundam collectors. After the weeks since release, the stagnating single card prices show the lack of demand for these specific aesthetic variants.
To sum it up, the short print factor and the massive top single chase are your core bullish factors , while the Gundam TCG's overall market share and the divisive chibi theme seem to be the heavy bearish factors in this scenario. But at the entry price point of $125, it's ultimately up to you to decide if this deserves a place in your portfolio. We have decided to pass on this price point and product at this time compared to all the other stronger TCG items in the current market, but stay subscribed to tcjournal.io to follow along if we eventually get in at a lower price point—or miss out on this set entirely.