Backend evidence suggests a one-per-account drawing could replace the late-night scramble for booster packs.
Pokémon card collectors have a new rumor to chase, and this time it comes straight from Target’s own website code. Target may be building a drawing system that would replace its late-night Pokémon TCG drops with a random selection process, according to backend text spotted by X user @themacint0sh, described in reporting as a cybersecurity expert and a known Pokémon botter. One message found in the backend reads: “You’ve purchased the maximum allowed for this drawing (one per account).” Target has not officially announced the feature.
How the System Would Work
That cap would be tighter than Target’s current online TCG rules, which allow two units per transaction and up to two transactions total for the same product. Under the rumored setup, customers would enter a drawing with one entry permitted per account and no payment required upfront, moving Target away from the familiar first-come, first-served online drop where milliseconds decide who gets the product. If selected, the buyer would reportedly have 24 hours to complete the purchase before the system moves on to another potential buyer.
🃏 While you wait for the lottery to launch, keep your pulls safe. A good card binder with sleeves protects any hits you land in the meantime.
Following Walmart’s Playbook
The rumored system would resemble the raffle setup Walmart put in place earlier in 2026. Reports tied to Walmart’s version suggest more real people, rather than scalpers, have managed to score products from the Pokémon 30th Anniversary set. For a franchise still riding its 30th anniversary wave and a Target collaboration that already limits shoppers to one unit per item per guest, a lottery would be one more layer in an ongoing fight the retailer has been fighting since early 2026, when it first started limiting TCG packs to one or two per person in select stores.
Does It Actually Stop Scalpers?
The honest answer is: probably not entirely. Target could be preparing the system as another weapon in its ongoing fight against Pokémon TCG scalpers, but the same reporting flags the obvious workaround: bots and similar automation can be used to enter drawings across numerous accounts, meaning a determined reseller can potentially manufacture more chances than an ordinary buyer. Walmart’s comparable system has already faced concerns about users entering through multiple accounts, so Target would need serious account, payment and anti-bot safeguards for a one-entry rule to actually mean one entry.
🎴 Building your collection the old-fashioned way? A Pokémon TCG booster bundle is still one of the more reliable ways to add cards to your binder without fighting a drop.
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