Target Raffles Are Coming: Our Monitors Caught Target's First Pokémon Raffle Signal

Short answer: Target hasn't opened a Pokémon raffle (also called a drawing) yet, but one looks to be on the way. On October 12, 2026 at 6:01 PM ET, Swooper's Target monitor caught the first raffle signal we have ever seen at Target: the Pokémon TCG 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box (TCIN 1010892076) appeared flagged as a raffle product, with its raffle status not live yet. Walmart already sells some of its hottest Pokémon releases through drawings, and Target now appears to be building the same thing.

Target · Raffle monitor First ever

Pokémon Trading Card Game: 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box

Type

New Product

TCIN

1010892076

Queue status

Not live

Raffle status

Not live yet

Swooper Monitors · October 12, 2026 · 6:01 PM ET

What did our monitors catch?

Swooper runs monitors on Target around the clock, and every Pokémon restock they catch is published on our live Target restock tracker. Our monitors have posted 72 alerts for this same 30th Celebration ETB at Target since August 13, and until October 12, every one of them was a normal restock or new-listing alert.

The October 12 alert was different. It came from our raffle monitor, a watcher built specifically to catch raffle activity. Out of more than 7,000 Target alerts our monitors have posted since June, it is the only raffle alert. It carried two statuses:

• Raffle status: not live yet. The product is flagged for a raffle, but entries haven't opened.
• Queue status: not live. No waiting room is running for it either.

A member who checked the link that evening found a normal out-of-stock product page, so the raffle exists behind the scenes before it exists for shoppers. That's how new retail features usually show up: in the data first, on the page later.

Why would Target start doing raffles?

Hot Pokémon drops are brutal on a retailer's website. Thousands of shoppers and bots hit the same product in the same second, and the site slows down, rate-limits everyone, and sells out in moments. A raffle replaces that rush with a fair window: everyone enters, and winners are picked at random.

Target wouldn't be the first to make the switch. On launch day for the 30th Celebration set, Walmart moved its hottest products into drawings, and Pokémon Center already sells some products by invitation: our Pokémon Center monitor tracks an "Invite Only" flag on products for exactly that reason. Every major Pokémon retailer is moving away from pure first-come drops for the products people fight over most.

How do Walmart's drawings work?

Walmart calls them Collectibles Drawings, and they're the closest model for what a Target raffle could look like. They're separate from Walmart Wednesday, the weekly 9PM ET queue drop. Here's how they work, per coverage of Walmart's rules and our own monitoring:

• A one-hour entry window. Each drawing is open for about an hour.
• Random winners. Entering early or fast gives no advantage.
• One entry per person, per drawing. You can enter several open drawings at once.
• Your details lock in at entry. The account's preferred delivery address, default card, and quantity are saved when you enter, and the entry can't be edited or cancelled.
• You're only charged if you win. Walmart places the order for you automatically.
• Results in 24 to 72 hours, by email.
• Walmart reviews entries and can remove ones it considers abusive.

Here's every Walmart drawing our monitors caught going live since the 30th Celebration launch:

That's 17 products across 4 drawings in under a month. Three of the four opened on a Wednesday at about 5PM ET (2PM PT, the time Hip2Save reports for Walmart's drawings), and most products showed up in our monitors as new listings before their drawing went live, often a day or more ahead.

Walmart vs. Pokémon Center vs. Target: how hot drops sell now

What we don't know yet

We'd rather be precise than loud, so here's what the signal doesn't tell us:

• When Target's first raffle opens. The status was not live on October 12.
• How long Target's entry window will be, or whether it will follow Walmart's one-hour model.
• Who can enter. Target hasn't said whether raffles will need anything beyond a normal Target account.
• Which products get raffles. So far the signal covers one product: the 30th Celebration ETB.

We'll update this page the moment our monitors catch a Target raffle going live.

How to get ready for Target raffles

If Target follows Walmart's model, speed stops mattering and account quality starts mattering: an entry is only as good as the account behind it. Get these right now, before the first raffle opens:

1. Set each account's default address and card now. If Target copies Walmart, your details lock in the moment you enter.
2. One email, one card, and one address per account. Duplicate details are the easiest thing for a retailer to filter out.
3. Keep accounts clean. Don't add a phone number or passkey to your Target accounts, and give new accounts a normal purchase or two so they have real history.
4. Choose quality over quantity. Walmart reviews entries before picking winners, and sloppy duplicate accounts are what gets removed.
5. Know your TCINs. Our Target TCG product directory lists every Pokémon product with its TCIN and a direct Target link.

How does Swooper fit in?

Swooper AIO is a desktop app for trading-card collectors that watches drops in real time across Pokémon Center, Target, and Walmart. Raffles change the game from "who's fastest" to "whose entries hold up," and Swooper is already built for that:

• Walmart drawings, automated. Swooper's Walmart Draws module (in beta) enters every drawing you pick across all your Walmart accounts, spreading entries out about 10 to 30 minutes after each drawing opens.
• A Target raffle module is already in development. Target hasn't opened its first raffle yet, so we're building the final version against the real thing: expect it to be finished within Target's first couple of raffles.
• Faster account setup. Swooper's built-in Hide My Email generator creates a unique email for every account, a new Target account creation tool (in beta) builds accounts for you, and members get step-by-step guides in the Swooper Discord for emails, cards, proxies, and addresses.
• Restock automation keeps running. Raffles won't cover every product, and Swooper's Target Auto-Pounce still carts restocks the instant they land.

FAQ

Last updated October 14, 2026. Swooper's monitors watch Pokémon Center, Target, and Walmart around the clock. Claim a seat to put them to work.