---
title: 'I''m Addicted to Something Worse Than Drugs'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=ihmLcindtkU'
video_id: 'ihmLcindtkU'
date: 2026-06-18
duration_sec: 1378
---

# I'm Addicted to Something Worse Than Drugs

> Source: [I'm Addicted to Something Worse Than Drugs](https://youtube.com/watch?v=ihmLcindtkU)

## Summary

The speaker humorously confesses to a trading card addiction, which they consider worse than drugs. They recount their history of collecting Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh cards, completing their collections, and then relapsing after learning to play the Pokémon TCG. The video includes a rant against scalpers and a montage of recent card pulls.

### Key Points

- **Addiction hierarchy** [0:44] — The speaker ranks trading card addiction above alcohol, porn, and drugs, calling it an 'addiction blessing.'
- **Timeline of card opening** [1:31] — They started ripping boxes in July 2020, before Logan Paul's Pokémon video, and had already opened a thousand boxes by then.
- **Completed collections** [2:16] — Completed collections: every first edition card and gold stars in Pokémon; Starlights, ghost rares, and vintage ultra rares in Yu-Gi-Oh.
- **Relapse trigger** [3:37] — After four years clean, they relapsed by learning to play the Pokémon TCG, which led to buying boxes again.
- **Scalping definition** [5:41] — Scalpers buy new products at MSRP and immediately resell at huge markups, unlike collectors who hold cards for appreciation.
- **Valuable pulls** [18:05] — Highlights of pulls include a Gandalf the White poster foil worth $514 and a surge foil Yavi Maya worth $365.

## Transcript

I have what is officially known as an
addiction problem.
While I haven't been professionally
diagnosed, I think all of the symptoms
and signs are abundantly clear.
But I just disagree with that
nomenclature. I don't subscribe to the
idea that it's an addiction problem. I
prefer to call it an addiction blessing.
And as you can probably tell,
this old Florida homunculus ain't
looking to change it. You see, on the
totem pole of addictions, you have your
standard ones everyone's familiar with.
You've got alcohol, porn, drugs. But
what a lot of people don't mention is at
the very top, sitting on on the throne
above all the others is an addiction far
more insidious and let's be honest, far
more embarrassing. Trading card
addiction.
And that's what I have. You see, as I've
always said, drugs are temporary. Shiny
cardboard is forever. And many of you
might recall six years ago, I was lost
in the whirlwind of this addiction. It
had me by the nipples and it was clamped
on, [ __ ] titty twisting them.
Couldn't stop myself from buying more
boxes to open constantly.
Thanos with all the Infinity Stones
couldn't stop me from buying more boxes
of cards to open, specifically like
Yu-Gi-Oh and Pokemon. And also, people
got the timeline super twisted, just
super [ __ ] up, cuz I started ripping
boxes on stream all the way back in
August of 2020. It actually I started
doing it in July of 2020, but those
streams are lost to the ether, but there
are still a few surviving streams of me
ripping Yu-Gi-Oh on stream in August.
Logan Paul when he blew up the TCG space
with his Pokemon video was a couple
months later. I had already ripped a
thousand boxes by the time Logan Paul
even learned how to spell Pokemon. So,
it wasn't Logan Paul's laring adventure
that he started up that got me back into
opening cards. I've been cracking these
sarcophagus full of treasure since like
2016. I was buying Pokemon and Magic the
Gathering to open. Then I took a break,
came back in 2020, did it again. And
then I finished the collections I set
out to achieve, which in Pokemon was
every first dead card, as well as gold
stars, and Yu-Gi-Oh was Starlights,
ghost rares, and some really meaningful
vintage ultra rares and such. All first
dead. I finished my collection. I beat
the addiction. I I gave it the
smackdown.
And for four years, I was clean. I was
sober. And then I made a big mistake. So
many of you have noticed I have been
[ __ ] on scalpers relentlessly for
like the last 6 months cuz the hobby has
completely gone to the birds. It has
spiraled down the [ __ ] It is just
disgusting. It is degenerate. People are
fighting and [ __ ] over Pokemon cards
every single day, scamming each other.
There was even a murder over Pokemon
cards cuz they wanted to steal their
collection. It is a disgusting
environment that the hobby has became
has become. And as I've been making
these videos, I decided, you know what?
I never learned how to play this card
game. I never learned how to play
Pokemon TCG. I only ever collected it.
And I'm a big TCG guy. I have a whole
channel dedicated to like Magic the
Gathering, and I have like hundreds of
videos on Yu-Gi-Oh across multiple
channels. So, I wanted to learn this
one. Maybe it's a fun card game and I
feel like I owe it to Pokemon to at
least learn how to play the TCG. So, I
did a little over a month ago. I learned
how to play Pokemon.
That was a big mistake, man. Cuz the
card game is actually super fun. So, I
was I learned on TCG Live and then I
thought to myself, okay, let's make some
decks. Let's make these in real life.
Cuz like in One Piece, for example, in
the One Piece card game, I actually went
to tournaments and competed. I had a
great time doing so. I love card games
and the Pokemon TCG was actually a lot
of fun. So, I wanted to make the decks
in the real world physical,
but I didn't want to just buy the
singles. I thought, what's the harm in
getting some some boxes to open and pull
the cards myself? Plus, in doing so, you
get the code cards, which I know
basically everyone who opens Pokemon
boxes just throws that right in the
trash, but they have a legitimate use,
which is on TCG Live, where you scan
them and then you get packs in the game.
It's like the only way to do so. So,
I've been keeping like all the code
cards and stuff to build my decks in
game and in real life.
And that opened up a big can of worms
cuz now I haven't been able to stop
myself from buying boxes of Magic the
Gathering and Pokemon specifically cuz
now I'm doing the same for Magic where
well, I want to build myself a really
cool commander deck and I love the Lord
of the Rings set. So, I've been buying a
[ __ ] ton of Lord of the Rings boxes,
and now on the Skill Check channel, I
have been opening so much sealed Magic
and Pokemon. Bro, I even went to a
[ __ ] card show a week ago cuz we had
some friends in town and they're big
Pokemon uh fans. So, they wanted to go
to a card show and I was like, "That
sounds fun." So, we went to a card show.
I bought so much sealed Pokemon to open
on the channel and it was such a good
time and now I just can't stop opening
cards again. So, the addiction is fully
in place again
and I don't regret it. I I have been
having such a good [ __ ] time with it.
Now, I still refuse to engage with
scalpers, so I don't pay scalper prices
or anything like that. And I think
there's been a big confusion and
misconception on what scalping even is.
Scalpers aren't someone that like has a
Lord of the Rings box that they got back
when the set launched and they've just
held it for all this time as it's
appreciated in value. That's not
scalping. Scalpers are those worms, this
[ __ ] fungus that goes around to get
as much of the new product as they can,
whether it's through botting at MSRP
when the like Sam's Club does an MSRP
launch or going to the Pokemon vending
machines and exchanging knuckle
sandwiches. But they get new product and
immediately try and turn it around for a
huge markup because now it is more
scarce because all the scalpers have
flocked to it. So now normal people
can't find it at MSRP. So the scalpers
try and take advantage of that by making
it a huge markup for a quick profit.
Scalping is not someone that has like a
case of [ __ ] Pokemon forbidden light
that they got in 2018 and now all of a
sudden they decide to try and sell it
while it's much higher now than it was
in 2018. That's not what scalping is.
Scalping is when they hit this product
and immediately try and turn it around
for a huge markup for a quick profit to
capitalize off this new scarcity that's
been introduced into this market. So,
they are constantly trying to just flip
it immediately for a profit off of the
big hype train around this product. But
anyway, I just couldn't resist talking
about my addiction popping off again
because I've been opening boxes like
every day now on the Skill Check
channel. So, if you ever want to see
like a bunch of card openings for Magic
and Pokemon, I've been doing that [ __ ]
over there daily. I wanted to show you
like a little montage of some of the
wackier pulls. These aren't even like
the best polls I've gotten so far, but
these are just some of the really fun
moments from some of the openings I've
been doing with Magic Lord of the Rings
special edition boxes as well as the
Pokemon Convention Hall. Riders of the
mark. Shielders fade.
Surge foil paragant.
This can't. No.
What is this even a real card? I haven't
even seen this in the set. What is this
one? I haven't even seen this poster.
There's no way on pack one. Come on now.
Come on now. What do you got for me?
Bang.
Wow. A Quinton Tarantino card.
Very cool. Foot fetish hobbit. Beasting
hobbit. Devour food three. What a cool
keyword though. Oh,
nice.
Battle by water. Surge foil. ELAND. OH
MY GOD.
Mount Doom. Oh, it's not foil though.
[ __ ] bro. I'm already cook. Are all of
the special edition boxes like this? Do
they all have just a ton of poster
cards?
Like is that just how it goes? This card
even not foil 180 clams, bro.
Holy Toledo.
The Shire
Aroreal Alliance,
Serge, King of Oath Breakers, and oh,
Yami Maya. Yami Maya. Oh, there's
something else there, too. Just nothing.
That's a good card, actually. That's a
really good card. I shouldn't say
nothing. Whenever another creature
enters, gain a life. Actual just banger
card. I think the Surah Javi Maya is
also a juicer.
I'm pretty sure it is.
Oh my god.
$365
for the surge foil Yavi Maya. What a
what?
We are going ballistic in here.
The [ __ ] is this thing? I've never seen
this card in all of the boxes I've
opened.
They got Tree Beard in here.
Why does he look so goofy? Take a look
at that guy.
He looks like the glob gabla.
Can you see him? It's not focusing super
well. There it goes. Actually looks like
the [ __ ] gibble gibble gibble gibble.
A surge elven chorus. And
bro what?
Another poster. It's the same one I got,
but this time nonfoil.
That's kind of cringe. That's actually
kind of cringe. They did that to me.
That's You hate to see that. Surge foil.
Shagrat loot bearer. Not exactly the
surge foil you want to see there. Oh,
right into a pheramir. Yikes.
And it's just that easy. And it's just
that easy.
Yep.
Yep.
Last march of the ins.
Nonfoil, by the way, is 150 bucks. I'm
waiting for foil to load. Foil 235.
235 clams for the last March of the Ins.
I'm pretty sure I pulled the nonfoil in
one of the first boxes of these I
opened.
Sarroman,
Rise of the Witch King. Yeah, we got
some good we got some good commons and
uncommons in here. A nauseoul. How much
is just a normal nause?
Oh my god. Near mint nonfoil is 60
bucks. Foil,
bro. Foil is 123 bucks for the 727
nausehoul.
That is not bad.
Okay, no more courageous resolve,
please. Both those definitely nothing.
And then a Froto. Oh no, no, no, no, no,
no, no. I have three of this poster. Oh
my god. I have three Hue the Antwood.
Actual worst poster in the set. I have
three of it. Stop.
Please.
It's a $15 or $14 card, so I mean it's
not bad.
I thought that was serialized for a
second. Okay,
finally
a juicer.
Okay, bro. I really thought that was
serializ. Maybe it is. Let me let me let
me take a closer inspection.
Yeah, upon closer inspection, I'm not
seeing X out of 100. Not serialized, but
finally
a new poster foil, and it's a really
good one. It is
that can't be right. Hold on.
Wow. No, it is $300.
I thought it was like 150.
Wow. The Palunteer 300 clams.
Rangers. We looked that up last time. It
was like five bucks or something if I
remember right.
Okay, I'm not even going to make any
predictions here. Just surprise me.
There's no way.
There's no way.
There is no way. I've just pulled my
fourth border. My fourth poster Huegh
the Antwood.
My fourth Hue the Antwood poster. Or is
it third? Third or fourth? I can't
remember. I have two
poster foil Hugh the Antwoods now. And
then I think I have two nonfoil.
That is tragic. That is actually that is
my least favorite card in Magic the
Gathering history. I want it to be
known.
And you couldn't even you couldn't even
do me the kindness of at least being
serialized or something. At least that
would have been fitting.
Oh wow. I am deflated. I am very very
sad now. Holy.
You cannot pass. You cannot escape. Hugh
the antwood. Wow. I can't. Thank you
build a pony. It's good to see you. I
actually
I made up for it.
Yeah, I made up for it.
Mhm.
Okay. Can't be that mad anymore. Cannot
be that mad anymore.
It's not foil, though, which is a shame.
If it was foil, it's $1,000. Nonfoil is
$270.
Wow.
Wow.
That's hot. That That is hot.
Man, if that was just foil.
Still looks beautiful. That [ __ ] is
precious man.
Just wasn't foil, which which hurts me a
little bit. Here, I'll set it up like
that. That looks cool. Okay.
Wow. 270. Our first one ring hit.
Gloin. We know he's like a dollar. I
remember him from last time. Oh my god.
Herborg to him of Yogmoth.
We dead I know dead marshes is big and
it's surge
and it's surge. I know that this is
huge. Yeah. Holy [ __ ] 365
clams.
Holy Toledo, bro. We are starting to
cook. Oh, also that's the end of the
pack, by the way. I don't know why I set
those off to the side.
We are really starting to scale into the
late game here from Chargers born upon a
wind surge. Already had that Gimly and
why, bro? What? So, here's what I've
noticed. Here's what I've noticed.
Here's what I've noticed. These two
travel together.
I I constantly hit these two in the same
box. Hugh the Intwood and Treebeard are
legitimately always paired together.
I don't man I don't I've had enough of
it. So Born Upon a Wind Surge is 10
bucks. That is not bad. But what I'm
looking for is this poster behind it. So
one thing I've noticed is that when I
have an uncommon in this slot with one
more slot behind it, it means it's a
poster. So I just need this to be
serialized.
And we can all smile. We can all smile
ear to ear.
Holy [ __ ] I actually thought I hit
serialized.
I actually thought I hit serialized. I
Oh my god,
that's still okay. It's still a really
good poster. I really thought it was
serialized.
Wow. Wait, this is a Whoa. This is still
Whoa. I thought this was like a hundred
bucks. This is 350
poster foil. 350.
I genuinely thought we just hit
serialized off rip.
Still very very very very good. Still
very very very very good. Let me get a
sleeve on that puppy. I'm I'm happy that
gives me a slight smile.
Not big time cheesing, but smiling.
We got the Aragorn.
Wait, we looked this one up last time.
It actually wasn't that huge, I don't
think. Oh, there's the Loath though.
Hey, that when I said this guy's
definitely nothing. He is something. He
is something. He's pretty good.
Definitely not bad.
Oh, wait, wait, wait. We're going back
to back on posters. Back to back on
posters.
I think this one has to be uh nonfoil as
well. I'm pretty sure. Nope. It's foil.
It's Gandalf.
I thought I'm not gonna lie. I thought
for a second right here was serialized.
Oh, that's nice though. That's big.
That's big. That's one of the That's one
of the better ones.
Oh, that's nice.
Having a hard time typing.
Okay, there we go.
Oh yeah, this one's chunky. This one is
very chunky.
Oh my god, bro. Near mint foil for
Gandalf is 515. 514, excuse me. 514 for
the Gandalf the white poster foil.
This This is our juiciest box yet.
Somehow we keep getting juicier boxes,
bro. We keep getting juicier boxes.
Let's go. Let's [ __ ] go,
bro. Never mind. We're early game comp.
Another Tommy Bammy
poster foil. Bro, we're cooking. We're
kind of cooking.
It is unfortunate
because I've already pulled this card
before. Holy though. Wait, the price on
it the price on it's gone astronomically
up since the last time I hit this.
It's 440 bucks now. It's a dollar.
Shouldn't have I shouldn't have looked.
We've hit this a thousand times. We've
hit this a thousand times. We've hit
this a thousand.
New poster. Witch king.
We got the witch king.
Not boiled though. [ __ ] my tight little
[ __ ] ass. Dude, this could have been
huge.
Still a great one. Would have loved
loved if this was serialized or foil,
but even nonfoil.
$300.
Oh, $40 for this version. That's kind of
surprising. I thought it would still be
like a ton like the other.
I was not expecting another poster.
We have hit this one before, but I don't
think
it was foil last time. Watcher in the
water foil $80,
I think. Let me double check. No. Watch
her in the water foil $172. I don't know
why I thought it was 80. It looked like
it said 80, but that one was just
normal.
Wow.
We are cooking.
>> I'm kind of feeling this one.
>> All right. I'm excited.
>> Kind of feeling this one. energy. Okay,
so I think it's three.
>> Three.
>> Yeah, I think so. What? Gio, dude.
>> Mhm.
>> Oh.
Oh my [ __ ]
>> That's That's actually unbelievable.
That's actually unbelievable. That's
unbelievable.
>> Oh my god.
>> Way.
>> Oh my god. What' I say?
>> You actually [ __ ] said it. You
actually [ __ ] said it.
>> Oh my god.
>> Oh my god.
>> All right. All right. What are we
looking at? What are we looking at?
>> Come on. Look. I look. They're beautiful
cards. They're great cards. How do you
>> OH MY GOD.
>> OH MY GOD.
>> OH MY GOD.
OH, WHAT THE [ __ ]
>> Oh my god.
>> 150 on that.
>> That's not quite as good, but man, it's
beautiful.
>> What the [ __ ] bro?
>> My bones, man.
>> Dude, that's sick.
>> OH, THAT'S
>> GODAMN YOU, KYLE. WHAT THE [ __ ] BRO?
OKAY. OKAY. PLEASE. Three for four.
Three for four. Three for four. Come on.
>> Oh, wait. I think I see I think I see
something.
>> Oh my god. Do it.
>> I think I see something.
>> Do it.
>> No, that's still
>> It's still It's not bad. It's not bad.
>> I thought it was I thought it was I was
>> THAT'S YES. YES. It's still good. It's
still good.
>> That's not bad.
>> Oh, it's just Yeah, it's just a what it
could have been.
>> Yeah, the near mint is still 80 bucks.
>> You just cooked so hard on those packs.
>> Three out of four with juice. That's
crazy.
>> Good idea.
>> I need to end the dry spell here. Come
on,
>> Kyle. We need you now, brother.
>> Come on.
>> We need you now.
>> Change the winds, man. Come on.
>> Bring that Bring that down a little bit.
Bring it down. Bring it down. Bring it
down. Bring it down.
>> Oh my god. That's [ __ ] crazy.
>> There's no way,
>> dude.
No way.
>> I wish it was I wish it was a different
one, but that is a beautiful hit.
>> No, you take them.
>> We take those.
>> Juiced. They are so juiced.
>> And Chansy. Oh boy, guys.
>> Show no fear. Show no fear. I think I've
been I think I've been had they've
they've played me like a fiddle.
>> Unless
>> Unless
>> Unless obviously
>> nothing yet.
>> Unless
>> Unless Unless Unless
>> Wait, playing with a reef blower.
>> Let's just have a little bit of
>> Mhm.
>> Oh, nice and slow. Nice and then fast.
>> We pick up THE SPEED.
>> OH, WAIT. JESUS.
>> I WENT TOO FAST. I WENT TOO FAST. I
DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED.
>> DUDE, YOU GOT THE BLASTOISE,
>> DUDE. LISTEN, I just I could I told you
it was just talking to me. Talking to
me.
>> That was a good good technique.
>> No, nothing in there.
>> Get in there.
>> I've not done well with the ones yet.
Yet
yet.
>> Yet.
>> Yet.
>> YET.
>> OH my god. No way.
>> Oh my god.
>> I looked AWAY FOR ONE SECOND. THAT'S ALL
I DID. MY GOD. IT'S FAST. WHAT?