Pokémon fans line up at Best Buy in Taylor for 30th Celebration trading card collection

Pokémon fans camped out overnight and lined up before sunrise on Friday outside a Taylor Best Buy, hoping to get their hands on one of the most anticipated trading card releases of the year.

The new Pokémon Trading Card Game 30th Celebration Ultra-Premium Collection officially hit store shelves, drawing collectors from across Michigan and even neighboring states. Some fans arrived more than 24 hours before doors opened.

"I got a bunch of chairs, a tent, card table with cards and a canopy heater, and it works really good," said Keith Gregory, who camped outside with his family while waiting for the store to open.

The special anniversary set comes in two versions, Day and Night, and retails for about $180. Each collection includes 29 booster packs, exclusive promo cards, a special Classic Collection pack and themed collector accessories.

"We just had to make sure we came to come get it," another collector said. "I'm just ready to rip it, to be honest. I'm ready to rip it."

Video taken around 7:30 a.m., about an hour and a half before opening, showed dozens of people waiting in line. According to workers, the Taylor Best Buy received approximately 1,000 boxes for release day.

Among those waiting was Donovan Thorn, who said he spent a full day outside the store before becoming the first customer through the doors.

"I got here at 8:30 in the morning yesterday (Thursday)," Thorn said. "I have seen pretty much every attitude, every everything out here tonight. It's just been a great journey, that's for sure."

Others traveled long distances for a chance to purchase the collection. Ryan Jones drove from Toledo after learning his local Best Buy would not be carrying the product.

"We brought baseball gloves, and we threw around the ball for a minute. We brought a football, threw that around, just chatted up with other people," Jones said.

For many collectors, the experience became just as memorable as the cards themselves, with strangers bonding over a shared hobby while waiting in line.

By the time the morning rush ended, however, the sought-after boxes were gone. A Best Buy employee told CBS News Detroit the Pokémon 30th Celebration Ultra-Premium Collections had sold out.

The release marks one of the biggest Pokémon Trading Card Game launches of the year, with some boxes already listed online for hundreds of dollars above their retail price.