What Is the hololive Card Game? Best Boxes & Where to Buy in the UAE

Quick answer: what is the hololive card game?

The hololive OFFICIAL CARD GAME (often shortened to hOCG) is the official trading card game based on hololive production VTubers. It is planned and developed in-house by COVER Corporation, with Bushiroad supporting sales and event operations. The game launched in Japan in September 2024, and the English edition followed on 11 July 2025 with Blooming Radiance and the Tokino Sora & AZKi Start Deck. As of July 2026 there are six released English booster sets, from Blooming Radiance through the newest, Ayakashi Vermilion — with more already announced for late 2026. In the UAE, PlayVault stocks sealed English booster boxes — recently around Dhs. 290–299 per box when in stock — which makes hololive one of the cheapest ways to start collecting a TCG compared with English Pokémon or One Piece boxes.

• Completely new to the game? A Start Deck is the easiest way to learn the rules; a sealed booster box is the better buy if you mainly want to collect and open packs.
• Want a box in the UAE today? PlayVault's practical entry points are Elite Spark (hBP03) and Curious Universe (hBP04), when in stock.
• Collecting a favourite holomem? Check the set table below — hololive is character-driven, so the best box is usually the one that actually features your oshi.
• Chasing the newest cards? Enchant Regalia and Ayakashi Vermilion are the latest released English boosters, and Summer hologram and Diva Fever are already announced for later in 2026.

Every English hololive set at a glance (July 2026)

Availability moves quickly — the hololive collection page is always the live answer, not an old blog note.

Announced English hololive products coming later in 2026

Further Start Deck products are also listed on the official English product page, so the English line is clearly being supported through 2026 and beyond.

How does the hololive card game actually play?

You play as a producer supporting your favourite hololive talents (holomem) on stage. A legal setup uses one separate Oshi holomem card, a 50-card main deck of holomem and support cards, and a 20-card cheer deck. Your Oshi stays outside the main deck on the field all game and carries a unique Oshi Skill plus a once-per-game SP Oshi Skill.

Each turn you draw from your main deck, reveal a cheer card from the cheer deck and attach it to a holomem on your stage; cheers are the resource that lets holomem use their Arts. The signature mechanic is Bloom: holomem enter as Debut-level cards and level up into stronger 1st and 2nd Bloom versions of the same talent while keeping everything attached to them. You win by knocking your opponent's Life to zero, clearing all non-Oshi holomem from their stage, or leaving them unable to draw at the start of their turn. If you have played Pokémon TCG, the rhythm feels familiar — attach resources, build attackers, knock out opposing cards — but themed around managing a performance stage for your Oshi. New to terms like OSR or chase cards? Our TCG Glossary covers them.

Which hololive booster box should you buy first in the UAE?

If both of PlayVault's stocked sets are available at close pricing, Curious Universe (hBP04) is the cleaner first pick — it is newer and gives you a more recent English card pool. If you simply want the cheapest sealed English box to rip, Elite Spark (hBP03) is a full 12-pack box for less than a third of what most English Pokémon or One Piece boxes cost.

The honest tiebreaker is not age or hype — it is the card list. hololive is built around talents and generations, so before you order, check which set actually contains the holomem you care about. A cheaper box that misses your oshi is a worse buy than a slightly pricier box that includes them.

• Best budget rip: Elite Spark, when it is meaningfully cheaper.
• Best stocked first box: Curious Universe, when the gap is only a few dirhams.
• Best newest-card chase: Ayakashi Vermilion, once regional availability improves.
• Best way to learn to play: a Start Deck, not a random booster box.

How much do hololive cards cost in the UAE?

Recent PlayVault pricing for English hololive booster boxes has been around Dhs. 290–299, which comfortably clears the free-UAE-shipping threshold of Dhs. 200 — so a box ships free anywhere in the UAE. For GCC buyers, shipping is a flat Dhs. 65 and free over Dhs. 1,500. For context, most English Pokémon and One Piece booster boxes at PlayVault run from around Dhs. 900 upward, and even Japanese Pokémon boxes are typically Dhs. 400–850 — hololive is one of the cheapest full-box experiences in licensed TCGs right now.

That low entry price does not automatically make hololive an investment product. The regional singles market is young and liquidity is thinner than Pokémon or One Piece, so treat a box as entertainment, collecting and fandom rather than a value play. Our honest guide on whether sealed booster boxes hold value explains why established games and young games behave so differently once sets go out of print.

Are the newest hololive sets available in the UAE?

Enchant Regalia (hBP05, April 2026) and Ayakashi Vermilion (hBP06, June 2026) have released internationally in English, but UAE and GCC availability can lag behind official street dates. PlayVault's hololive range currently focuses on practical, affordable English booster boxes rather than carrying every release at launch, and the range rotates with demand — check the collection page for the current lineup. Importing the newest sets yourself usually means international shipping fees and customs handling on top of the sticker price, which can erase the saving on a Dhs. 300-class box very quickly.

Is hololive worth collecting?

As a fan product, yes: the art is strong, the cards are tied to one of the most engaged fanbases in entertainment, and sealed box prices are low enough that collecting doesn't demand Pokémon-level budgets. As a competitive scene in the Gulf, it is early days — expect casual collectors, online communities and small community play before regular major local events. The smart position is simple: buy hololive because you like hololive, not because you expect it to behave like vintage Pokémon. If you enjoy getting into young TCGs early, it sits nicely alongside Union Arena, Naruto Mythos, Dragon Ball Fusion World and Sorcery: Contested Realm as an affordable side collection.

Frequently asked questions

Is the hololive card game available in English?

Yes. The English edition launched on 11 July 2025 with Blooming Radiance and the Tokino Sora & AZKi Start Deck. Six English booster sets have released so far, through Ayakashi Vermilion on 19 June 2026.

What is the newest English hololive booster set?

As of July 2026, the newest released English booster set is hBP06 Ayakashi Vermilion. The next announced booster-style product is the Summer hologram extra booster on 25 September 2026, with Diva Fever (hBP07) listed for 20 November 2026.

How many packs are in a hololive booster box?

English hololive booster boxes normally contain 12 packs with 8 cards per pack — roughly Dhs. 24–25 per pack at recent PlayVault box pricing. Always check the product page for extra boosters or special products.

Do I need a Start Deck to play?

It is strongly recommended — a Start Deck includes a ready-made 50-card deck, cheer deck and Oshi holomem card, so it is playable out of the box, and the new Oshi Advent and Oshi Justice Start Decks arrive in English on 24 July 2026. If your goal is collecting rather than playing, a sealed booster box is the better purchase.

Can I play the hololive card game competitively in the UAE?

Not in the same way as Pokémon, One Piece or Magic yet. Organized play for hololive in the Gulf is still very young and mostly casual and community-driven, so treat hololive as a collector and casual-play product unless a local tournament scene develops.

Should I buy hololive as an investment?

No. Some chase cards can be valuable, but the regional secondary market is young and liquidity is limited. Buy it because you like the talents, the art and sealed product — not because you expect resale profit.

Prices and availability were checked against live PlayVault listings in early July 2026 and change frequently; treat all figures as recent guide prices rather than quotes. Release dates for announced products come from the official hololive OFFICIAL CARD GAME English product pages and can change. PlayVault is an independent retailer and is not affiliated with COVER Corporation or Bushiroad.

More guides: this article is part of the PlayVault TCG Buying Guide Hub — UAE & GCC, covering Pokémon, One Piece, MTG, Dragon Ball and more.