Wave 4 amiibo Buying Guide – Ness, Greninja, Jigglypuff

Friday, May 29 is arguably the biggest Nintendo-themed day of 2015.  First there’s Splatoon for Wii U, a brand-new third person shooter that lets gamers create a huge mess.

Then we have amiibo, lots of them! Splatoon will receive a three-pack in the U.S. that includes Inkling Boy, Inkling Girl and the adorable green Squid. There will also be a silver Mario amiibo that complements the gold Mario released exclusively to Walmart earlier this year.

In addition, Nintendo will officially release all Wave 4 amiibo, a list that includes Ness, Charizard, Wario, Pac-Man, Robin, Lucina, Greninja and Jigglypuff.

Paying for them all is one thing, since it will cost an estimated $152 plus tax for the haul. Finding every single amiibo is a far more daunting task. Most will be available through retailers nationwide, while others are store exclusive and in limited supply. We also heard of Marth reprints, with a rather large amount at the official Nintendo World Store in NYC; they sold out.

What’s a Nintendo fan to do? Camp out several hours before their favorite store opens? Form an amiibo syndicate that allows a bunch of people to cover a wider area (not a bad idea)? Take their chances online? Decisions!

With this in mind, we’re here to help map out the best possible strategy by listing all of the May 29 amiibo. Prepare your wallet, because this will be a day long remembered!

Note: Most stores sell individual amiibo for $12.99. Toys R Us often sells them for $13.99, but advertises deals both in-store and online.

amiibo Shopping Tips

• If you plan to visit different retail stores, call ahead of time and ask about amiibo, including opportunities to pre-order, an estimated number of figures and the store policy. Can you buy all of the amiibo or is it one per customer? Best to know this ahead of time.
• If you pre-ordered, do not go to this store (or stores) first. Since pre-orders are guaranteed for at least 24 hours, go after one of the store exclusive amiibo you were unable to reserve, like Greninja (Toys R Us) and Jigglypuff (Target).
• Be in two or more places at once. Convince (bribe) friends to stand in line at multiple stores to give you a better chance at scoring all of the amiibo.
• Visit and immediately bookmark subreddit r/amiibo. Enthusiastic fans provide a steady stream of updates on store availability, while also posting images of their collections, custom amiibo and trade requests. We check r/amiibo every day. Hmm, longtime lurker is not as weird as it sounds, right?
• The Nintendo World Store in New York City will hold a midnight launch for all of these amiibo except Jigglypuff (available June 5 at 9AM AT) at midnight on May 29. If you head into the Big Apple, lines form at the store several hours in advance, and it’s common for these lines to have well over 100 people. Dress appropriately, go as early as possible and prepare to camp! Check the Nintendo World Store Twitter for more info, and call ahead to learn more about the midnight launch!
• Did you miss out on the amiibo you desperately wanted, but have the rest or even duplicates? If so, there’s bound to be a fellow collector willing to swap. Just be careful about how, when and where you do this. Safety first!

Splatoon Three-Pack ($34.99, available everywhere)

If you want the Green Squid (and all of us do), this bundle is the only way to get one outside of importing.  However, Inkling Boy and Inkling Girl will be sold separately for the regular amiibo price of $12.99.

Nintendo did a great job with the Inkling Boy and Inkling Girl. Their shiny exteriors are in stark contrast to the matte finish on most amiibo, and there are some cool details on these figures, including the remaining level of ink in their tanks. It’s too early to say how limited the three-pack will be, but if you intend to pick up Splatoon, add the amiibo and the official Prima guide to your collection. If these figures sell, perhaps Nintendo will create more based on other characters in the game.

We posted more pictures of the Splatoon amiibo so you can see each one up close.

Super Mario Series – Mario Silver Edition ($12.99, available everywhere) 

Whereas the Gold Mario Edition is Walmart exclusive, this long rumored silver amiibo will appear in different stores, presumably making it easier to find. We expect plenty of eBay users to sell both together for exorbitant prices.

Greninja ($13.99, Toys R Us exclusive)

TRU is no stranger to amiibo exclusives. Earlier in the year it was the only place to find Lucario, who was so much easier to pre-order before the amiibo phenomenon took off, when pre-order cards were in plentiful supply. If only the same could be said of Pokemon Greninja. There are no pre-order cards that we’ve seen, and aside from a brief online frenzy, you had to camp out at Toys R Us stores one morning for the mere chance of receiving the opportunity to reserve, and countless fans left empty handed.

Fortunately, rumors point to some Toys R Us locations receiving big supplies of Greninja, leading us to believe that as long as you show up in the early morning hours, you’ll walk away happy.

Ness ($12.99, GameStop exclusive)

We originally pre-ordered Ness at f.y.e. a few months ago, but were refunded when Nintendo announced this Earthbound and Super Smash Bros. star was exclusive to GameStop. The retail chain attempted to make the pre-order process easier by doing web-in-store, but the large number of shoppers trying to reserve Ness at the same time caused the website to chug.  Persistent shoppers achieved amiibo nirvana, while many more (us included) missed out. GameStop doesn’t know if there will be additional Ness amiibo to sell, making him one of the most sought after figures on May 29. We suggest calling different stores as soon as possible.

Jigglypuff ($12.99, Target exclusive)

Poor Jigglypuff is often the butt of jokes, but this Pokemon will have the final laugh on May 29 when throngs of amiibo collectors descend upon Targets nationwide. Considering Rosalina, another Target only amiibo, was somewhat difficult to find, we exercise caution with Jiggly. Of course, there’s always the chance there will be Jigglypuffs for everyone. We can see it now, a beautiful wall of pink!

Charizard ($12.99, available everywhere)

If thoughts of sold out Jigglypuffs fill you with anxiety, think of Charizard. We expect this fire type Pokemon to be readily available, and since he is one of the best-looking amiibo yet, you shouldn’t hesitate adding him to your collection.

Wario ($12.99, available everywhere)

The king of flatulence finally joins the amiibo lineup! If the rest of the Mario-themed amiibo are anything to go by, Wario will be one of the most common figures, but don’t let that prevent you from buying him. If you see Wario, buy Wario.

Pac-Man ($12.99, available everywhere)

This year marks Pac-Man’s 35th anniversary, and everyone should celebrate by playing the original arcade classic, and on May 29, buying this Pac-Man amiibo. The other third party Smash characters, Mega Man and Sonic, are easy to find, and we expect the same from Bandai Namco’s famous pellet-muncher.

Lucina ($12.99, available everywhere)

This is where things get hectic. Both Marth and Ike are near impossible to find in stores, and all signs point to the trend continuing with this Fire Emblem heroine.

Robin ($12.99, available everywhere)

You may need a bit of magic to find the other Fire Emblem amiibo, who like the other three is compatible with 3DS strategy adventure, Code Name S.T.E.A.M. Kudos if you manage to obtain all four Fire Emblem heroes!

Now let us know which Super Mario Bros. amiibo you prefer, the Super Smash Bros. or Mario Party 10 lineup. Then check out some of our favorite amiibo!