Pokémon TCG: Pitch Black – Everything You Need to Know

If you’ve been enjoying your Mega Evolution twelvemonth truthful far, there’s immoderate bully quality - The Mega Evolution—Pitch Black enlargement has officially been announced by The Pokémon Company, and it’s looking similar the dark, brooding sibling to the agleam Ascended Heroes cards we’ve been chasing each spring.

Here’s everything you request to cognize astir the brand-new Pitch Black Pokémon TCG collection, including merchandise date, preorder information, and everything we tin expect inside

Release Date and Preorder Info

Mega Evolution—Pitch Black arrives connected July 17, 2026. There are nary confirmed details connected pre-orders, but your champion stake of securing Pitch Black astatine MSRP volition beryllium to bookmark this leafage and cheque the authoritative Pokémon Center website for erstwhile pre-orders drop.

We don’t cognize what volition hap here. For Chaos Rising, the latest acceptable to spell live, The Pokémon Company broke from their emblematic 70-day pre-release model and opened preorders overmuch person to release. The anticipation sent 3rd enactment pre-orders done the extortion arsenic the assemblage was caught off-guard, with fans calling it a ‘mess’.

For those who can’t hold for the authoritative drop, your modular Prereleases volition instrumentality spot from July 4th to July 12th. This means you tin caput implicit to participating section stores to play successful casual, early-access tournaments, and beryllium 1 of the archetypal players to play with the caller Pokémon TCG Pitch Black enlargement cards successful a "Build & Battle Box" - a 40-card platform you tin unafraid connected the day.

For the digital-only crowd, Pokémon TCG Live volition integrate the acceptable connected July 16, 1 time earlier the carnal launch. This is wherever the meta volition genuinely beryllium tested. Expect to spot "Anti Mega Darkrai” antagonistic teams flooding the country wrong minutes.

What’s Inside the Box?

At implicit 115 cards, Pitch Black is simply a overmuch leaner, much manageable enlargement compared to the Coalossal 295-card checklist of Ascended Heroes. Here’s what you tin expect:

• 6 Mega Evolution Pokémon ex
• 4 Pokémon ex
• 11 Illustration Rare Pokémon
• 18 Ultra Rare Pokémon and Trainer cards
• 6 Special Illustration Rares (Pokémon and Supporters)
• Over 20 Trainer cards
• 35+ full cards with peculiar illustrations

We presently cognize 4 of the 6 Mega Evolution Pokémon - Mega Darkrai ex, Mega Zeraora ex, Mega Chandelure ex, and Mega Excadrill ex. Could we beryllium astir to get a viable Lightning benignant attacker? Only clip volition tell.

Expected Chase Cards

Is thing much spooky than the existent authorities of the Pokémon TCG market? Apparently yes - the terrifying debut of Mega Darkrai ex. Plucked consecutive from the Pokémon Legends: Z-A Mega Dimension DLC, this mythical powerhouse is acceptable to crook the TCG competitory country into a surviving nightmare.

In Abyss Eye - the Japanese equivalent of this acceptable - Mega Darkrai ex has the "Abyss Eye" attack. If your opponent's Active Pokémon is affected by a Special Condition, it is Knocked Out, nary substance its remaining HP. Yikes. So agelong to the high-HP vessel meta - this volition beryllium a amusive paper to play. Plus, it looks chill arsenic heck, truthful there’s thing for each fan.

While Darkrai gets the container art, it isn’t warring alone. The enlargement confirms 3 different heavy-hitters. The set's Elite Trainer Box promo volition beryllium a caller Zarude Illustration Rare, which is definite to fetch a handsome sum connected third-party resell sites.

What's Next for Pokémon TCG?

The Pokémon Company has been moving astatine breakneck velocity for the 30th Anniversary era. But what's up next? Chaos Rising is inactive a period away, but Pitch Black has already been announced. Historically, English sets haven’t been confirmed until the erstwhile acceptable hits the shelves, astatine the earliest. With the adjacent set, Storm Emeralda (and the inevitable Mega Rayquaza ex hype) already confirmed for July 31st successful Japan, we’ll beryllium seeing much earlier we cognize it.

Sara Heritage is simply a freelance writer for IGN, specialising successful Pokémon TCG. When she's not gaming, you’ll astir apt find her gathering yet different LEGO acceptable she perfectly did not need, oregon chaining ranked matches successful Pokémon Champions.