The Pokemon TCG's next expansion, Mega Evolution: Pitch Black, arrives on July 17th, and you don't have to wait for it. Pre-release events kicked off at participating Play! Pokemon stores on July 4th and will run through July 12th, which means this weekend is your last chance to play the new cards before the set officially releases!
The Pokemon Company's official announcement puts the set at over 115 cards, with more than 20 Trainer cards and over 35 special illustration cards in the mix. PokeBeach's set guide counts 120 cards in all, which makes Pitch Black the smallest set of the Mega Evolution block so far, with a base set of just 81 cards before the secret rares begin.
But, don't let the size fool you. Mega Darkrai ex, Mega Zeraora ex, Mega Chandelure ex, and Mega Excadrill ex headline the expansion, the Mega Evolution ex cards feature etched artwork, and Mega Darkrai ex also gets a Mega Hyper Rare. Expect the Mega Darkrai ex special illustration rare to be the card everyone is hunting once packs hit shelves.
How The Pre-releases Work
Pre-releases are built around the Build & Battle Box. According to Pokemon.com, each box comes with four Pitch Black booster packs, a 40-card ready-to-play deck, and one of four foil promo cards: Miraidon, Slowbro, Dhelmise, or Bastiodon. Games use a 40-card deck with four Prize cards set aside instead of the standard 60-card, six-Prize setup, so matches are quick and beginner-friendly.
If you've been looking for an easy way into the Pokemon TCG, this is it! The promo you pull will shape your whole deck. Pokemon.com highlights Slowbro's 210-damage ceiling, Miraidon's speedy Thunder attack, and Bastiodon's defensive Ancient Bulwark Ability, so no two boxes play the same way. You can find participating stores through the event locator on the official Pokemon website.
The Product Lineup And The Store Exclusives
PokeBeach's product breakdown lists booster boxes, Elite Trainer Boxes, six-pack booster bundles, single booster packs, and checklane blisters, plus premium Pokemon Center variants of select products, all arriving on July 17th.
There are also three retailer-exclusive promo cards to track down, and PokeBeach has the full breakdown. Primarina is the gift-with-purchase card at Hot Topic, Barnes & Noble, and BoxLunch. Zarude is exclusive to GameStop, and Armarouge belongs to Best Buy. Each one requires spending $15 or more on Pokemon TCG products at that retailer, and instead of a store stamp, all three carry the TCG's 30th anniversary "What's Your Favorite?" logo.
Those exclusives deserve a closer look given the year Pokemon is having. The TCG's 30th anniversary has demand at a fever pitch, and the scalping has followed. We recently covered GameStop gouging Pokemon's 30th anniversary cards, and store-exclusive promos tied to a spend threshold are a prime target for resellers on day one. If one of these three cards is on your list, you'll want to pick it up early.
Pitch Black is the fifth English Mega Evolution expansion, and PokeBeach notes it's a near one-to-one adaptation of Abyss Eye, the Japanese set that released back in May. The block has been rolling out at a steady clip since it took over from the Scarlet & Violet era, and the Mega mechanic itself is a throwback: Mega Evolution debuted in 2013's Pokemon X and Y before the TCG built this whole block around it.
It's all happening in the middle of the franchise's 30th anniversary celebration, too. We already covered the upcoming 30th Celebration set that puts a Pikachu in every single pack, so collectors have a stacked back half of 2026 ahead of them.
Here's a little Pokemon trivia for you: the set name is a nod to its cover star. Darkrai's official species category has been the Pitch-Black Pokemon ever since the mythical debuted in 2007's Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, and it headlined the tenth Pokemon movie, The Rise of Darkrai, shortly after. Nearly twenty years later, Darkrai remains a fan favorite, and it finally gets a set named after it!
Are you playing a pre-release before the window closes this weekend? Which card is at the top of your list? Sound off in the comments below!
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