Pokémon Pitch Black Set Guide: 120 Cards & 6 Awesome Mega ex
Mega Darkrai ex, Mega Zeraora ex and four more Megas: our guide to the 120-card Pitch Black set, its Japanese roots and its rarities.
In this guide 8 sections
Pokémon Pitch Black is the fifth main expansion of the Mega Evolution series, and it lives up to its name. Released on 17 July 2026, its 120 cards put Mega Darkrai ex front and centre, surround it with five more Mega Pokémon ex and adapt their line-up from the Japanese set Abyss Eye. This guide covers what the set contains, how its rarities stack up and which sealed products suit different kinds of collectors.
The official set description paints the scene well: twinkling city lights and a starry sky disappear into darkness as Mega Darkrai ex arrives. Underneath that theme, Pokémon Pitch Black is built around two headline Megas, Mega Darkrai ex and Mega Zeraora ex, with a fossil sub-theme and a deep Supporter line-up. Everything below comes from the official card list, The Pokémon Company’s announcements and the Japanese source set.
Pokémon Pitch Black at a glance
- Release date: 17 July 2026, with prerelease events from 4 July 2026 and the set arriving in Pokémon TCG Live on 16 July 2026
- Size: 120 cards, made up of an 84-card main set plus 36 secret rares
- Set code: ME05
- Japanese source: Abyss Eye, released in Japan on 22 May 2026
- Headliners: six Mega Pokémon ex and four other Pokémon ex
- Secret rares: 11 illustration rares, 18 ultra rares, six special illustration rares and one Mega Hyper Rare
- Regulation mark: J on every card
The main set follows the usual type order, and Psychic (13 cards) and Darkness (12 cards) are the two biggest groups. That suits a set full of shadowy, ghostly Pokémon such as Chandelure, Banette, Spiritomb and Mabosstiff. After the Pokémon come 11 Trainer cards and two Special Energy cards, Shadowy Darkness Energy and Voltaic Lightning Energy.
The six Mega Pokémon ex in Pokémon Pitch Black
Mega Pokémon ex are the defining cards of the series. They have high HP and powerful attacks, but your opponent takes three Prize cards when one is Knocked Out. Pokémon Pitch Black has six of them, and two are Basic Pokémon, so they can be played straight onto the Bench without evolving from anything.
Mega Darkrai ex takes the spotlight
The face of the set is a Basic Darkness-type Mega Darkrai ex (#48). The official Japanese Abyss Eye site highlights its standout trick: it can Knock Out the opponent’s Active Pokémon regardless of its remaining HP, as long as that Pokémon is affected by a Special Condition. Collectors get four versions in the English set: the double rare, an ultra rare (#101), a special illustration rare by AKIRA EGAWA (#116) and the Mega Hyper Rare that closes the list at #120.
Mega Zeraora ex and the supporting Megas
Mega Zeraora ex (#27), a Basic Lightning-type Mega, shares top billing with Darkrai and also gets an ultra rare and a special illustration rare by GIDORA (#114). The other four Megas fill out the roster:
- Mega Chandelure ex (#38): a Stage 2 Psychic-type Mega with ultra rare and special illustration rare versions
- Mega Excadrill ex (#65): a Stage 1 Metal-type Mega illustrated by Keisuke Azuma, plus an ultra rare
- Mega Delphox ex (#8): the set’s Stage 2 Fire-type Mega
- Mega Slowbro ex (#31): a Stage 1 Psychic-type Mega
Mega Delphox ex and Mega Slowbro ex appear only as double rares in Pokémon Pitch Black, which makes them two of the easier Megas to tick off. Every numbered card in Pokémon Pitch Black is listed in our Pitch Black card list, and our Mega Evolution explainer covers how the mechanic works across the whole series.
Pokémon ex, fossils and the Trainer line-up
Four regular Pokémon ex round out the big hitters: Lurantis ex, Wailord ex, Rampardos ex and Morpeko ex. Morpeko ex is the one to watch if you like premium artwork, because it is the only non-Mega Pokémon ex in the set with a special illustration rare (#117).
There is also a clear fossil sub-theme in Pokémon Pitch Black. The Antique Armor Fossil and Antique Skull Fossil Items sit alongside the Fossil Quarry Stadium, Shieldon and Bastiodon, and Cranidos and Rampardos ex, so fans of fossil Pokémon have a small family of cards to build around.
Supporters, Tools and Energy to know
- Supporters: Gladion’s Final Battle, Gwynn, Jett, Misty’s Vitality and Rust Syndicate Grunt
- Pokémon Tools: Backtrack Badge and Tremendous Bomb
- Items and Stadium: Dark Bell, the two Antique Fossils and Fossil Quarry
- Special Energy: Shadowy Darkness Energy and Voltaic Lightning Energy
Gladion’s Final Battle and Gwynn each get a full-art ultra rare and a special illustration rare, so they are the two Supporters with the most premium versions. Four more Trainers, Brave Bangle, Crushing Hammer, Energy Switch and Iron Defender, appear only as full-art ultra rares in Pokémon Pitch Black.
From Abyss Eye to Pokémon Pitch Black
Pokémon Pitch Black adapts the Japanese expansion Abyss Eye, which went on sale in Japan on 22 May 2026, just under two months before the English release. The official Japanese product page lists five cards per pack, and a Japanese booster box holds 30 packs. You can see the set’s key cards on the official Pokémon Card Game site for Abyss Eye (in Japanese).
The two sets are not identical. Abyss Eye has an 81-card main set, while the English version runs to 84 main-set cards. Not every Japanese card lands in English packs in the same form, either: the full-art Zarude illustration rare from Abyss Eye (090/081), drawn by IKEDA Saki, became the promo in the English Elite Trainer Box instead.
English or Japanese packs?
English Pokémon Pitch Black booster packs contain 10 cards plus a Basic Energy, and a booster box holds 36 packs. Japanese Abyss Eye packs are smaller at five cards each. If you play in English-language events, English cards are the practical choice; if you love Japanese printing and packaging, the Japanese MEGA Abyss Eye M5 Booster Box is the matching option.
How the Pokémon Pitch Black rarities work
The 84 main-set cards break down into 37 commons, 26 uncommons, 11 rares and 10 double rares. Every card at Rare and below also comes as a reverse holofoil, so a complete master set is a lot bigger than the 120 numbered cards.
Above the main set, the 36 secret rares climb in this order:
- Illustration rares (#85–#95): 11 Pokémon with full-art illustrations, from Fomantis to Silvally
- Ultra rares (#96–#113): eight full-art Pokémon ex and 10 full-art Trainers
- Special illustration rares (#114–#119): Mega Zeraora ex, Mega Chandelure ex, Mega Darkrai ex, Morpeko ex, Gladion’s Final Battle and Gwynn
- Mega Hyper Rare (#120): Mega Darkrai ex, the final card in the set
The rarity counts match The Pokémon Company’s own announcement of 11 illustration rares, 18 ultra rares and six special illustration rares, and Bulbapedia’s Pitch Black page confirms the reverse holofoil coverage.
Which Pokémon Pitch Black products suit you?
Pokémon Pitch Black launched with booster packs, Elite Trainer Boxes, a booster box, a Booster Bundle, a Build & Battle Box and several blister packs. These are the three main options we cover:
- Pitch Black Booster Box: 36 packs, a good fit for set builders and group openings
- Pitch Black Elite Trainer Box: nine packs, the full-art Zarude promo and a kit of accessories, explained in our Pitch Black ETB guide
- Japanese MEGA Abyss Eye M5 Booster Box: 30 five-card packs of the Japanese source set
Weighing up boxes from across the era? Our Mega Evolutions booster box comparison lines up every English and Japanese box side by side.
Shop the range
Whether you are drawn to Mega Darkrai ex, chasing the fossil cards or simply love a moody set, Pokémon Pitch Black has plenty to explore. Browse the wider Pokémon TCG range for more Mega Evolution era sets.
Pokémon Pitch Black FAQs
When was Pokémon Pitch Black released?
Pokémon Pitch Black was released on 17 July 2026. Prerelease events at participating stores began on 4 July 2026, and the set reached Pokémon TCG Live on 16 July 2026.
How many cards are in Pokémon Pitch Black?
There are 120 cards: an 84-card main set plus 36 secret rares (11 illustration rares, 18 ultra rares, six special illustration rares and one Mega Hyper Rare).
Which Japanese set is Pokémon Pitch Black based on?
It is adapted from the Japanese expansion Abyss Eye, released in Japan on 22 May 2026. Abyss Eye packs contain five cards, compared with 10 cards plus a Basic Energy in English packs.
Which Mega Pokémon ex are in Pokémon Pitch Black?
Six: Mega Darkrai ex, Mega Zeraora ex, Mega Chandelure ex, Mega Excadrill ex, Mega Delphox ex and Mega Slowbro ex. Each gives up three Prize cards when Knocked Out.
What is the last card in the set?
Card #120 is the Mega Hyper Rare Mega Darkrai ex, the top rarity tier of the set. Mega Darkrai ex also has a special illustration rare at #116.
