If you’ve been tracking the Mega Evolution TCG series, this weekend is the moment to mark on your calendar. Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution—Pitch Black, the fifth set in the Mega Evolution run, begins prerelease events at participating Play! Pokémon retailers this Friday, July 4 — two weeks ahead of its full global launch on July 17, 2026.
What Is Pitch Black
Pitch Black is a dark-themed expansion built around the Mega Dimension content from Pokémon Legends: Z-A, and the set name is not subtle about its direction. Where earlier Mega Evolution sets spread the spotlight across multiple type identities, ME5 leans hard into shadow and sinister aesthetics — Mega Darkrai ex is the face of this expansion, and everything from the booster pack art to the colour palette reflects that.
The set ships with over 115 cards in total, including more than 35 cards with special illustration variants and over 20 Trainer cards. Its Japanese counterpart, Abyss Eye (アビスアイ), launched in Japan on May 22, which means Japanese players have had about six weeks of competitive data — useful context if you’re heading to a prerelease tournament this weekend.
The Four Headlining Mega ex
Four Mega ex Pokémon anchor the expansion’s product line, each with its own booster pack artwork:
- Mega Darkrai ex — the face of the set, and from Japanese Abyss Eye coverage, it arrives with 280 HP and a hit-hard moveset that fits the expansion’s aggressive tone
- Mega Zeraora ex — a Lightning-type Mythical that pairs with Darkrai’s Darkness for what should be an interesting type-coverage combination in Standard
- Mega Chandelure ex — the Ghost/Fire Pokémon from Unova gets the Mega treatment, with the eerie candle aesthetic fitting perfectly in a Pitch Black set
- Mega Excadrill ex — the Ground/Steel Pokémon rounds out the headliners, giving the set broader type coverage
Beyond the main four, Bulbapedia’s set list also confirms Mega Slowbro ex, Wailord ex, and Morpeko ex among the expansion’s notable cards.
Products at Launch
The standard product lineup for Pitch Black includes individual booster packs (10 cards + 1 Basic Energy + 1 Pokémon TCG Live code), six-pack Booster Bundles, and a 36-pack Booster Display Box. Pokémon Center also has an Elite Trainer Box exclusive. For this weekend’s prerelease events, participating stores will be selling the Build & Battle Box early — as confirmed by Pokémon.com — which gives players a sealed pool to build from for the event format.
Dates for Singapore Players
Prerelease events: July 4–6 at participating Play! Pokémon retailers. Check with your local store to confirm they’re running events this weekend — not every retailer holds prereleases, but Singapore’s Play! Pokémon community is well-represented across the island.
Digital play: July 16 in Pokémon TCG Live — the day before physical launch.
Full retail launch: July 17 — Pokémon Center (global) and local stockists.
For the latest on Pitch Black’s Singapore prerelease scene and any local tournament announcements, keep an eye on our Game News section and the official Pitch Black expansion page on Pokémon.com.