Pokémon TCG's New ex★ Series: Mega Rayquaza, Z Mega Evolution, and What Collectors Should Chase
At the 2026 Pokémon World Championships in San Francisco — held at the Chase Center over August 28–31, 2026 — The Pokémon Company unveiled the next escalation of the trading card game's Mega Evolution era: a brand-new series branded ex★, and the debut of Z Mega Evolution cards. For collectors who have spent 2026 chasing Mega-form pulls, this is the roadmap for what to hunt next.
The announcements landed alongside the inaugural PokémonXP fan festival, and they stretch across the whole franchise — the card game, the Pokémon Champions video game, Pokémon GO, and the mobile app Pokémon TCG Pocket. Here is what was confirmed and why it matters for anyone building a Pokémon collection.
The ex★ series and its Mega chase cards
The headline for card collectors is the newly revealed ex★ series. According to reporting from the event, the line will introduce a run of "Mega attack rare" cards — the high-rarity, full-art style pulls that tend to become the most sought-after cards in any set. The Mega forms named for the series include Mega Rayquaza ex, Mega Darkrai ex, Mega Greninja ex, and Mega Zygarde ex, with the legendary trio of Raikou, Entei, and Suicune also joining the ex★ Series.
The event also marked the debut of Z Mega Evolution in the TCG, first shown through Mega Lucario Z ex. It is a new mechanic wrapper on an old favorite — and historically, whenever a fresh Mega mechanic enters the card game, its earliest chase cards become the ones collectors kick themselves for not grabbing early.
Mega momentum across the whole franchise
The card reveals did not happen in isolation. The Pokémon Champions battle game is getting a Z Mega Evolution update on September 9, 2026, adding Mega Lucario Z, Mega Garchomp Z, and Mega Absol Z, alongside Baxcalibur and Rillaboom. Pokémon GO is expanding Mega battling with a third Charged Attack for Mega-Evolved Pokémon and wider access in the GO Battle League. And Pokémon TCG Pocket confirmed that dual-type Pokémon arrive beginning October 2026.
For a collector, this franchise-wide Mega push matters because it keeps demand — and visibility — high for Mega-themed merchandise well beyond the cards themselves. When a mechanic is everywhere at once, the figures, sealed product, and prize items tied to those Pokémon tend to move fast.
What this means for collectors
A few practical takeaways as the ex★ series rolls out:
- Watch the Mega attack rares. Cards like Mega Rayquaza ex are exactly the kind of pull that defines a set's secondary-market value. If you open sealed product, these are the ones to protect in sleeves immediately.
- Sealed product is the safer long-term hold. Booster boxes and expansion packs from a hyped Mega-era series historically hold interest better than loose commons.
- Think display, not just binder. Mega forms — Rayquaza, Zygarde, Greninja — are among the most dramatic designs in the franchise, which is part of why they translate so well to figures and prize collectibles too.
Start (or grow) your Pokémon collection
If the new Mega wave has you wanting to build out a Pokémon shelf, Akibato ships Japanese Pokémon collectibles worldwide. Browse the Pokémon TCG collection at Akibato for sealed Japanese card products to ride the Mega era. One handy tip for international buyers: Akibato charges shipping by total parcel weight rather than per item, so a booster box and a few smaller extras can travel together for the same delivery cost as a single pack — worth keeping in mind when you build a cart.
Sources
- ComicBook — Every Major Pokemon Announcement From the 2026 World Championships
- Bleeding Cool — Pokémon Drops Multiple Game Updates at 2026 World Championships
- Screen Rant — Pokémon Worlds 2026 Closing Recap: All The Massive Announcements
- The Pokémon Company — Pokémon Celebrates 30 Years with New Announcements at PokémonXP and the 2026 World Championships