Mega Evolution

What Mega Evolution is

Mega Evolution is the first main expansion of the Mega Evolution Series, released globally on September 26, 2025 under the set code MEG. It has 132 cards in the numbered set plus 56 secret rares, for 188 cards in total. The set brought Mega Evolution back to the Pokémon TCG as Mega Evolution Pokémon ex, cards that follow the usual stage and evolution of the Pokémon they show, carry very high HP and devastating attacks, use a black and yellow ex symbol and give up three Prize cards when Knocked Out.

The checklist holds ten Mega Evolution Pokémon ex (Venusaur, Camerupt, Abomasnow, Manectric, Gardevoir, Lucario, Absol, Mawile, Latias and Kangaskhan) as Double rares, 22 Illustration rares, 22 Ultra rare full art Mega Evolution Pokémon ex and Trainer cards, ten Special illustration rares and two Mega Hyper Rares, Mega Gardevoir ex 187 and Mega Lucario ex 188. Grass is the most represented type at 25 cards, and the set carries 36 Trainer cards. Nearly every card carries the I regulation mark; two keep the older H mark.

Most of the cards come from the Japanese Mega Brave and Mega Symphonia expansions, with a few Trainer reprints first released in the Japanese Premium Trainer Box MEGA. The set also reintroduced Mirror Holofoil variants, last seen in the Black & White Series.

What makes Mega Evolution different

• Mega Evolution Pokémon ex Mega Lucario ex and Mega Gardevoir ex lead the ten Mega Evolution Pokémon ex, each appearing as a Double rare and an Ultra rare, six of them as Special illustration rares and the two mascots as Mega Hyper Rares. Three Prize cards on defeat is the trade for their power.
• Two Mega Hyper Rares 5ban Graphics' Mega Gardevoir ex 187 and Mega Lucario ex 188 introduced the Mega Hyper Rare, and Mega Lucario ex 188 is the most valuable pack pulled card in the set, with Mega Gardevoir ex 187 behind it.
• Full art Items, Tools and Stadiums Starting with this set, Item, Pokémon Tool and Stadium cards can appear as full art Ultra rares. Night Stretcher 173 and Rare Candy 175 were the first revealed, and Air Balloon, Buddy-Buddy Poffin, Fighting Gong, Mega Signal, Mystery Garden and Premium Power Pro join them among the 12 Ultra rare Trainers.
• Ten Special illustration rares mashu's Mega Venusaur ex 177, Raita Kazama's Mega Gardevoir ex 178, Atsushi Furusawa's Mega Lucario ex 179, Mitsuhiro Arita's Mega Absol ex 180, AKIRA EGAWA's Mega Latias ex 181 and GOTO minori's Mega Kangaskhan ex 182 are joined by four Supporters: Acerola's Mischief 183, Lillie's Determination 184, Lt. Surge's Bargain 185 and Wally's Compassion 186.
• Stamped promos that top the list Yveltal 88 exists as a Cosmos Holofoil with GameStop (USA and Canada), EB Games (Australia and New Zealand) and Mega Evolution (Europe) stamps, and the stamped prints top the set's PSA 10 list ahead of every secret rare. Xerneas 64 carries a Mega Evolution stamp as a gift with purchase in the USA.
• The box topper Bulbasaur Bulbasaur 133, mashu's Illustration rare, exists as a Mega Evolution stamped box topper in the Enhanced Booster Display Box, and the stamped print is one of the most valuable variants tracked for the set. Bulbasaur 1 also appeared with a Pokémon Day 2026 logo at in store events.

How Mega Evolution arrived

Japan released Mega Brave and Mega Symphonia together on August 1, 2025, and the English set combined them with Trainer cards from the Premium Trainer Box MEGA. Mega Evolution released globally on September 26, 2025, though the release in Europe, the Middle East and Africa was delayed to October 10, 2025 because of product delivery problems. It followed the MEP Black Star Promos that opened the series in early September and preceded Phantasmal Flames in November.

Prerelease tournaments ran on the weekends of September 13 to 14 and September 20 to 21, 2025. Every paying entrant received a Mega Evolution Build & Battle Box with four booster packs, a 40 card ready to play deck built around one of four MEP Black Star Promos, a deck building tip sheet and a Pokémon TCG Live code card, and stores could sell extra boxes at the events. The promos were Meganium (MEP 001), Inteleon (MEP 002), Alakazam (MEP 003) and Lunatone (MEP 004), with non holofoil Meganium 10 and Xerneas 64 among the deck prints.

The set kept feeding later products. The first Knock Out Collection of the series arrived on November 14, 2025 with a Cosmos Holofoil Kyogre 34 variant, and the Fall 2025 Collector Chest on December 5, 2025 with Cosmos Holofoil Ralts 58, Kirlia 59 and Riolu 76. Clawitzer 38 and Steelix 93 returned as Cosmos Holofoils in the Perfect Order checklane blisters, Raikou 48 as a Pixel Cosmos Holofoil in the Raikou 2-Pack Blister, Spiritomb 87 as a reverse Mirror Holofoil Pokémon League card in October 2025, and Lillie's Determination 119 as a 2026 Regional Championships promo and an Ultra Ball League prize in Southeast Asia.

Mega Evolution products and what came in them

Two Elite Trainer Boxes launched with the set, Mega Lucario and Mega Gardevoir. Each holds nine booster packs, 65 card sleeves, 40 basic Energy cards, a player's guide, six damage counter dice, a coin flip die, a plastic coin, six dividers and a code card, plus a full art promo: Riolu (MEP 010) in the Lucario box and Alakazam (MEP 009) in the Gardevoir box, both first printed in Mega Brave and Mega Symphonia. The Pokémon Center versions hold eleven packs and a second promo with a Pokémon Center stamp.

Single pack blisters carry Drifloon (MEP 005) or Drifblim (MEP 006) and three pack blisters Psyduck (MEP 007) or Golduck (MEP 008), all on Cosmos Holofoil. Premium checklane blisters reuse the Tyranitar and Meowscarada lines from Journey Together and Stage 1 blisters the Wailord and Lycanroc lines from the same set, with the top evolution on Cosmos Holofoil. Every blister but the three pack version includes a jumbo coin. Display boxes hold 36 packs (18 in European half displays), and an Enhanced Booster Display Box adds the stamped Bulbasaur 133 box topper. The Booster Bundle holds six packs, the Mini Portfolio holds 60 cards and one pack, and Ultra PRO released Mega Kangaskhan nine pocket binders and Mega Gardevoir and Mega Venusaur four pocket binders.

Collecting and grading Mega Evolution

Mega Lucario ex 188 and Mega Gardevoir ex 187 are the pack pulled cards that matter, and the live prices above show the gap between raw and PSA 10 for each. The Special illustration rares follow in the same order, Mega Lucario ex 179 ahead of Mega Gardevoir ex 178, with Mega Venusaur ex 177 and Mega Latias ex 181 behind them. The Illustration rares sit further back, led by mashu's Bulbasaur 133 in its ordinary print.

The variant rows dominate the top of the PSA 10 list. The stamped Yveltal 88 prints, the stamped Bulbasaur 133 box topper, the Prize Pack Latios 101 and Solrock 75, the stamped Xerneas 64 prints, the reverse holofoil Sandshrew 68 and the Cosmos Holofoil Raikou 48 all trade far above the ordinary cards, several on thin markets built on sparse sales. The checklist below tracks each variant separately, so match the label before comparing prices.

The set released in September 2025, so the graded market is still young and PSA 10 populations are growing quickly. Mega Hyper Rares and Special illustration rares use etched stock that shows edge wear and surface scratches under angled light, so inspect before submitting. Sealed product is in active distribution, so displays, Elite Trainer Boxes and bundles are for opening, and the sealed table above tracks what they trade for today.