Pokemon TCG’s Mega Sets Get First Release Date

A few weeks ago, The Pokemon Company confirmed the return of Mega Evolutions in the Pokemon Trading Card Game. At the time, little additional information was revealed, but we now have a better idea of when to expect these sets to arrive. According to a report from PokeBeach, the first Mega themed sets will debut in Japan on August 1st. On that date, fans in the region will be able to purchase Mega Brave and Mega Symphonia, which will feature Lucario and Gardevoir, respectively. Pre-constructed decks centered around Mega Gengar and Mega Diancie will follow on September 5th.

Unfortunately, we don’t know when these sets will be released outside of Japan. There’s usually a window of a few months between the time Japan gets a set, and when it arrives in the U.S. For example, Scarlet & Violet: Journey Together will be released on March 28th in the U.S., featuring cards from sets that appeared in Japan in January. Our sets also have a tendency to pull together cards from various Japanese sets, so it’s likely Mega Brave, Mega Symphonia, and the contents of the Mega Gengar and Mega Diancie sets will all be mixed together.

The release date of these sets could help narrow down a release date for Pokemon Legends: Z-A, which is slated to arrive on Nintendo Switch in “late 2025.” The return of Mega Evolutions in the TCG is clearly meant to tie in with their presence in the video game, so we can likely expect to see a TCG release sometime after the game’s launch. Generally, Pokemon games tend to arrive in the month of November, but there has been precedent for October releases, as well.

For the last 2 years or so, Pokemon TCG products have all fallen under the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet branding. PokeBeach reported earlier this month that things will be changing with the arrival of Pokemon Legends: Z-A, with new TCG sets falling under the “Mega” umbrella. It’s unclear if that branding will be the same in North America, or if we’ll see it slightly altered. Many Pokemon fans suspect that the 10th generation of Pokemon games will be released on Nintendo Switch sometime in 2026, so the Mega branding will likely only stick around for about a year.

RELATED: Pokemon Scarlet & Violet – Journey Together Prerelease Event Announced

While Pokemon TCG collectors in the U.S. have a while to wait before these Mega sets arrive locally, it doesn’t mean that there won’t be a bunch of cards released in the meantime. In addition to Journey Together this month, leaks have suggested that a set called Destined Rivals will be released in May, containing cards from Japanese sets like The Glory of Team Rocket. Following that, a set based on Pokemon Black and White will apparently be released in the summer. No cards associated with that set have leaked just yet, but Japanese trademarks have pointed to the set’s existence, and led to speculation about a remake of the two Nintendo DS games.

Are you excited for the return of Mega Evolutions in the Pokemon TCG? Do you plan on checking out Pokemon Legends: Z-A when it comes out? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!