Updated September 2026
Buy Pitch Black singles now, skip sealed product. Seven weeks after its July 17, 2026 release, both box price and chase-card prices have finished their steepest correction and stabilized. Pitch Black (Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution) marked the TCG debut of Mega Darkrai ex, and here’s the full breakdown of which chase cards are worth targeting, what prices have done since launch, and what a Mega Hyper Rare pull actually looks like versus the marketing renders.
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What Is Pitch Black?
Pitch Black is the fifth main set of the Mega Evolution era (set code ME05), and it’s built around six Mega Evolution ex Pokémon: Mega Darkrai ex, Mega Zeraora ex, Mega Chandelure ex, Mega Excadrill ex, Mega Delphox ex, and Mega Slowbro ex. Where earlier Mega Evolution sets leaned on fan-favorite starters and legendaries, Pitch Black’s roster skews toward darker, more atmospheric Pokémon — which shows up directly in the art direction. Mega Darkrai ex’s Special Illustration Rare, in particular, has drawn comparisons to some of the era’s most talked-about pulls for how it handles the character’s signature shadow-and-nightmare theming.
The other two Mega Evolution ex headliners: Mega Delphox ex and Mega Slowbro ex
The Chase Card Lineup, Ranked by Current Price
Five cards account for nearly all of Pitch Black’s resale value. Here’s how they stack up right now:
Morpeko ex’s Special Illustration Rare (#117) rounds out the top tier around $86 — a reminder that Pitch Black’s chase value isn’t limited to the six Mega Evolution ex Pokémon. A well-illustrated SIR of a smaller Pokémon can still out-earn an Ultra Rare of a headline Mega Evolution.
What Does a Mega Hyper Rare Actually Look Like?
Mega Darkrai ex’s Mega Hyper Rare printing (#120) is the set’s rarest single card and its official chase card — but if you’ve seen a flat photo of one, it probably didn’t look like the vivid Akira Egawa illustration you’d expect. That’s by design, not a bad scan: Mega Hyper Rare uses a full gold-foil overlay across the entire card face, similar to how “Rainbow Rare” and “Gold Star” treatments have worked in past Pokémon eras. Under real light and at an angle, the embossed artwork underneath catches and shifts; in a straight-on product photo, that same card reads as mostly a reflective gold sheet with the art visible as a faint silhouette.
Mega Darkrai ex, Mega Hyper Rare #120 — the gold foil is the point, not a photo issue
This is exactly why the regular Special Illustration Rare of the same character currently outprices the “rarer” Mega Hyper Rare: buyers are paying for a piece of art they can actually see clearly, and the SIR delivers that while the Mega Hyper Rare delivers scarcity and prestige instead. Neither is the “wrong” chase card — they’re just optimized for different collectors.
Pull Rates and What to Realistically Expect
Pitch Black’s chase tier breaks down as 11 Illustration Rares, 18 Ultra Rares, 6 Special Illustration Rares, and exactly 1 Mega Hyper Rare out of 120 total cards. Documented pull rates for the top Special Illustration Rares across this product category run in the 1-in-300 to 1-in-500 pack range, and the single Mega Hyper Rare is rarer still. If you’re opening packs specifically to pull Mega Darkrai ex, you should plan around not getting it — buying the card as a single is the reliable way to actually own it.
Price Since Launch
| Milestone | Box Price | Mega Darkrai ex SIR |
|---|---|---|
| Launch peak (mid-July) | ~$299 | ~$301 |
| One month post-release | ~$190–199 | ~$278 |
| Seven weeks post-release (current) | ~$190–199 | ~$208 |
Prices move fast. Follow @HelloNerdsnack on X for price drops and new chase cards.
Box price corrected fast and has held roughly steady since; the chase card kept sliding for several more weeks after that. That’s a fairly normal pattern — box prices tend to find their floor before singles do, since box buyers are pricing in overall product value while single-card buyers are still working out real supply from pull-rate data as more people open packs.
Should You Buy Pitch Black Now?
The set has finished the steepest part of its correction: both box price and headline chase card are down roughly 30-49% from their launch peaks and have largely stabilized over the last two to three weeks. That favors buying singles over sealed product unless you specifically want the pack-opening experience — the launch-week premium is gone, but there’s no strong signal the box will meaningfully appreciate from here either.
What to Skip
Skip sealed boxes unless you specifically want the pack-opening experience — the launch-week premium is gone and there’s no strong signal box price will meaningfully appreciate from here. Skip chasing the Mega Hyper Rare through packs too: documented pull rates for the top Special Illustration Rares already run 1-in-300 to 1-in-500, and the Mega Hyper Rare is rarer still. Buying the single is the only reliable way to actually own either card.
Next up: Pitch Black’s follow-up, Delta Reign, lands November 6 with Mega Rayquaza ex as its headliner. Our Delta Reign release date and chase card guide uses Pitch Black’s own price history to show what to expect.
Next up: Delta Reign prereleases start October 24. See our Delta Reign prerelease guide.
How does this set compare with the rest of the Mega Evolution era? See the 15 most expensive Mega Evolution cards.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most valuable Pitch Black card?
Currently the Special Illustration Rare version of Mega Darkrai ex (#116), trading around $208 — ahead of the set’s rarer Mega Hyper Rare (#120), around $160, because the SIR’s artwork is fully visible while the Mega Hyper Rare’s gold-foil treatment obscures it in photos.
When did Pitch Black release?
July 17, 2026. It marked the TCG debut of Mega Darkrai ex.
How many cards are in the Pitch Black set?
120 cards total: an 84-card base set plus 36 Secret Rares, including 11 Illustration Rares, 18 Ultra Rares, 6 Special Illustration Rares, and 1 Mega Hyper Rare.
Why does the Mega Hyper Rare look so plain in photos?
It’s a full gold-foil treatment covering the whole card face, similar to past “Rainbow Rare” or “Gold Star” cards. The embossed art underneath is meant to be seen catching light at an angle in person, not in a flat product photo.
Is Pitch Black worth buying now?
Both box and chase-card prices are down roughly 30-49% off launch peaks and have largely stabilized, which favors buying singles over sealed product unless you want the opening experience itself.
Keep Reading: Which Recent Pokémon Sets Have the Best Value? (October 2026 Prices) · Ascended Heroes: What to Buy (Pokémon TCG Buying Guide) · Best MTG Sleeves for Collectors: Protecting High-Value Cards
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